"Got Your Six"

Before I get too far into this, please understand that I do not have a military background. I thought about it a lot in my youth... I even amassed a large amount of technical knowledge on armor (tanks) and toyed with the idea of enlisting in that MOS (military occupational specialty) until I learned that those over six feet tall could not serve as a tanker. I learned a lot about tanks. As a teenager, I was really wanting to be a commander on an M1A1 Abrams. I probably will never clearly understand the horrors I missed by being spared the fulfillment of my wishes.

I was in Civil Air Patrol for awhile in high school and really did enjoy it. However, I never joined or served in the armed forces of our great nation after learning my dream was out of reach. That is as close to the military as I ever came.

That said, I have a ton of respect for those who have, especially those who have served in a time of conflict.

So why this opening?

I made a mistake today.

In one of those busy moments of switching between being a Quality Improvement Manager and a field Paramedic, I goofed. It was not a big mistake and it did not hurt anyone. In fact, I never noticed it had happened. Lets just say that I did not complete a process that requires fairly strict adherence that did not involve patient care. Anyway, it happened around one o'clock in the afternoon.

Someone found my mistake around eight o'clock tonight. I was eating dinner at Applebee's with my family when I got the text from the person who found my mistake.

I thanked them, advised the quick process to rectify the situation and added one last sentence: "I am an idiot."

The response back was quick. He said, "Never. I got your six."

I stopped eating for a moment. My wife caught me staring at my plate. She said, "What just changed?"

I said, "Just a bit introspective."

You see, there are a lot of people I know. Many, many that I have known for long periods of time. Many that I trust. Some that I don't trust very much. This particular person is one that I trust quite a bit.

He's a veteran... and one that has seen a lot. I have seen videos of some of the things his unit went through in Iraq. More than what any of us civilians would care to encounter.

If you do not know what "got your six" means, here is a concise definition from urbandictionary.com:

It basically means "I've got your back." Comes from the old pilot system in which directions correspond to hours on the clock, where 12 o'clock is forward and 6 o'clock is behind. Thus anyone behind you is "at your six."

I have spent 60% of my life in EMS. When I was on the street as a field paramedic I had regular partners on the "bus" as we sometimes call our rides. There were several that I worked with every shift for over two years.

Two people on an ambulance (as I am sure it is in other areas of endeavor) form a trust. You cover each other. You are a team. As a QI Manager, I work with almost everyone in the workforce, but... I no longer get to work day in and day out with a regular partner in intense situations. What I do today is a lot different.

It's always good to know that someone out there has your six, even when it's small stuff like personal mistakes. There are many days where I feel like the dragon has won and he is sitting on the battlefield picking pieces of my flesh from his teeth with my lance that never once impacted in the fight.

This was a short interchange. A few lines of text. I sent a reply that I really meant when I said it. Anyone can say they have your six, but when you know the caliber of individual telling you that and you know they mean what they say... it makes you feel good to know that you are covered.

Little things matter. Covering each other is what gets the job done. It's what real winners do. It makes trust easy.

Another old friend of mine who was also in the military was fond of saying: "No plan ever survives first engagement."

He was and is right. My mental planning and process kind of failed a bit today. Someone having my six saved me from a mistake that could have grown a hundred different ways by tomorrow morning.

Thanks for caring enough to have my six.

Living Through a Scoutmaster Minute

This will be a fairly short blog entry... I am not feeling well and have been working on a migraine all evening (the tip of my nose is currently numb...), and I still have a few other things I want to get done tonight before falling into a mild coma.

But this is one I want to get out... A few nights ago in my medic class I did an exercise that I think I learned a long time ago from Mike Taigman. When you do the exercise, you pick four different aspects of yourself and you describe these four people as if they are patients they would encounter. Based on these simple descriptions of likes, hobbies, income and attire, you ask those participating to extrapolate on each patient. At the end of the exercise, you explain that they are all actually you, just different aspects and tally up what they had right or wrong about the personalities.

Its an exercise on judgmental attitudes when given very little information except for a snapshot or initial visual impression.

Apparently I did not listen to myself when I presented this a few nights ago.

I was in a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market about 90 minutes ago, standing in the cookie isle, lamenting internally about wanting something sweet. Of course, I do not need it and must continue on track with my weight loss. I was there for Ibuprofen for my wife's post-dental work pain. Now mind you, this was immediately following our Boy Scout Troop meeting. I am in my adult leader uniform, covered with patches, purple neckerchief, Woodbadge beads, Philmont belt... you get the point... 50 year old guy in a BSA uniform.

In EMS, and other first responder vocations, we are taught to have situational awareness and be on guard. It becomes second nature. It's almost a preservation response. You see something that fits certain parameters and your index of suspicion goes up and with it your fight or flight responses become prepared.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw someone in a leather jacket, slight of build and muscular with a blue bandana tightly tied around the top of his head. Given the neighborhood, time of night and what little I saw of the individual, my first thought was the possibility of gang involvement... the blue or red is sometimes an indicator, or sometimes it is just an indicator of a gang "wannabe" as well.

Either way, His attire tripped my "spidey senses" so to speak. I did not turn, but was acutely aware he was walking behind me.

He stopped behind me. I just kept looking at the cookies wondering if maybe this was going to be the one time I would become the target of an assault.

From behind me I heard:

"Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverent."

I turned to look now. He was older than his build had led me to believe, between 45 and 50 also. He was smiling. I smiled back.

He said, "We come in all sorts of views don't we?"

"Yes, we do," I replied rather simply, already mentally kicking myself based on my career-centered adrenergic reaction.

He smiled, turned and quickly proceeded around the corner.

I would have never guessed from his attire, and certainly not without a closer look (at more than just the outside) that this man had been a scout. His politeness and smile only added to the proof.

I ran into him again on my way out and said in passing, "Have a wonderful Evening."

"You too, my friend!"

I paid for my Ibuprofen and left. I also knew I was going to share this too. With all the issues and garbage we have going on in the world right now, it all just adds to our ability to dismiss others. As Christians, Scouts, Humans, etc... we have to communicate and show concern. We must do it in passing and we must do it when we disagree as well. Respect, care and concern for those around us makes it easier to lessen snap judgments and start talking.

If some of you Scoutmaster's out there don't use this for a Scoutmaster Minute, you are missing an easy one.