The Second Mile Soldier

The Second Mile Soldier

What would you do if your professor stopped you as you walked out the door and said, “I have an urgent message for you?”

That’s what happened to a college student named Dick Gunn in 1943, and his story (and critical lesson) will surprise you.

Dick was an LDS missionary in Hawaii when Japanese bombs fell on Pearl Harbor in 1941, and when he returned to Brigham Young University in Provo, UT, he quickly enlisted for the armed forces. As the semester ended, the university held a farewell meeting for all the departing servicemen, and as Dick walked out to the bootcamp buses, his chemistry professor, Joseph Nicholes, grabbed him and pulled him aside from the line of uniformed students.

The penetrating look in Nicholes’ eyes stopped any of Dick’s protests. “Dick Gunn, I have an urgent message for you.”

“Of course professor, what is it?”

Gazing intently into Dick’s eyes, Nicholes pressed, “Do not hesitate to do more than you are asked to do. You need to go the second mile.”

“Excuse me?”

“When you go to bootcamp… to war… or wherever you end up… I feel strongly to tell you, you must go the old ‘second mile’ as we read in the New Testament. Will you do that for me?”

“Yes, Professor. I will!”

“Godspeed, Dick. We are praying for you.”

(Dick Gunn in Cartography training)

A few days later, Dick Gunn found himself in Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, sitting in his barracks with some spare time, and noticed other recruits struggling to properly clean and assemble their standard issue rifles.

“Okay Nicholes, let’s get to work on that second mile.”

Relying on his skills as a gifted art student, he found some spare poster paper and drew a diagram of how to assemble a rifle. The other servicemen, impressed at his work, gathered round and thanked him for his help. Later that day, when a commanding officer inspected the barracks and noticed this unapproved poster on the wall, he demanded to know who had done it. All fingers pointed to Dick, who, when asked why, replied, “I just wanted to help them learn faster, sir!”

The commanding officer tersely ordered Dick to report to his office later that evening, and when Dick arrived in fear of a stern reprimand, he found the officer to be warm and congenial.

“Dick, did you really do that just to help?”

“Yessir.” He saluted.

“We need more men like you…” The Officer sighed, “In fact, tomorrow morning all the troops in your barracks will wake up at 0300 hours to peel potatoes. But your artistic hands are much more valuable than for peeling. Please sleep in- and report to me at 0800 hours- I have a design project for you.”

Stunned, Dick Gunn and Professor Nicholes walked out of that office a little higher and sure enough, the next day he skipped peeling potatoes and was asked to become the officer’s assistant for special projects. But the story doesn’t end there. For the rest of the war, Dick found ways to go the extra mile in the little moments when he didn’t have to, and it saved his life.

When his battalion was about to ship off to (what would become) the bloodiest battles in Europe, he was selected to join a photogrammetry unit for the Pacific theater. There his second mile efforts removed him from dangerous engineering missions and placed him in HQ in India making maps for soldiers under Gen. MacArthur.

In 1945 his second mile efforts further opened the door to meet and personally speak with Helen Keller… an experience he cherished as a highlight of his life.

And that’s how Dick Gunn, my grandfather, survived World War II. He went on to lead a fabled career in art education impacting thousands of students with his second mile stories, and passed away in 2013. In honor of his memory and the enduring lesson Professor Nichols taught, on my office wall I have a painting of the spot on BYU Campus where his life-changing conversation occurred. To me, it’s a daily reminder to go the second mile wherever possible.

A friend and colleague of mine, Kristen Sherlock, once said, “There are no traffic jams when you are willing to go the extra mile.” And in my business? It’s made all the difference. It led to a 750% increase in my clients in 4 years- completely by referral. It has also opened doors to important relationships as well as opportunities.

That’s because these days, second mile effort is as unexpected as it is uncommon. In our time of social media, AI produced content, and disconnected lifestyles, people are starving for genuine connection.

Which is what second mile effort ultimately creates.

In your life, how can you go “the second mile” and impact and bless people in simple, unexpected ways?

How can you give someone “second mile” attention today?

You’ll soon find that consistently going the second mile will take you further than you possibly could have imagined.

Just ask Dick Gunn, and Professor Nicholes.

-Christian

CHRISTIAN HANSEN has gone behind the scenes in some of the biggest organizations in the world to find out the reasons why some people get chosen and why others don’t. As the #1 bestselling and LinkedIn Top Ten ranked author of “The Influence Mindset: The Art & Science of Getting People to Choose You” Christian helps teams and organizations who want increase their earning potential by standing out from the crowd and influencing people to choose them. With degrees from Brigham Young University and The London School of Economics, he’s helped thousands of individuals position and sell themselves. A fan of international communication, history, and choral music, he currently lives in Utah with his wife. Reach him at: TheChristianHansen.com