Posted: 5/12/2008 9:34:15 PM EDT
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How do you define courage? Dictionary Definition 
Please elaborate. Is it someone acting to help another person without fear for himself? A soldier running through a hail of gunfire to get to a comrade? |
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Courage is doing what you know needs to be done no matter what the consequences are. Sometimes it involves putting aside your fear sometimes it involves sacrificing life or limb and sometimes it involves sacrificing more than your physical life or well being. But you do what needs doing because you know it is the right thing to do. Courage will do all this without regard to reward or notice. Bravado on the other hand requires an audience. |
Actually I would say that courage would also include acting to help someone with fear for themselves, but doing it anyway. |
Would likely indicate the personality of a sociopath. 5sub |
Damn, what is the story behind that picture? 
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Something that struck me about the post above (highlighted red). All the Vets that come back and suffer from PTSD might not fit the definition of a 'hero' because they didn't really make a visible sacrifice, but when I have NCOs who wake up screaming because of thunder, artillery training or a helicopter overflight, they did sacrifice something. Just don't forget that not everyone has visible scars. |
Correct, not all wounds are physical, some of the worst wounds are the ones not seen and are locked up in the Vets mind. |
In the book the Art of Leadership there is a passage about a study done by the U.S. Army on troops in combat. It says that 98% of all soldiers involved in combat for any length of time will develop varying degrees of psychological(sp?) trauma. The 2% who dont have any problems are already predisposed toward agressive psychopathic tendencies. |
Personally I liked what they called it back in the day instead of PTSD, but Soldier's Heart. Everything is acronyms nowadays and PTSD sounds like you have some kid of mental deficiency. Which is not what these guys are facing. |
I'm with that but I would change "something you have to do" to "something that must be done". Something that you must do could imply that you are soley responsible to see that it gets done. Voluntarily doing something that must be done implies that anyone with the balls to do it can step up and do it. It's a small but important distinction. To me anyway. |
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Courage is the ability to act regardless of the feelings or potential consequences. Courage is following your intuition when the facts are against it. Courage is saying 'I am sorry' when you are at fault, 'I don't know' when you don't and 'I love you' despite the hurt, anger or fear. |
My change. No elaboration needed. My good friend and fellow soldier, Juan M Solorio, KIA 04MAR2005 in Mosul; left behind a wife, two boys, and a lot of friends. He rests at the Dallas National Cemetary. I'm going to go visit him on Memorial Day, tell him "four-deuce", and then tell my kids about him, an unfortunate annual event. 
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