AX2 Tim Hinds, U.S. Navy (1963-1969)

This one was easy. It was life-changing for me. I may have posted this already but Im not aware how to enter it.

I was chosen to be on what was called the J.J crew. We trained pilots and crew in operations of Antisubmarine warfare. Our air-craft was the P-2V Neptune. I was an AX-2, but we learned how to maintain all the electronics aboard the aircraft. My job was to preflight the aircraft scheduled for early morning missions. I was also an aircrew radio operator. On this particular early morning, I was testing the radio equipment. It failed so I did the obvious and replaced the radio module. That didn’t fix it, so I took the next obvious step, then the next, until I ran out of options. I was kind of a high-strung guy with more ego than brains. But my friend, also on the crew, asked what the problem was. I told him in an irritated , leave me alone manner. So he just went on with his tasks. A little later, as time was becoming an issue, he came over the wing beam and saw I was still struggling to figure it out. He then said “Still stumped in a friendly way?” Then he offered a suggestion and I snapped back, “I’ve got this I know how it works, I’ll get it, I don’t need your help!” He made a face, shook his head and went on, reminding me that the flight was scheduled in a half hour. I was getting nervous, and finally I tried his suggestion. It worked.

At that point, I was feeling pretty foolish and embarrassed. My friend was a smart guy with more experience than me, but we were equal in rank, so I felt like I should know as much as him. After I finally fixed it, I found him and profusely apologized. I admitted my ego got the best of me and I should have listened to him in the first place. I also promised to listen if someone with more experience gave me suggestions, regardless of their rank. He was gracious and accepted the apology, and we shook hands. From that day on, I made it a life rule to always listen to others, regardless of the station in life or level of experience. Everyone deserves to be heard and given the respect they deserve. You never know everything, no matter how experienced you are. This has served me well over the years and when I was in supervisor positions I made it a point to consider what others had to say.

There is a story of a truck that got stuck in an overpass entrance. The fire department were all milling about trying to figure out how to get it unstuck. They tossed a lot of ideas around as this 9-year-old was watching curiously. After a bit of scratching their heads, the little boy spoke up. Hey mister, why don’t you let the air out of the tires.”

So good ideas can come from unexpected sources. Listen and learn, and before you reply, ask yourself, “is this my ego talking?” Humility is a powerful quality for those with power. This experience truly humbled me, and I am grateful. So you never know when something you do or say sticks with someone for life, so measure your words so it’s a positive memory.

Read the Military Memories of our Runner-Ups.