A 17 IU RE
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Principled Ideas from the Centennial Institute
Volume 9, Number 9 November 2017
WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN, THERE IS
ALWAYS A BRIGHT SIDE
Chad Fleming, Capt. U.S. Army (Ret.)
Chad Fleming, Capt. U.S. Army (Ret.), speaking at Colorado Christian University's 2017
Western Conservative Summit
Everybody asks me, how did you get to where you are now?
Like so many people, my journey started in high school.
I was a pretty gifted athlete and had the opportunity to
play college football. Then my mother was diagnosed with
a terminal illness. My parents divorced and I had a big
decision to make. Do I continue to play football or do the
right thing and take care of my mother? I chose the harder
decision, which was to take care of my mother. She lived
for about 16 months, and Im grateful for the time I had
with her.
I found myself facing another tough
decision, what am I going to do now? I
wanted to go to college, but I was on my
own now. Id have to work, so I applied
for a few loans and got a job as a sheriffs
deputy. I worked the midnight shift and
went to school during the day.
Once I graduated, I made another key decision. I enlisted
in the military. I come from a long line of military service,
and I decided it was something I wanted to do. When I
enlisted, it was before the global war on terrorism. I opted
to join a special operations unit because I wanted to be
with the best. Im a Type-A personality, always working to
be the best, so thats what I did.
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Publisher, Dr. Donald W. Sweeting
Editor, Jeff Hunt
Then the war kicked off, and I realized I had signed a blank
check to the United States that says, I will go defend this
country, and if this check gets cashed, I may come back
missing a leg, I may come back missing my sight, I may not
come back at all. Its sobering, but like so many others, I
was willing to do it. Dont forget, were still an all-volunteer
military. I dont care what your beliefs are, but you better
support the troops. It was an option for them to enlist,
and theyre the ones that make it possible for us to be
here today.
So the war kicks off, we start deploying, I deploy a couple
times, and everythings fine. Things are going so well, in
fact, that I start getting a sense of invincibility. That is
not a good thing to do in a war zone. No surprise, one
day we were ambushed. Two hand grenades landed inside
the vehicle I was in, both detonating, and Im injured.
Somehow I got out of the vehicle and joined the gun fight
where I got shot. The gun fight was so intense that they
could not fly the helicopters in to get us. We had to wait
for the trucks. I remember the grenades going off in the
vehicle, I remember the gun fight and getting shot, but
once I was in the truck, I blacked out.
The next thing I remember is this doctor taping a lollipop
on my finger, and Im wondering why he is taping a lollipop
to my finger. Well, it wasnt a lollipop, it was fentanyl.
Fentanyl is a rapid relief opioid that is about a hundred
times stronger than morphine. In about
two and a half minutes, Im seeing little
The Tough pink unicorns flying and bunnies and
Decisions green ducks, and Im feeling no pain.
Now, I need to explain something before
Define Us. I go on. It is 2005, and Im in the Middle
East. Trust me, it is hot over there,
127 degrees. Under Armor had just come out with this
breathable mens underwear. Prior to that, it was all cotton,
and cottons not your friend in the desert because it doesnt
Captain Chad Fleming, U.S. Army (Ret.) has been deployed overseas six times
with the Armys elite 75th Ranger Regiment in support of both Operations
Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
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 breath. Id sent my dad an email, Hey Pop! I heard Under
Armors got this new breathable underwear, how about
sending me a pair? He sends me an email back, Hey
son, this stuffs $39.95 a pair, it aint happening. Im like,
Look, man, Ill pay you back sometime when I get home!
Just send me some! He sends me one pair. One pair.
So back to my story. When they got us to the combat
hospital, Im knocked out on the fentanyl. But I heard the
story later from my boys who told me, Sir, you were out of
it, passed out on the gurney. They rolled you in for surgery
and one of the doctors takes a pair of scissors and starts
cutting up your pant leg. You popped up on the gurney
yelling, Hey, whatever you do dont cut my drawers, they
cost forty bucks! Then you fell back again. My underwear
now hangs in the Under Armour headquarters in Baltimore,
Maryland. Theyre washed, dont worry about it, but they
have bullet holes in them. Cool stuff.
After surgery, I laid around for a few
days in the hospital and I started getting
depressed. Lets face it, my life was going
to be different. They had patched me up
and were sending me for the next stage Under Armour
of my recovery to an Air Force recovery
facility. As they rolled us in, Im shocked
Headquarters
that its absolutely freezing inside this tent. In Baltimore.
There are air conditioners every three and
a half feet, and its so cold, people are working wearing
polar fleece in the middle of the desert. Im thinking, this
is ridiculous. Im wounded and drugged and hurting.
Ive cussed out about half the people coming in there.
It was bad.
But then, like a mirage, this beautiful Air Force nurse is
heading my way. This was before I was married, by the way.
I was still a single guy, and this Air Force nurse is gorgeous talented folks.
and headed my way. She asked me, How are you doing?
I said, Im doing a whole lot better now, how are you?
She answered, Whens the last time you had a bath? I
said, Its been a long time. She said, You need a sponge
bath. And I said, Yes, I do. And now Im sitting there
grinning from ear to ear waiting to get a sponge bath from
this beautiful woman when this guy walks up to me and
he says, Man, you cussed me and my two buddies out
coming in here, now youre grinning from ear to ear, whats
going on? I said, Im about to get a sponge bath. And he
says, Yes, Sir, you are. My name is John and Im about to
give it to you. I would rather have continued on back to
the states stinking than have a man give me a bath, but I
was in no condition to argue. I got the bath.
Eventually I got back to the states. They started doing
surgeries on me. After surgery, I would be in rehab, then
I would have another surgery. It was brutal. I finally got
so tired of all of it I said, "Just cut my leg off." I wanted
to redeploy, and I couldnt do it like this. To get an
amputation, however, I had to get seven second doctors
to approve, including two from civilian doctors. So I went
to see the first civilian doctor and told him I wanted to
cut my leg off because I wanted to redeploy. He told me
he was going to fill out the paperwork and send me home
to collect disability. Now, you can guess
My Underwear how I responded to that. I had made a
decision to redeploy and I was not going
Hangs In The to go home and collect disability.
Eventually, I found a surgeon at Walter
Reed who understood me and agreed
to do the amputation. The recovery was
difficult. I had a lot of dark days and
setbacks. Being a Type-A personality, I
dont listen well. When the therapists wanted me to walk
from here to there, Id insist on twice the distance. I was
pushing myself too hard and actually slowing my recovery.
But the physical therapists knew how to manage me.
They took my leg off, handed me a pair of crutches, and
walked away. Ill tell you, they got my attention and after
a couple of days, I started listening and working with these
I worked with the therapists, I got better, and I asked to
be deployed again. They made me go through a whole
separate sort of selection process and physical testing
before I could deploy again, because nobody wanted to
sign off on an amputee. But I did it. I was one of the first
special operations soldiers in the United States military to
redeploy in a combat zone. Unfortunately, I was feeling

CENTENNIAL REVIEW is published monthly by the Centennial Institute at Colorado Christian University. The authors views are not necessarily
those of CCU. Designer, Justin Jones. Illustrator, Benjamin Hummel. Subscriptions free upon request. Write to: Centennial Institute, 8787 W.
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Centennial Review November 2017 2

pretty cocky again. Im sorry to tell you, I had lost my
humility, and humility is something you should never lose.
In fact, I got shot two more times after being an amputee.
Cocky doesnt make me the smartest.
Anyway, Im back in the service and they assigned a new
guy to the unit. I didnt even take the time to stop and
ask him who he was. We were leaving in two weeks and I
figured Id meet him then. He was my fire support officer,
a young lieutenant, West Point grad, the guy that controls
all the aircraft that I need very badly when we get into a
bad situation. When we got to the Middle East, they told
us where we were going on the first mission, and I knew it
was going be bad. Id been there, been in a lot of gun fights
there, and most of the guys in my unit had already been
to that location. I sat everybody down and explained that,
from the time we get off the helicopter to the time we get Capt. Fleming is part of The Lone Survivor Foundation, whose mission is to restore,
empower, and renew hope for our wounded service members and their families through
to the target, well be in a gun fight. Then, we will be in a health, wellness, and therapeutic support.
gun fight all the way back to the helicopters to get out of close to being a lieutenant colonel by now. Billy Grahams
there. Sure enough, within eight minutes of getting off the grandson is still fighting a war for this country.
helicopters, we were in a gun fight. Forty-five minutes all
the way to the target, a hellacious gun fight. I share all this to tell you, we all have bad days. Hopefully,
however, I have shed a little bit of light on what a bad
The new guy I told you about? His job is to run up the
day actually is and can let you know any bad day is only
stairs, get to the highest point on the top of the building,
temporary. They only last as long as you let them. If you
establish communications with the aircraft, and call in fire
start feeling sorry for yourself and making excuses, then
from the aircraft to keep the bad guys neutralized. So me,
you wont be able to do it. But if you realize everything in
the cocky fella, I decide to run up to the top of the stairs to
life happens for a reason, then you can move. You have to
the rooftop and see if I cant get a charge out of this young
live every day like its the last one and the best one.
lieutenant. I run up and slide in next to
him asking if he thinks we will make it out People come up to me all the time,
alive. He answered, Yes, and I am taken
aback. I realized this guy may be cockier
Humility Is especially if Im in shorts, and ask me if
Im a veteran. When I answer, yes, they
than me. I said, You seem pretty confident Something often tell me how sorry they are that I lost
about that. There are guys sweating it out You Should my leg. But you know how I answer. I
say, Please dont feel sorry for me. Check
downstairs and theyve been here before.
He said, Were going be fine, and I said, Never Lose. it out. Every time I buy a pair of socks,
Why are you so confident about that? its buy one get one free. Ive only got
He said, Well, if youd taken the time to one foot that gets cold. On a rainy day,
stop and talk to me, ask me my name and where Im from, I just hop on the plastic foot, and the other one doesnt
what Id have told you is, Im Billy Grahams grandson. I get wet. So dont feel sorry for me, I dont want anything
called my granddaddy before we came out tonight, and he from you, all I want is an opportunity. The majority of
says were going to be just fine. your veterans, we just want a thank you every once in
a while.
I sit there for a minute and let this process, and I thought,
Dear God, this is Billy Grahams grandson, what am I I also share my story with you to talk about teamwork.
going to do? I looked at him, and I said, Ed, you are no Teamwork is critical whether you are in the workplace, at
longer going to be any more than two feet away from me, church, whenever you are doing something that requires
you understand? Your granddaddys got some sort of force more than one person to get it accomplished. Teamwork
field around you, and if youre in my area, then Im in your is taking care of the person to your right and your left.
force field, and I wont get hurt again. Come here, buddy. When I really get good looks is when Im talking to a
To this day, Ed is still serving this country. Hes a major, professional or collegiate athletic team. Ill pick out the
Centennial Review November 2017 3
 Centennial Institute
Captain Chad Fleming Colorado Christian University
was a crowd favorite 8787 W. Alameda Ave.
at the 2017 Western
Lakewood, CO 80226
Conservative Summit.
A former member of Return Service Requested
the elite U.S. Army
Ranger Regiment, he was
wounded in combat on
three separate occasions.
He has undergone 23
surgeries including the amputation of his left leg.
Incredibly, he redeployed five times as an amputee.
Captain Fleming retired from active duty having earned
the Meritorious Service Medal, two Bronze Star Medals
with Valor, and three Purple Hearts. Numerous Fortune
500 companies have asked Chad to bring his never
quit attitude to help strengthen their teamwork. He
is a board member for the Lone Survivor Foundation
and travels the country as part of Marcus Luttrells
Patriot Tour.

best player in the group and ask them what makes them so pretty crazy looks, because nobody talks to these guys like
good. They tell me they eat right and work out six times a that. But they need to hear it.
day, etc. and they go on and on. I If I can leave you with anything
believe what makes me good is the Teamwork Is Taking Care today, know that no matter what,
people around me. So I call them although you may not understand
out, Youre not good because you
Of The Person To Your it at the moment, bad things in life
eat right and work out six times a Right And Your Left. happen for a reason. There will be
day, youre good because the guy on a brighter side, you just have to be
your right and the guy on your left decide to do their job the bigger person to find it. Pick yourself up, dust yourself
today. You need to be thanking them more than sitting off, and continue on with life. It will make life better for
here patting yourself on the back. Trust me, I get some you and for the people around you. n

The Centennial Institute at Colorado Christian University
hosted: Marijuanas True Impact on Colorado:
A Symposium at Colorado Christian University
Jeff Hunt, Director, Centennial Institute, debated Robert Corry, Corry &
Associates, spokesman for the marijuana industry, on the truth about the
impact of marijuana on Colorado.
Attendees heard keynote speeches from Dr. Kevin Sabet, Smart Approaches to
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A panel discussed the impact on youth in the state, including Diane Carlson
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panel included The Hon. Kirk Taylor, Pueblo County Sheriff, The Hon. John Jackson,
Police Chief of the City of Greenwood Village, Deputy Jay Martin, Douglas County
Sheriffs Office, and Darcy Kofol, Deputy District Attorney of Arapahoe County.
Watch online at NOMOREPOT.com

Centennial Review November 2017 4