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Courage
Sometimes, the physical courage to face the enemies of the nation or the threats on the street pales in comparison to the courage necessary to take on the enemy within. Each of us must deal with challenges in our lives: fear, uncertainty, regret, alcohol, drugs, depression…life.
None of us are immune from life’s pain and disappointment. But if you doubt for even a second that you have the courage necessary to confront the evil in the world or that weakness that resides deep inside all of us—you’re wrong.
Legend has it that during the battle for Texas independence, Colonel William B. Travis pulled out his saber and drew a line in the sand at the feet of the men defending the Alamo. He told the men that their death at the hands of Mexican general Santa Anna’s army was almost certain. Any man wishing to leave the fort could do so. But those who wanted to stay and fight should take one step forward: one step over the line in the sand. While politicians, historians, and well-meaning people on both sides may debate the righteousness of the battle, no one can dispute the courage of the men who stayed and their impact on the future of America.
The Hero Code:
I will always strive to be courageous; to take one step forward as I confront my fears.
Humility
Charlie Duke’s humility was hard won. After the moon landing, he was a national hero. The allure of fame and fortune put a great deal of stress on his marriage and his family. All that changed, though, when his wife, Dotty, became a Christian and Charlie soon followed. Their Christian faith taught them humility and helped them recognize that in the vastness of the universe, in the incalculable complexity of nature, in the epic story of human evolution, our greatest individual accomplishments, even walking on the moon, pale in comparison to God’s works. In Matthew 23:12, Jesus says, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Humility is the simplest of all heroic qualities to assume, and yet the least expressed. To be humble is to recognize that one’s intellect, one’s physical strengths, one’s wealth all pale when compared to the vastness, the complexity, the richness, the power, and the grandeur of the universe.
The power of humility is that it brings us closer together, and the role of every hero is to unite people, not divide them. Be humble. It will serve you well.
The Hero Code:
I will work to be humble; to recognize the limits of my intellect, my understanding, and my power.
Sacrifice
Ralph Johnson sacrificed his life for a noble cause: not the Vietnam War, but the love and friendship of the men who served with him in the War. His one brief act of heroism on a hill far, far away—to rescue fellow injured soldiers—changed forever the lives of his fellow Marines and left a legacy that will last an eternity.
Private First Class Ralph H. Johnson received the Medal of Honor, posthumously. But his sacrifice would result in more than just the nation’s highest honor. It would open the eyes of so many Americans, who, caught up in the racial strife of the 1960s, would see his unselfish act, this split-second decision to save his fellow Marines, as an inspiration to all, as a recognition that we are all worthy of respect and sacrifice, regardless of color.
Senator Tim Scott, the first African American senator from the state of South Carolina, said that Ralph Johnson “began a legacy that should last an eternity. He had a vision that we should all embrace—that we are better together. He was willing to sacrifice his life for a cause greater than himself. It is the essence of service over self. Our true heroes come from obscurity, but they will live eternally in our hearts and our minds and hopefully in our actions.”
Learning to sacrifice is easy. Start by giving a little of yourself, every day. Give a little time to your friends. Give a little of your treasure to a worthy cause. Give a little love to your family. Every day—without fail—give a little of yourself. Giving will soon become a habit, a part of your character.
The Hero Code:
I will learn to sacrifice by giving a little of my time, my talent, and my treasure to those in need. Every day. Without fail.
Integrity
Navy Seal Captain Ted Grabowsky had a “Golden Rule”: You must never lie or misrepresent the truth. If you do, you will get caught, and then you are of no value anymore. No one will trust you, and without trust, none of our work can get done.
Grabowsky’s “Golden Rule” illustrated the relationship between honesty and trust. Honesty wasn’t just about being morally upright; it had a value proposition. If you were honest and people trusted you, then they trusted you with the big jobs, they trusted you with their money, they trusted you with their reputation, they trusted you with their friendship, they trusted you with their family, and they trusted you with their lives. Even when they didn’t like you or didn’t agree with you, they knew you to be upright and trustworthy.
Honesty is the cornerstone of integrity, the foundation upon which all other aspects of your character will be built.
Being men and women of integrity—following the rules, following the law, and following what you know to be right—is hard. It is hard because you have to fight against your natural herd tendencies: the desire to go along, to get along, to be well liked among the herd.
The Hero Code:
I will be a person of integrity; every decision I make and every action I take will be moral, legal, and ethical.
Compassion
Science tells us that certain acts of giving cause the brain to secrete a hormone that generates feelings of well-being. But we don’t really need science to tell us that doing charitable acts makes us feel good about ourselves.
The Hero Code:
I will be kind and compassionate to at least one person every single day and expect nothing in return.
Perseverance
Any great big disruptive change that you’re pushing is going to take some single-mindedness. Dogged persistence, that ability to persevere through every challenge, is the difference between success and failure.
History will show that success is not just a function of brains or brawn, of talent or intellect, of skill or resourcefulness, but of perseverance. Genius without resolve is just another passing person with a bright idea. Athletic prowess without determination is just another talent wasted.
Consider these failures:
- George Washington was defeated on the battlefield more times than he won.
- Abraham Lincoln lost eight elections before he won the presidency.
- Thomas Edison failed ten thousand times before inventing the lightbulb.
- Henry Ford had two failed companies before he found success.
- J. K. Rowling was destitute before she got the first Harry Potter book published.
- Oprah Winfrey had an extremely difficult childhood before finding her way.
The Hero Code:
I will never give up on matters that are important to me, my family, my country, or my faith. I will persevere.
Duty
Consider John McCain’s story as a Prisoner of War. He was offered the opportunity to leave the prison camp, and who in the world would have blamed McCain for leaving early? He had been beaten incessantly since arriving at the POW camp. Now was an opportunity to go home. Back to his family. Back to a comfortable life. Away from the hellhole he was living in. But Lieutenant Commander John McCain understood his duty to his fellow POWs and to his country. Article III of the military Code of Conduct says, “I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.” McCain refused repatriation. He would not violate the Code of Conduct. He would not desert his fellow POWs. He would not fail to do his duty.
General Order Number One is the foundation of the United States military. What it says is important, but what it means is the key to a life well-lived and a healthy society. It says, “I will take charge of my post and all government property in view.” It means that you are responsible for your actions and the actions that affect the things around you.
General Order Number One is about your duty, your responsibility to the men and women who work with you, for you, and for whom you work.
There is an old proverb, “For want of a nail, the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe, the horse was lost. For want of a horse, the knight was lost. For want of the knight, the battle was lost. For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost. The kingdom was lost for the want of a nail.” There are many interpretations of this old saying, but it epitomizes doing your duty. If the blacksmith had done his duty and placed the nail in the horseshoe correctly, the kingdom would not have been lost.
We must do our job well, not because it serves our interests, but because it serves the interests of others. If you want to be a hero, it’s easy. Just do your duty!
The Hero Code:
Whatever job I am given, whatever duty I am bound by, I will do it to the best of my ability.
Hope
Hope is the strongest force in the universe. With hope you can endure anything. Without it, you are destined to a life of fear and despair.
What is hope but a belief that tomorrow will be better: that tomorrow your children will be happier; that tomorrow your cancer will be in remission; that tomorrow your rescuers will try again; that tomorrow your country will not be at war; that tomorrow the nation will be united and the world will be safer?
The Hero Code:
I will use my unique talents to inspire others and give them hope that tomorrow will be a better day.
Humor
When joining a military platoon, pranks are part of the orientation. Every prank is meant to humble each person, but at the same time it is meant to boost the morale of the Team. If you handle it well, you earn respect for your humility.
Accepting the humor of the moment also makes you stronger in almost every regard.
In the midst of the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln was known for his sense of humor. Here was a man who had been defeated in every election before president, who suffered from depression, who lost two children at young ages, and who now bore the burden of a war that was destroying the Union, and he constantly resorted to humor.
Lincoln understood the value of humor. He used humor to soften the blows of defeat, to assuage an angry constituent, to mollify feuding generals, and to bolster the morale of the Union.
In times of upheaval, crisis, and turmoil, great leaders turn to humor as a source of strength for themselves and those that they lead.
If you want to show courage, laugh in the face of danger. If you want to show humility, laugh at yourself. If you want to sacrifice, sacrifice your vanity for a joke. If you want to be compassionate, let humor soften the blow of the pain. If you want to be honest, chuckle at your shortcomings. If you want to give hope, use humor to lighten the darkness. If you want to persevere through tough times, you had better learn to laugh.
The Hero Code:
I will use humor to comfort others, and never be afraid to laugh at myself.
Forgiveness
Forgiveness is a great gift not only to those that receive it, but to those that give it.
André Comte-Sponville, a professor of philosophy at the Sorbonne in Paris, writes, “The point [of forgiveness] is to overcome our own hatred if we cannot make him overcome his; to achieve self-mastery if we cannot master him; to win at least this victory over evil and hatred and not add evil to evil; to avoid becoming his accomplice as well as his victim.”
As Christ hung nailed to the cross, scourged and dying, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Forgiveness will never be easy. It was not meant to be. It takes a strong person to forgive. But the act of forgiving will strengthen your character immeasurably and it will rid you of hatred that is the demise of so many good men and women. Be the victor, not the victim. Learn to forgive.
The Hero Code:
No matter how great or small the offense against me, I will try to forgive. I will be the victor, not the victim.
Epilogue
The Hero Code is not some impossible set of values that none of us can attain. On the contrary, most of the heroes McRaven met and most of the heroes described here were just common people before they were thrust into the crucible of action.
Lincoln once said that “I will prepare and someday my chance will come.” Well, someday your chance may come to be a hero.
Be the hero we need you to be—live the Hero Code.
THE HERO CODE
- I will always strive to be COURAGEOUS; to take one step forward as I confront my fears.
- I will work to be HUMBLE; to recognize the limits of my intellect, my understanding, and my power.
- I will learn to SACRIFICE by giving a little of my time, my talent, and my treasure to those in need.
- I will be a person of INTEGRITY; every decision I make and every action I take will be moral, legal, and ethical.
- I will be kind and COMPASSIONATE to at least one person every single day and expect nothing in return.
- I will never give up on matters that are important to me, my family, my country, or my faith. I will PERSEVERE.
- Whatever job I am given, whatever DUTY I am bound by, I will do it to the best of my ability.
- I will use my unique talents to inspire others and give them HOPE that tomorrow will be a better day.
- I will use HUMOR to comfort others, and never be afraid to laugh at myself.
- No matter how great or small the offense against me, I will try to FORGIVE. I will be the victor, not the victim.