Courage Under Fire
1st Lieutenant Jim Gardner filled his shirt with grenades and stepped into the fray.
Gardner’s Tiger Force was facing an enemy superior in number and firepower in the Vietnamese village of My Cahn.
Multiple enemy bunkers were delivering devastating machine gun fire and preventing the Tiger’s from relieving another company that had been pinned down for hours.
Over the radio, Gardner heard the voice of commanding officer Major David Hackworth. “Goddamn it, Jim, get those positions cleaned out right now. No more f—king around, do you understand? It’s getting dark. Knock out those guns, and I mean now!”
Knowing his men couldn’t advance against the crossing machine gun rounds, Gardner took it upon himself to do the impossible.
With a shirt full of grenades and an M-16, Gardner charged the first bunker amidst snapping bullets and mortar fire. Planting himself against the bunker’s outer wall, he lobbed a grenade over the lip, killing the enemy inside.
He ran to the next bunker and did the same.
Then a third - this time killing an enemy at close range before he could toss a grenade.
Approaching the fourth bunker with a grenade in one hand and his rifle in the other, Gardner was struck in the chest four times by enemy machine gun rounds.
He spun around, and as he fell to the ground, spoke his last words: “It’s the best I can do.”
Jim Gardner was killed in action on his 23rd birthday, February 7th 1966, one month before he was scheduled to return home.
Gardner was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his exceptional display of courage.
Origins of courage
Courage manifests in many ways, but where does it come from?
In many military books, courage is a common theme. Soldiers in battle tend to display it more than people in everyday life.
Maybe it’s because soldiers are regularly exposed to dangerous situations.
If you live in a place with high snowfall, you’ll inevitably shovel more snow. If you spend time in dangerous situations, you’ll have more opportunities to be courageous.
Aside from opportunity, another common theme is apparent in the examples of military bravery.
Nearly every act of courage was committed on behalf of a comrade.
Men running into fire to save a wounded buddy.
Soldiers fighting through risk to avenge the death of a friend.
A trooper charging a hill to break up an attack that would mean the death of his unit.
Time and again, soldiers display courage in situations where their friends are in danger.
So the source of courage, in many instances, seems to be relationships.
Simon Sinek agrees.
In a recent talk he delivered, Sinek explained how courage is derived from the people around you. You’ll have courage to do hard things if you know other people are counting on you to do those hard things.
Sinek also believes the societal pendulum has swung too far in the direction of the individual. In an individual-centric society, it’s harder to be courageous. When we value the accomplishments of the individual, we’re less likely to take courageous risks for the benefit of society.
If your biggest concern is how your life appears on Instagram, you’ll take the safe path and curate a picture of perfection.
However, if your biggest concern is keeping your troops alive, you might have the courage to jump on a grenade so your buddies can live.
Courage from relationships
There’s more to the story of Jim Gardner. On that February day in 1966, he was carrying a debt of camaraderie he couldn’t repay.
In David Hackworth’s book, About Face, Gardner was described as a guy who, “had loads of common sense and truly loved his soldiers.”
The love for his soldiers was clear in the guilt he carried. While fighting in Qui Nhon in late 1965, Gardner called in mortar fire to suppress the enemy. But in the confusion of battle, he called in the wrong coordinates. The mortar fire landed on his platoon, killing five of his guys.
After Gardner’s courageous actions that cost him his life, several of his men thought he’d made the charge to resolve the guilt of his prior mistake.
Gardner drew courage from his men – both those whose death he caused and those whose deaths he prevented – to do the unthinkable. He charged into the hornet’s nest, knowing he wasn’t coming back. And he did it for his friends.
Cultivating Courage
Courage is among the most noble qualities a human can have. It comes in many forms, but it’s increasingly rare. If we can determine the source of courage – the experiences or environments that produce it – then we can work to build it in ourselves and others.
Lessons from valiant military men like Jim Gardner teach us that courage is drawn from our relationships. The tighter they are, the braver we can be.
Our relationships are one of many sources of courage. But they’re a great place to start.
