What I Carry
Over 28 years in uniform, I carried more than gear.
I carried a laminated MEDEVAC call card.
A copy of the Oath of Enlistment.
A handwritten prayer I still whisper when I need focus and fortitude.
And a note I wrote to myself years ago—a reminder that good leaders listen more than they speak, and never forget who they’re responsible for.
These weren’t standard-issue items. But they were essential.
I also carried leadership principles passed down through generations—like those of Major Dick Winters: lead from the front, share hardships, take responsibility, and never ask others to do what you wouldn’t.
And I carried lines from the Litany Against Fear—yes, from Dune:
“I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me…”
Some might call these things sentimental. But they kept me centered in chaos. And today, they still do.
In a world where outrage is monetized and courage is often performative, I carry these reminders as grounding truths. Not just as a veteran—but as a citizen.
They remind me that leadership is not a title—it’s a responsibility.
That fear doesn’t get the last word.
And that sometimes the smallest things we carry end up shaping the biggest parts of who we are.
What do you carry?
– Terrance D. Deuel
The Quiet Leader