Do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, because it needs to be done

(Via Survival Blog)

The title of this post consists of some very wise words. Even though I'd never heard them put that way before, I've heard them all my life--from parents, from drill sergeants and from intelligent friends. I think that if you lived by these and the Golden Rule, you'd probably do just fine in life.

Sometimes, however, you're faced with a situation where doing what needs to be done is something far outside your experience. In 1942, Wheeler "Johnny" Lipes, a pharmacist's mate on board the USS Seadragon, a US Navy submarine operating in the South China Sea, had to step up and save a shipmate, performing a job far beyond his experience.

Therein lies a tale.

One day, perhaps soon, many of us will be called to step up. When that happens, remember Johnny Lipes.