Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else. Galatians 6:4 (NIV)
It was an event I will never forget. The location was a brigade firebase outside Danang in South Viet Nam during early 1972.
A young helicopter pilot had just taken off with six members of my platoon. I noticed immediately following take-off that he steered his Huey chopper into a sudden banking motion before he had reached sufficient altitude to clear a rice paddy which was at a slightly higher elevation than the take-off pad.
The result? The rotary blades hit the front of the rice paddy wall causing the helicopter to hit the ground and tumble for at least one hundred yards. Fortunately, all six of my warriors were not wearing seat belts and were thrown out of the chopper without too much harm. The pilot and co-pilot were killed.
Any death of a warrior is tragic, but death due to trying to be a hotdog while piloting a helicopter is so unnecessary. The whole event just didn’t need to happen.
As a leader, how well do you resist trying to be a show-off?
The content of this Devotional comes from “Daily Strength for the Battle (You, God’s Word, 5 Minutes): Volume 6 Developing the Leader in You” (2020) and is copyrighted by Scott and Judy McChrystal. Used with permission.