As a volunteer with the Arizona Rangers, I attended the funeral services for a fallen DEA Special Agent last week. His name was Michael Garbo.
While I never had the honor of meeting Mike personally, he dedicated his life to confronting dangerous criminals, so the rest of us wouldnโt have to. There is no way to measure the collective lives he saved over the years. To many, that makes him a hero, which is why I paid my respects.
As his friends, family and coworkers shared different stories, I learned some valuable lessons. Iโd like to share a few of these with you.
By all accounts, Mike was a remarkable individual. Someone said he literally did everything well. He was an amazing father, husband, friend, family member and coworker. Mikeโs philosophy was โno matter how good you are, there is always room for improvement. Thereโs always more.โ
Mike loved his job and was quite simply one of the very best. Mike was a guy that led by example, and he led from the front. He was the first to go in, and the last to come out.
He was quick to share the glory when things went well, and the responsibility when they did not. He made everyone around him look good. Everyone knew they could trust him, no matter how stressful or dangerous a situation became.
Sometimes his team would invest significant time, energy and resources to arrest a drug smuggler, but the bad guy still managed to escape. Mike would not let that get him down; instead he would say: โSometimes you get the chicken, and sometimes you get the feathers.โ We can all learn from his positive outlook.
There is no doubt Mike made a positive difference in the lives of those around him. He was loved by many, and he lived life right. Maybe we should all try to โbe like Mike.โ
RIP to a fallen hero, Special Agent Michael Garbo.
