Military recruiting continues to face challenges as dissatisfaction with the war in Iraq grows. Although not yet a crisis and with no serious talk of reinstituting the draft, military recruiters continue to face pressure to meet their recruiting goals. It is vital, then, for all young Americans to be fully informed before speaking to any recruiters so that they can make the right decision. Military service is clearly not for everyone. In fact, less than 30 percent of all young people ages 18-24 meet the bare minimums for military service.
The first question a young person must answer is why join the military, especially during a long-term war? Well, there are many reasons. It has been widely known for years that military service is an excellent training ground to learn about core values, leadership, professionalism, management, teamwork, and many other useful topics. I’ve been surprised how many university presidents, provosts, CEOs and other community leaders are veterans.
According to the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, one of several recent studies examining education reform, the skills young people should be learning to best prepare for the competitive global economy of the 21st century include creativity, innovation, leadership, teamwork, people skills, effective problem solving and decision making, global awareness and cultural sensitivity and information management. The Reserve Officer Training Corps, the college level program that produces 60 percent of the officers in the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marines, provides all these skills and more, including a character education, physical fitness, and citizenship training.
Another reason young people pursue a military career is to get an education. One of the reasons I decided to attend the Air Force Academy was to do just that. In fact, the Air Force paid me to attend that school as it did subsequent graduate schools in economics, military studies, public administration, and strategic studies. It was a nice feeling not to owe money for student loans when I earned these degrees.
A third reason to join the military is to see the world. As an airlift pilot, I visited most of the U.S. and over thirty countries during my career. Last summer my family and I moved to Friendswood after spending three years stationed at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. There we toured 20 countries, an experience my family and I will never forget. As many readers of this column know first hand, foreign travel is invaluable in expanding one’s outlook and is absolutely essential in today’s economy.
A fourth reason to join the military is to make a positive difference in the lives of not dozens or hundreds, but of millions. While at Ramstein I worked in NATO and was directly involved in preparing the alliance for their first military operation outside the continent. The International Security Assistance Force is NATO’s contribution to restoring peace in Afghanistan and has made significant contributions to that nation’s recovery from decades of war, poverty and despair.
During my last two years at Ramstein, I commanded the largest airlift command and control center located outside the continental U.S. During that tour my unit planned and executed four different airlifts to Darfur, which involved U.S. aircraft airlifting African Union peacekeeping troops to the devastated Darfur region. No other nation on this planet has done more to relieve the suffering in Darfur than the U.S., despite what paid advertisements in some newspapers claim.
Clearly, there are downsides to military service, the biggest one being the risks of deploying to a combat zone. When I was a cadet, I was taught by many Vietnam veterans and never imagined I would be a wartime veteran myself. Well, my experiences in Panama, the first Gulf War, and two deployments to Afghanistan changed that, but I would never trade those experiences for anything.
One experience I’m particularly grateful for, and one I’ll never forget, is standing in the dirt and dust of Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan on Dec. 29, 2001 during Operation Enduring Freedom, leading 91 airmen as we helped build the largest coalition airlift base in that country. It was much more than a job – it was a privilege to be there, especially as a native New Yorker whose hometown on Long Island lost seven souls in the World Trade Center attacks.
To make sure we attract the right type of young people into Air Force ROTC here in Houston, we use several recruiting techniques of which you should be aware. We refuse to allow anyone to sign up the first time they visit us, no matter how enthusiastic they are about ROTC. We answer their questions and provide them additional information, but above all, we advise everyone to do some deep thinking. We don’t want to waste their time, nor do we want our time wasted. Competing to be an officer in the world’s greatest Air Force is something that must come from deep within and cannot be imposed, even by well-meaning parents.
While there are many benefits of military service, there are downsides too, especially today with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which will last for years. Before talking with any military recruiter, one must first do adequate research and lots of serious thinking. But if you are a young person of character, commitment and courage who wishes to make a big difference for a lot of people, get an education, perhaps fly, see the world and be on the cutting edge of an exciting career, then think about joining the Air Force ROTC. In my opinion the ultimate form of community service is volunteering for military service during wartime. Nothing comes close to this.
For more information visit Detachment 003’s Web site at www.uh.edu/afrotc or call us at (713) 743-4932.
Bossert, an active duty Air Force colonel and commander of Air Force ROTC based at the University of Houston, can be reached via [email protected]
