I was recently exposed to a situation in the workplace that I have never dealt with in my career. A sales professional on a team I manage recently came back from a deployment in Afghanistan. His story is amazing to me.

At the age of 18, Christophe Rustici of Nashua enlisted with the U.S. Marine Corps as a Reserve Marine. For those unfamiliar with this type of enlistment, Reserve Marines live a somewhat normal life. They hold regular jobs and live their lives just like you and me in the community. But there are two main differences. One weekend a month and two weeks a year, they train with the unit they are assigned to. And the biggest difference between a Reserve Marine and you and me is that they can be called on at any time to go wherever our country needs them to go. And this happened to Chris on two separate occasions when he was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

We have all read news stories of people in our community who are deployed as part of their commitment to our military and our country. They leave their families, friends and jobs to fight for our freedoms and the long list of things we all take for granted every day.

Although Chris was hired and returned back from Afghanistan before I joined the company, I had an opportunity to meet him and start working with him shortly after he came home. His last weekend of training finished a few weekends ago. After that final weekend, his six-year commitment was finished, and he chose to pursue a career in the private sector.

His story is amazing to me for many reasons. First and foremost, I am blown away by his cool and calm composure. During his last deployment, he was stationed in one of the most dangerous parts of Afghanistan and witnessed situations on a daily basis that you and I cannot fathom. He put his life at risk every day, and I know this must be fresh in his mind. But if you met him, you would never know it. You would never know what he witnessed. You would never know what he has gone through and experienced. And that is what I find most amazing.

Whenever I speak to Chris, I imagine what it must be like for him. A few short months ago, he was doing daily patrols on the streets of dangerous cities in Afghanistan, busting opium dealers and performing medical aide to wounded soldiers and even random Afghanistan citizens who showed up at his base with gunshot wounds, hoping they would be helped.

I wonder what the transition must be like for Chris and the countless others who have gone from hell on earth, back into our communities. However it is for him, he is handling it flawlessly.

Something else that amazes me about Chris is his work ethic. He came from an environment that was so different than the business world you and I know. He carries himself in a very professional manner and works tirelessly every day he is in the office. He is performing extremely well in his new role, and I have no doubt he will have a very successful career in business, regardless of what he chooses to do.

While I have known and worked with many people who have served our country, I have never had someone on a team I am responsible for come back from active duty as recently as Chris. His experience is fresh and so are the memories of the work he did in the most dangerous places on the planet.

The majority of people I know who have a military background do extremely well in sales and business. Their skills, work ethic and integrity make them perfect candidates for a challenging and rewarding career in sales. And although I have never been in the military, I can tell you that they have worked harder than you and I can ever dream of. If they apply the same dedication, level of intensity and commitment to a sales career, it's almost guaranteed they will succeed.

It's an honor to have the opportunity to work with someone whom I believe to be a true American hero. And for those of you who work side by side with those who selflessly put their own lives at risk to protect our freedoms, make sure they know how much you appreciate it. It's the least we can do.

Thompson (cthompson@catch22solutions.com) writes Closing the Deal weekly for the New Hampshire Sunday News.