April 24, 2025
by Benji Patton
Mogadishu, Somalia, October 1993
Master Sergeant Gary Gordon and Sergeant First Class Randall Shughart, operators with 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, were providing aerial sniper support for a downed UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. Armed irregular citizens in the Somalian capital just shot down a second Black Hawk leaving four crew members either critically wounded or perhaps killed on the ground with an angry mob approaching. Friendly ground forces were unable to maneuver and secure the crash—it was Gordan and Shughart or nothing. In similitude to Isaiah 6:8, where Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord say, ‘“Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” and I said, “Here am I. Send me,”’ they volunteered to be dropped on the objective to secure the crew in the face of countless approaching bloodthirsty insurrectionists. They fully understood this was a one-way mission.
Upon insertion, they fought wave after wave of enemy insurgents. Expending all their ammo during the firefight, the enemy was relentless even as they took countless casualties from the two Americans. As they continued to fight, Shughart was mortally wounded. When the enemy finally approached the downed helicopter, Gordon fought with just his pistol until he was overrun. But it wasn’t in vain. Because of their brave actions, Chief Warrant Officer Michael Durant, the lone survivor of the crash, would ultimately live. Their dedication to both the mission and the life of Durant displayed not only bravery at the highest levels, but resolute discipline. They understood what needed to be done and then acted upon it, regardless of how they felt.
Discipline Defined
Discipline is a term thrown around often but rarely well defined. It appears as a required leadership attribute on the first page of the Ranger Handbook with limited context. Army University Press explains it as “…the state of order and obedience among personnel…” Merriam Webster’s traditional definition refers to it as following orders and standards. The problem is none of these explanations fully capture what discipline truly entails.
The practitioner on the ground knows what it is, even if they can’t articulate it. Former Navy SEAL Jocko Willink, who used it as an unwavering principle in his profession, explained discipline as “doing the tasks that you don’t necessarily want to do, but that you know will help you.” This interpretation captures the essence of the immense challenge and importance of this concept. Discipline is doing what must be done, regardless of motivation, in a relentlessly consistent manner.
For example, military discipline covers a number of activities. It is daily fitness training, because stronger people are harder to kill. It means continued repetition of combat skills, whether that be practicing reload drills on the M4 until our hands blister or practicing life-saving battlefield casualty care to rescue our comrades on the battlefield. It means committing to being an expert in our profession, like meticulously studying Army doctrine. It’s laying down our lives for the mission and our fellow soldiers, just like Master Sergeant Gordon and Sergeant First Class Shughart did. They didn’t just know what needed to be done—they did it.
Discipline means completing necessary tasks—however mundane—every day, so we can be a better soldier for our team and a better person for the people who matter to us. It is getting better in whatever we do—even if it’s just 1% better. This kind of discipline is the most critical and fundamental characteristic. The beauty of discipline is that it is not innate: we must earn it. When we earn our discipline, every other leadership attribute begins to grow.
Discipline Differs from Motivation
We can’t mistake motivation as synonymous with discipline. Motivation often fades quickly and proves transient. It might inspire action in the short-term, but often fades when the path becomes difficult, much like New Year’s resolutions when most people quit on January 15th. Motivation resembles the person there in the calm but who disappears when adversity arises. Motivation is temporary; discipline is permanent.
Discipline is that friend who is steadfast and reliable but requires effort to sustain the relationship. During the first few weeks of starting a new training regimen, we begin motivated but wane over time. As we progress through the daily grind, there will be days of fatigue where we just don’t feel like training. Motivation has fled, but what remains is the true test of discipline. Those who fail push it off until tomorrow. Those who embody discipline complete the training today.
Discipline is not Innate, it is Developed
The path to how we develop discipline is simple: commit to something that will bring us closer to our goals and make it a non-negotiable daily task. While this sounds simple, it’s not necessarily easy. The route to discipline is rocky and uphill, adorned with trials and obstacles. Moreover, there’s no endpoint to this mission, only incremental progress. Discipline is forged through consistent effort, despite setbacks along the way. When we stray from our discipline, we compromise long-term development.
I practice three things every day to build discipline: I get up early, train, and have a good breakfast. Consistently waking up while everyone else is fast asleep in their warm beds is hard, but this is what builds a champion. Daily, regimented training with a deliberate plan to rotate muscle groups and push harder every day is a chore, but a chore of professional servicemembers and athletes. Finally, non-negotiable healthy nutrition habits in the face of terrible saturated choices feed our machine and make sure we gain and not lose.
These three disciplines are so ingrained in me, I’m unsettled if I fail to complete one of these tasks. Through simple daily practices, I’ve bolstered my physical and mental fortitude along with greater consistency in many other aspects of my life. Discipline makes us stronger, which in turn makes us better people. Discipline enhances our professionalism, competency, and resilience. We must choose daily to sacrifice our comfort for progression. Discipline does not underpin success, it decides it.
Master Sergeant Gordon and Sergeant First Class Shughart epitomize discipline. They knowingly entered an area of operations that was fraught with danger and swarming with enemy combatants. They displayed discipline in performing their duties, no matter the cost, so they might save their fellow soldier and friend. They knew ground insertion would most likely cost them their lives, and they did it anyway. We must be ready to do the same, whether it’s a life-saving decision or the constant pursuit of betterment. Discipline is not given but earned, one day—one task—at a time. It is critical we earn it so that on the day we hear the call, we can stand ready and confidently say, “Here am I. Send me!”
Benji Patton is in the Ohio Army National Guard and is a Cadet at the University of Akron. He enjoys lifting, studying, and spending time outdoors and with his family.
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The views expressed here are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Army or the Department of Defense.
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