"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.