Courage is the ability to show grace under pressure

 Big Think:

Most people freeze in a crisis. Here’s why — and how to stop it

“The fear of panic has killed more people than most disasters themselves.”

As a former officer of the Marines in combat, I have seen seasoned Marines sometimes get the shakes while others keep their cool and handle the situation as best they can.  Personally, I found the lead-up to the situation more difficult than the actual combat.  Even when I was wounded in combat, I kept my cool and managed the evacuation of troops while I was the last one to get on the medivac flight.  My First Sergeant, who was on his fifth tour in Vietnam, was always classically cool.  He helped me fill out the injury report before I got on the flight to the hospital.