Lend a Helping Hand

I have always strived to help my friends. I figure, that is why we have friends: so that there are people to help us when we are down and need it most. There has been one occasion in my life where I helped a fellow man more than any other. Army Basic Training is a grueling nine weeks of physical, emotional, and psychological challenges. I am proud to say I successfully completed such a program, but for some of my comrades, (“battle buddies”, as we call them) it almost did not happen. One battle buddy in particular, Jackson, was not as confident as I. His scores on his physical test were almost as low as his self-esteem, and that combination is deadly to a soldier. Throughout the course of training, I made it clear to him that I supported and believed in him. Several nights a week, we would do push ups and sit ups together to train for our physical tests, and I would always press him to do better; achieve more than last time. When our training was almost over and our final physical test was upon us, I told Jackson, “You have worked too hard at this to fail. You can do it.” The day of our final Physical Test, we woke up psyched to succeed and ran as hard as we could. Sure enough, he earned a passing score, and stood a little taller at our Graduation Ceremony, where he proudly walked the stage to acknowledge his graduation. I have helped many people in my life, but this was the first time my efforts have impacted someone as deeply as Jackson. This should serve as an example to everyone that you can always make a difference in someone's life if you just try and lend a helping hand.