I was on the drill team in ROTC and in the middle of one of our maneuvers where we needed to make some adjustments to the rifle strap, my buddy’s just completely fell to the ground in about 3-4 pieces. It made a huge clatter. He stood there stone faced and unmoving, at attention while the rest of the platoon finished the maneuver. The judges, three intense USMC gunnery sergeants, just stared at my friend.
When the rest of the team was done, our commander calmly said “MIDN X, fix yourself.” He bent down precisely, threaded the strap and snapped back to attention.
Then we moved forward with the drill card. We got first place among 150+ teams.
It’s what happens amidst the unexpected that defines success.