In my line of work, folks are more likely to get killed in a car wreck on the way home, or drown while kayaking on their day off. Not the most dangerous job in the world.

There is stress, however. One evening I helped author a report that went straight to a pair of Generals. It wasn't stressful in the hope I impress the brass sort of way. This pair of flag officers were hours away from making a decision; that decision was going to be based in part on the assesment myself and another NCO produced. It was imperative that these two officers were given a concise, accurate assesment of the facts, along with the recommendation of the office the sarge and I respresented. And we had under three hours to get it done and out the door. And the folks with the best technical knowledge weren't around; it was sometime after midnight.

If the two flag officers made a poor decision, the NY Times would have a field day reporting on the disaster that followed.

Two things stuck in my head during that three hour period. First, the stress I felt was nothing compared to some of Coach DeSimone's wrestling practices back in High School. Second, the stress I felt was nothing compared to every waking hour of basic training. While you cannot mandate high school athletics for every potential soldier, sailor, marine, or airman you can mandate a rigorous basic military training course.

Basic training is a hostile workplace. You are convinced that if your t-shirt isn't folded exactly the right way, there's a physical punishment or potential discharge from the military right around the corner. It's an alternate universe where nothing you do is right, everything you do results in being screamed at, and where you're promised 10 minutes to accomplish a task but receive only 30 seconds before being verbally abused for taking too damn long, son!

In basic, success is not an option. You always fail. It's part of the game. Same goes with Coach DeSimone; you were never working hard, always slacking, always a whimp. Again, part of the game. Having survived both Coach D and boot camp, I was prepared to succeed in high pressure, time-sensitive situations. I cannot comment on combat situations, but I wonder if folks who have been in combat will tell you the same thing. I suspect they would.

Basic training is not the place to validate someone's feelings, nor is it the place to worry about someone's self-esteem. That time comes down the road, when they are entrusted with guarding a convoy, or inspecting the wing of a cargo plane for microscopic stress fractures, or generating an intelligence report that will aid those on the front lines.

It is then that the boss can wink and say, "Good job."