Let’s Talk About Selflessness

I often find myself wondering what must run through the minds of those in combat—The ones on the ground. I am so incredibly lucky in my career that I never found myself in one of these situations. I’ve watched it play out from the safety of being in an aircraft. But the pushing forward, conserving ammo in firefights, fighting for each breath until help arrives or there is a break in the sky.

And within those moments, there are people who embody the ultimate act of selflessness: they give their lives so that others may live.

The sacrifice isn’t about glory or recognition. It’s not about making a name for yourself. It’s about stepping in when someone else needs help in an impossible moment—seeing danger, and going anyway. Against all odds. Knowing full well what it might cost.

That kind of courage and selflessness leaves me in awe. It’s character. It’s strength. And it creates a ripple effect, one life impacting so many others.

For me, those sacrifices are more than stories from the battlefield. They are a guiding light in my own hard times. A reminder to keep going. To not quit. To not waste what I’ve been given. To remember that life isn’t about self-preservation, it’s about what we can do for the person beside us.

Selflessness is the absence of ego. It’s acting without the expectation of return. It’s prioritizing others.

And at its core, that’s the true meaning of life: not what we achieve for ourselves, but what we give to the person next to us.

While the ultimate act of selflessness may be giving your life for another, we can still choose to live out a piece of that every day. It doesn’t always look heroic—it looks like choosing patience, showing kindness, lending a hand when it’s inconvenient, or putting someone else’s needs before your own. Small acts, done daily, add up to something powerful.

It’s easy to get caught up in the noise and negativity around us, but I believe the truth is this: there are so many people out there willing to show up for others. And if we all strive to embody even a fraction of that selflessness, the world will look a lot different.