Flying from Atlanta to Minneapolis recently, I was seated next to a soldier who was on the last leg of his trip home after a year-long deployment in Iraq.
He had been flying for many hours by this time and was in a talkative mood as his excitement continued to grow. We spent about three hours visiting on the plane.
At first glance he seemed so young to me–probably a function of my age more than his. He was, in fact, a sergeant and had enlisted shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks. As he spoke about his experiences in the Army, I was impressed by his maturity, confidence and composure. Though only 26 years old, he commanded a platoon of 36 other soldiers, organizing and overseeing their day-to-day activities and goals–just like a business leader would do with a group of employees.