Just Sayin’ Blog – Army Staff Sergeant Ty M. Carter – Defining Moments

This past Monday, August 26, 2013 at The White House, United States Army Staff Sergeant and Calvary Scout Ty M. Carter received the Congressional Medal of Honor. The Congressional Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force which can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. The medal is generally presented to its recipient by the President of the United States of America in the name of Congress. There have been 3,462 medals awarded over the years and there are 79 recipients still living today. Ty Carter is being honored for his gallantry in helping to defend Combat Outpost Keating, located in a remote section of Afghanistan, from an unwavering attack by a Taliban force. He and his fellow Americans were severely outnumbered.

When talking about the actions he took at the outpost that day on October 3, 2009 Ty was quoted as saying:

“When good men are dying all around you, you have to decide what your last moments are going to be like. Are you going to die behind something, or are to going to die standing and firing. Are you going to die pushing forward or falling back?”

What a great quote and an amazing mindset to have when you are in battle and facing terrible odds. It is impossible for me to imagine the horrific setting and events that took place that fateful October day.

When reading about Ty’s receiving this amazing honor for his valor and acts of selflessness, I started thinking about the character traits required to possess his mindset. I then thought about traits required to be so determined, driven and/or committed to achieve a specific goal. How those traits determine or define success. That led me to wonder about the traits required to be successful in the auto glass repair and replacement (AGRR) industry today. Now before you say “what the &$%#”, I’m not in any way attempting to liken the American heroes who are brave enough to take up arms and defend our nation to the issues faced by retailers in the AGRR industry. There is obviously no real comparison. What I am suggesting is Ty Carter’s quote makes you consider that if you are going to be successful as an AGRR retailer or in any endeavor you had better have that determination, that drive and commitment to fight the good fight or you won’t be successful in the task at hand. You must discover the ways to find success as you are confronted with new obstacles; and you had better never take that success for granted because someone is always coming after you and yours.

There was once a time finding success being an AGRR retailer was a fairly easy task. A time when networks or third party administrators didn’t exist and when you didn’t have to deal with steering or any of the other tactics seen today. The landscape has changed and continues to change. In all likelihood it’s not going to be changing in any positive way and certainly not to your advantage, so you’d better be working hard to find ways to ensure your continued success.

In previous blogs (“It’s all a matter of perspective”; “Auto Glass Networks – Part 1” and “Auto Glass Networks – Part 2”) I’ve written about various tactics used and what actions you might consider in maintaining and growing your business. You have to focus and fight for your customer(s) and you can’t let anybody keep you from doing so. You can’t stop pushing forward. You can’t stop trying out new ideas or strategy’s to grow your business. You need to find that special something that makes you and your company stand apart from the others. You can’t ever give up trying. Don’t suffer from what Brad Stevens; former head men’s NCAA basketball coach for the Butler Bulldogs and new head coach for the Boston Celtics said after an NCAA game earlier this year, “The pain of losing isn’t as great as the pain of regret. You have to give it your best.”

Ty Carter didn’t stop fighting at Combat Post Keating on that fateful day in Afghanistan almost four years ago. He didn’t give up and he didn’t let the circumstances keep him from continuing his “pushing forward”. He never allowed himself to “fall(ing) back” as in doing so the outcome of that day would have been very different for both himself and the men he served with at Combat Outpost Keating.

In my last blog post I wrote about “Battles Won and Waged”. Nothing that I have ever done in my life or in my career in the AGRR industry are on the level or scale of the horrific battles that Ty Carter has faced in his chosen field.  As a country we honored Ty Carter for his service to our nation and the many sacrifices he has made and continues to make on our behalf. Just as he never gave up on the day that he faced unimaginable challenges neither should we in the much lesser challenges that we face in being AGRR retailers. In my last blog I wrote,

“You’ve got to try to never let anyone, any company or thing get the better of you. Work hard to figure out a work-a-round to your challenge. Always remember that when you face a challenge it’s not always the battle won, the battle waged is just as important. It defines who you are.”

Ty Carter defined himself on October 3, 2009 and he continues to do so today as he continues to push forward, not falling back in ongoing struggles he faces in dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. He is a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient and is one of only 3,462 so honored in the history of the United States Military. Ty is an American hero.

How are you going to define yourself?

Just Sayin’.