Holidays in the Field: A Veteran’s Take on Leadership, Mental Health, and Caring for Your Crew
In the service, the holidays had a way of sneaking up on you. One minute you were focused on the mission, and the next you’d look at the calendar and realize everyone back home was baking pies, eating turkeys, and gathering around a table you wouldn’t be sitting at. There’s a unique kind of ache that comes with that, a quiet loneliness you don’t always talk about.
For us…….years later, after transitioning out of the military and moving into the energy sector, that same familiar ache returned. Different uniform, different mission, different landscape, but the emotional weight hits the same. You’re surrounded by good people, you’re doing a job that matters, but the holidays remind you of the distance between where you are and where your heart sits.
No matter whether you are working the rigs, fracking, or delivering pipe to the ROW for a project with a tight deadline, working through the holidays isn’t all that different from leading soldiers through them. In both worlds, the work doesn’t stop. The deadlines don’t move because it’s Thanksgiving or Christmas. The responsibility doesn’t get lighter just because everyone back home is clinking glasses and watching football. And the people you lead are still human, whether they’re wearing ghillie suites or FRs.
Carrying the Military Into the Oilfield
Over the years, the industry has taught us that it doesn’t matter your position. Drivers, operators, welders, and laborers share a lot of the same grit we saw in the military. They work long hours, shoulder real risk, depend on one another, and do it all while spending long stretches away from home, all without complaining. They push through. They sacrifice.
But just like the soldiers we served with, our employees often carry more than they say out loud.
During the holidays, that weight gets a little heavier.
If there is one thing we’ve learned, it’s that the best leadership doesn’t come from pretending everything is fine, it comes from remembering what it felt like when it wasn’t.
The Quiet Struggles We All Ignore
In the military, we were trained to muscle through the hard days. There’s pride in that, but there’s also a danger. People start believing the only acceptable answer is “I’m good,” even when they’re not.
The oilfield is no different.
During the holidays, here’s what often shows up:
- Guys going quieter than usual
- Shorter tempers
- More mistakes
- Trouble sleeping
- Losing interest in things they normally enjoy
- Missing home more than they’ll admit
These aren’t weaknesses. These are human reactions to separation and stress.
And we know this because we’ve lived it.
Leadership the Way It Was Taught to Us
The best leaders we ever had weren’t the loudest or the toughest. They were the ones who paid attention…. who noticed when we were struggling…… even when I didn’t say a word. They checked in with intention, not obligation. They understood that a strong team is built on connection, not pressure.
When we moved into the energy industry, we brought those lessons with us.
Here’s what we try to do, especially during the holiday season:
- Check in like it matters… because it does.
- Not just “You good?” but “How are you holding up being away from home this time of year?” That simple difference opens doors.
- Build community on site.
- Even small things, a shared meal, a little holiday gathering, music in the break trailer, they matter. They remind us we’re not alone out here.
- Encourage guys to call home.
- And we make room for it. A 10-minute phone call with their kid or spouse makes them safer, more focused, and more grounded.
- Pay attention to the quiet ones.
- In both the military and the patch, the folks who say “I’m fine” are often the ones carrying the heaviest load.
- Lead with honesty.
- If I miss home, we say it. If the holidays are tough, we acknowledge it. When a leader opens the door, everyone else feels permission to be human too.
What the Holidays Really Mean Out Here
The holidays aren’t just about celebration. They’re about connection. And when you’re away from home, that connection has to be built where you are, with the people you’re with.
A crew becomes a family whether you plan for it or not.
You share meals, hours, stories, laughs, frustrations.
You watch out for one another.
You celebrate small wins and carry each other through the tough days.
People don’t remember every directive you give them… They remember how you made them feel on the hardest days.
To the Crew, and to Anyone Working Away This Season
If you’re spending this holiday season in the field, in a man camp, or halfway across the country welding mainline, we want you to know something:
Your work matters.
Your sacrifice is seen.
And this life you’re building for your family, for your future is worth it.
And if you’re a leader out here, remember:
Your job isn’t just production.
It’s people.
It’s connection.
It’s noticing the things that go unspoken.
The holidays will always be a little harder in this line of work.
But with intention, empathy, and genuine leadership, they don’t have to be isolating.
We can get the job done….. and still build each other up.
Written By Daniel Radabaugh & Derek Boyd
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