What did you learn from facing something you were really worried about?

 

Answer: 

... In the fall of 1994, I was an Army officer serving in the 82nd Airborne Division when my unit was called to plan for and participate in the invasion of Haiti to remove the dictator, Raoul Cedras, from power.

Cedras had been part of a coup d’etat in 1991 that led to the ousting of the democratically elected Jean Bertrand Aristide. The 82nd Airborne Division is our nation’s main quick-reaction force of paratroopers who can go anywhere in the world in 18 hours. Having just been married to Jenny for about a year, I found this to be an extremely trying time, and I was worried if I would survive the combat jump and return home to her. Fortunately, Cedras responded to reason and agreed to leave the country, and our combat operation was called off at the last second — I was in a plane taxiing for take-off at Ft. Pope, North Carolina when the call came for us to stand down.

That experience taught me what sacrifice really means. As I walked off the plane, I started to evaluate what I wanted to accomplish with the rest of my life. Not long after this event, Jenny and I prioritized starting a family and our son, Andrew (Mac), was born about a year later.