The Infantry School is an entry level training program for prospective infantryman and special operators of the US Army. For me, this was a unique educational journey. Here they focus on direct action combat skills, however, the real value for us lay in the courage instilled through the ordeals we faced. Instead of a school, it is more like a laboratory that aims to push the limits of the human experience. Day and night, young men from diverse backgrounds are tested to discover within them their own potential. Every now and then, this human metallurgy results in bonds stronger than any alloy we know.

I remember one night particularly vividly. We were coming to the end of a weeklong campaign in the forest and everyone in my squad was tired and hungry and cold. Sitting in a town we had taken earlier that day, we knew once the sun set an entire company would be on top of us. My team leader could sense that everybody was about ready to give in. Instead of lying down, he said stood up and said something I will never forget “I know you’re tired of the rain and the mud and the midnight snow, but if you can give more than an ounce of yourself tonight, then no matter the outcome, you’ll have won something more than just one fight: being able to look back at one of the toughest moments in your life and know that you had done your best”. And to my surprise pretty, the whole squad stood up too, ready to get back into the fight.

I wonder a lot about why his message was so compelling. I was prepared to follow him anywhere, not because I thought we could win, but because I was ready to lose. It was twelve against two hundred that night, but we had won something we could take with us out of that cold forest. Earning courage often demands confronting our deepest fears, pushing us to seek strength in places we're hesitant to explore. It's in the uncharted depths of adversity and discomfort that we uncover the most invaluable assets of our character.