Courage

It seems the Army, Air Force and Navy could not agree on the definition of courage. An Army General, an Air Force Colonel and a Navy Admiral were given the task of demonstrating what true courage looked like in action. The Army General went first. "Watch this,", he tells the other two and orders a young Green Beret to enter the desert and not return until he has found and killed every last Terrorist. He responds, "Yes Sir!" and charges across the desert with only his M16 and a survival knife. Months later he staggers out of the jungle, bleeding, starving, barely alive. "That, gentlemen is courage!", says the General. Next is the Air Force Colonel. He commands a young pilot to fly his jet to 60,000 feet and dive towards the earth, not pulling out of the dive until told to do so. "Yes Sir!", and off he goes. Moments later he is seen plunging towards the ground. The Colonel stands and watches him impact the earth at mach 3. "Now that, gentlemen is courage!" The Navy Admiral just smiles and takes them out on the deck of an aircraft carrier where a lone swabbie is standing at the rail, smoking a cigarette and looking several stories below to the surface of the ocean. "Sailor", the Admiral says, "I want you to jump over the side right now!" The young man flips his cigarette over the side, watches it fall and then turns toward the Admiral with a one-finger salute. "Now that, gentlemen is courage!"