Courage is a theme found in the lives of all great leaders. Courage to do the right thing even when no one else seems to care. Courage to risk everything. Courage to face danger against insurmountable odds. Courage to face one’s failures. Courage to know that it takes a team to get anything done. All great leaders search for, discover, and put into action, courage. All of them. Captain Joseph McConnell was one of these courageous leaders.
When I was in the 4th and 5th grade, I read a book titled “Sabre Jet Ace”. Maybe I should quantify that statement, because I did not just read the book once. I read it multiple times…at least a dozen. If possible, it would have become a part of my DNA. To say I loved this book is probably an understatement. It was loosely based on the life of Joseph McConnell. Early on, McConnell desired to be a fighter pilot. But after entering the Army Air Forces, he was assigned to navigator responsibilities. Of course, it was not what he wanted. However, he flew numerous missions during World War II as a B-24 navigator. Some might have given up their dream after this, but not McConnell. His chances for piloting a fighter aircraft were not over. He had the courage to press on, to chase his dream. So, following the end of the war, he entered flight training and eventually became a pilot.
Soon after earning his pilot wings, the United States found itself back at war, this time on the Korean peninsula. Captain McConnell wanted to get to Korea to fight, and in September 1952, that dream too, was realized. McConnell did not shoot his first enemy jet down until the following January, but he wasted no time in getting multiple kills. In the next four months he would become the United States’ first triple ace, shooting down a total of 16 enemy aircraft. Joseph McConnell was a man of great courage. Every time he strapped himself into the cockpit of his F-86, he had to have known it might be his last. What drives someone to do that? Courage, and this guy had plenty of it.
After returning from Korea, Captain McConnell became a test pilot. Courage was again on full display as he took to the air, testing a new version of the F-86. Sadly, on 25 August 1954, Joseph McConnell died while test flying an F-86H. On that day, America lost not only a pilot with great skills, but a leader with great courage.
Whenever I think of courageous leadership, I am reminded of God’s words to Joshua. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) Joshua took those words with him across the Jordan and into the Promised Land. Did he have the courage to do the right thing when no one else seemed to care? Of course. Remember, he and Caleb were the only two who believed God’s promise entering the new land. Did he have the courage to risk everything? Oh yeah. Did he display the courage necessary to face danger, insurmountable odds, and personal failure? You better believe it. Does Ai ring a bell? How about his being deceived by the Gibeonites? Both moments of potential catastrophic failure. But recovery was an option, and Joshua clung to it. Finally, Joshua was courageous because he realized that action taken only by him would not amount to much. Any courageous leader knows it takes a group, a neighborhood, a team, to be great.
How about you? What can you do to become a courageous leader? The world is waiting. We need you.
Faith, Leadership, and History 