This past weekend, I had the chance to spend a few days on Pickwick Lake with four men who mean the world to me—Dick Clark, Aaron Commons, Chad Phillips, and Mike Lemley. These aren’t just fishing buddies. These are men I went to war with. We deployed together, flew together, and faced some of the toughest moments of our lives side by side. It had been eight years since some of us had seen each other. But the second we linked up, it felt like no time had passed.
This wasn’t just a casual fishing trip. Back in our operational days, I spent more time with these guys than I did with my own family. Our deployments were long, exhausting, and usually took us to places most people will never go. These were the men I leaned on. They were—and still are—my family.
Unless you’ve lived it, it’s hard to explain the kind of bond you build in those moments. Not with everyone, but with a chosen few—the ones you trust with your life, who know your soul at its strongest and its weakest. These four are that for me. No question, no hesitation—if any one of them needed me, I’d be there. And I know the same is true in reverse.
I’ll be honest—I almost didn’t go.
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