USS Texas and the Importance of Adversity
Purpose powers the act of overcoming adversity... and is also derived from it.
05:30 off the coast of France…
Sleep has been difficult. The air is dense with sweat and anxiety, made heavy by the cold metal walls of your newfound home. Sleep’s been difficult because you’ve been in a state of danger for what seems like an eternity. But the primary reason sleep is elusive is not because you’re scared or anxious or bored; it’s not elusive because of the ever-present taste of stale coffee and gunpowder on your tongue, or the clanging and creaking of the sea’s incessant knocking, beckoning to join you; it’s elusive because you’re excited.
Onboard the battleship USS Texas, you have an important role in the Allied war machine. With the objective of extinguishing the great evil of the 20th century - Hitler and his Third Reich - you’ve been in the thick of battle, providing fire support, transport, and assistance to those brave men who stormed the beaches of Normandy. They continue to rely on you, just as you rely on proper planning, reconnaissance, and logistics for your ship to fulfill its mission. The most obvious example of this is the courageous and diligent minesweepers that came before you, without whom the floating fortress in which you reside would cease to breathe above the murky waters of the Strait of Dover.
It’s now the morning of June 15th, 1944. D-Day+9. A call comes in over the radio. The First US Army requests bombardment of enemy strongholds. They need help - your help - but there’s a problem. The guns of the Texas have a range of 20,000 yards, and the requested targets are outside of this range. You cannot move the ship closer to land (you’ll ground it), and you cannot increase the angle or power of your guns. Still, you are in the best position to provide support, yet it seems physically impossible to fulfill this urgent request. The fate of the world, its morality, the lives of your fellow countrymen, quite literally hang in the balance. You are living in the middle of a turning point of the war. You are the turning point. Failure is not an option.
What do you do?
By Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. - Photo #: 80-G-63542, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=397500
Mission, Purpose, and Adversity
This problem, though extraordinary in context, is a common dilemma in most people’s lives: the problem of adversity. The USS Texas provides a great example of the relationship between purpose, one’s mission, and the effect adversity has on both. Let’s dive in.
First, having a purpose, i.e. a meaningful reason, behind a goal or mission is required in overcoming adversity. That’s a no-brainer. This idea of purpose overcoming adversity is not new; it is echoed in ancient and modern wisdom alike. I think Simon Sinek frames it most eloquently as beginning with one’s “Why” (much more eloquently than I ever could).
So, that point is obvious - that purpose and meaning related to a goal help overcome adversity. This brings me to a second, less obvious, part of the relationship: overcoming adversity creates meaning in and of itself. It’s through this lens that I put forth the idea that adversity isn’t actually a problem but an opportunity.
Meaningful missions are meaningful due in part to the obstacles with which they are laden. These obstacles have meaning because adversity demands growth. Adversity demands effort to overcome itself. It is not enough to simply “walk the path,” but to overcome the potholes and pitfalls. Your mission’s meaning - your purpose - drives you, and that meaning is reinforced and multiplied by the opportunities that adversity brings. You grow by overcoming it; you rise to its challenge and become better for it.
In the moment of an adversity-producing obstacle, you may (or… will) feel frustration, discouragement, anger, etc. However, only by reflecting afterwards will the whole experience change. You’ll feel joy - a sense of accomplishment. Because you accomplished something. And that, in turn, provides a whole new sense of meaning. It reaches into your past, turning what was once viewed as hardship or an unnecessary burden into something necessary and good to bring you to your present improved state. It’s part of the refining process I touched on in my last post.
To this, you may say something like, “Okay, I get your point, but aren’t you being a bit dramatic? I mean, I’m not fighting Nazis. I’m not saving the world. I’m not doing anything nearly as important or as meaningful as that.”
If this is you, then in response, I humbly offer the following: that’s a problem.
You have too much to contribute and too much to offer to sit on the sidelines. You are too important to allow apathy, comfort, or fear to overwhelm you. There exist too many problems in this world. Your time is more valuable. You are called to do more.
Whether it’s losing 20 pounds of excess weight, quitting smoking, consistently exercising, helping your neighbor, joining a movement, or simply becoming a better father, mother, daughter, or son, your life has purpose and you have meaning. Your goals are worthwhile, and so are you.
So the question remains: In your purposeful pursuit, what will you do when adversity inevitably comes calling?
The answer lies in remembering the Texas…
Réaliser l'impossible
Off the coast of France, almost eight decades ago, the USS Texas responded to the Army’s call for assistance. To reach the Nazi targets, a tilt of 2 degrees was needed. Through quick and decisive action, brave sailors and commanders responded adeptly and with urgency. They flooded the starboard-side torpedo blisters, angling the entire ship to the appropriate degree.
They sacrificed a portion of their own ship.
For an hour, they rained fire down upon the reinforced Nazi encampments, fulfilling their mission and successfully supporting their compatriots. All in all, 24 rounds from the 14”/45 caliber guns were expended; averaging a shot every 2.5 minutes.
Their actions that day, along with so many other brave men and women during WWII, led to the collapse and destruction of a true evil.
…
When in doubt or feeling the heat, pain, and confusion of adversity, remember the Texas and follow its example... and remind yourself the opportunities that adversity brings.
Overcoming adversity - I agree it's a refining process.
Well written - love the example of the USS Texas.
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."