Why I Served

Veterans Day is a great time to reflect on why we served. Most of us who served in the military probably have spent some time during and after our service pondering this very question. One of the great things about our military is if you polled 100 veterans you very well may get 100 different answers. Additionally, they will most likely share that there are several reasons for their decision, not just one.

This isn’t the case in every nation and wasn’t the case in ours just a few decades ago. There didn’t used to be a choice about serving in the military. I think most of us Americans today have a hard time comprehending how a conscription based military shapes a nation. I am so thankful the United States is able to maintain our all-volunteer force.

I would be very curious to learn what citizens who were unable or chose not to serve in the military assume about veteran’s reasons for service. Do they think we served because we are all flag waving patriots? Do they think we didn’t have any other choice for employment? Do they think we are adventure seekers? Perhaps many Americans haven’t thought much about it at all. I am sure there are recent studies on this topic, I might have to do some research if I can find the time!

For now, I can only stop on this Veteran’s day and pause to reflect about why I served. For me, this really breaks down into two questions – 1. Why did I join the military in the first place and 2. Why did I chose to stay in service for over two decades? I am definitely one of those veterans who have numerous answers to both of these questions, however for the sake of brevity I will share with you the two main reasons.

First, why did I join? My entry path into the military was via Army ROTC. When I was 18 I moved out of my home to my college town literally just down the road. I had a part time job, an apartment and a full semester load of classes my first year.  I was determined to strike out on my own and do this college thing myself.

I learned very quickly grown upping is easier said than done! Paying tuition, rent and other cost of living expenses on a 30 hour a week part time job was tough! I found myself taking on a roommate, increasing hours at work and dropping college classes to make ends meet. My dream of becoming the first person in my immediate family to graduate college was quickly starting to fade.

Military recruiters often set up in our school’s student union building and I had picked up some information about the Reserves and National Guard. I really didn’t know much about the military. Although I had uncles who served, no one in my immediate family (parents or grandparents) had military experience. It was truly an unknown, but I was considering service in the guard or reserves as a potential part time job and source of income.

That is when I ran into the Army ROTC recruiter. He invited me into the building I had walked past for almost a year but never entered and explained that I could enroll into ROTC classes with no obligation. This sounded like a good opportunity to learn a little about the military before making a commitment, plus it counted as a required PE credit!

More importantly, he told me about ROTC scholarship opportunities. After much personal deliberation and very little consultation with my family. I decided to apply for a three year scholarship. If awarded and assuming satisfactory completion of the ROTC training requirements, I would be required to serve in the active duty Army for four years upon graduation.

After numerous attempts to finally pass the physical fitness test, a fairly thorough medical evaluation and what seemed like a mountain of paperwork, I was notified in the fall of 92 that I was selected for a three year Army ROTC scholarship. The scholarship covered tuition and books plus a small stipend every month. To sweeten the deal even more, the Army scholarship was augmented with a room and board scholarship provided by my school.

I gladly signed on the dotted line and before I knew it, was raising my right hand and taking an oath of enlistment. Although I understood I was joining the armed forces and there were aspects of military service which interested me greatly, the main reason I made the plunge was a means to pay for college.

Even in college, the Army quickly became so much more than a way to pay tuition! The Army gave me direction and purpose I never had before. It transformed me in ways I never anticipated. I am so thankful I made that fateful decision to talk to a recruiter!

Which brings me to the second part of my response to “why did I serve”– what kept me in service beyond my initial four year commitment. After college graduation and initial entry training I was assigned as a Platoon Leader in the 82d Airborne Division. I quickly discovered what attracted me most to military service was my fellow service members. Just great Americans literally from all walks of life serving their nation for disparate reasons.

I loved serving with and leading my fellow Soldiers through whatever mission we maybe undertaking, often time under some pretty tough circumstances. Just the act of “soldiering” fulfilled me personally in ways I am sure I’ll never experience again. 9/11 put an even sharper focus on this rationale for service as so many Americans stepped forward to join the military.

Were there disappointments along the way? Several, but the good far outweighed the bad and the military has a unique way of self-correcting many problems. Did I have other reasons for staying in military service for twenty four years? Absolutely. Everything ranging from job security, wearing a cool uniform, doing cool stuff and of course pay / benefits.

But it’s serving something larger than myself alongside great Americans that kept me in. I will never know a better profession and group of people than those numerous leaders, peers and subordinates with whom I shared “muddy boots” over the years.

I wonder if those who haven’t served would be surprised to learn my primary reasons for joining and staying in didn’t include patriotic duty. Don’t get me wrong, I am very proud of this great country and our flag. It was my honor to defend it for so many years.

But our nation is a lot more than an amazing constitution and a beautiful flag. What makes American great is our people. The volunteers in our military represent the very best of our population. They are who kept me in over the years and who make me swell with pride about military service. To all of our veterans, past and present, thank you!