This Veterans Day, consider the reasons to serve

Today is Veterans Day.

For many, this means a day off from school, or that banks are closed. For others, it’s an opportunity to thank or honor someone who served in the military, or to reflect on their own service. For all of us, this year, I’d invite us to consider the role we can each play in encouraging more people to serve — and ultimately become our next generation’s veterans.

This may come as news to some of you, but the military is in a “generational recruiting shortfall.” According to the Pentagon, this recruiting environment is the worst since the end of the Vietnam War nearly 50 years ago. The Army, which has the largest number of military personnel, missed its 2022 recruiting goal by 25 percent, or 15,000 soldiers. And it doesn’t look like 2023 will be any easier than 2022. Indeed, only about 1 in 11 Americans have a propensity to serve.

There are many underlying factors that have contributed to this shortfall: the COVID pandemic, a tight labor market, and almost 80 percent of youth are ineligible to serve.

But I believe the deeper underlying problem is that the military is becoming too isolated from the rest of society. Too few young Americans consider military or national service, and too few of the adults in their life encourage them to do so. For too many, their connection to the military is a grandfather who served — not a mom or dad, uncle or aunt, teacher or coach, or family friend.

Nearly 30 years ago, I was at an all-girls high school in suburban Connecticut, contemplating what came next. I had minimal exposure to the military growing up — and zero propensity to serve, so to say, until the summer before my senior year of high school. I was fortunate to get invited to spend a week at a summer leadership seminar at West Point. I was also fortunate to have supportive parents and a supportive school. Absent those factors — and in spite of the numerous other adults who asked me and my parents, “why would she do that?” — I would not have considered service. My 12 years in uniform gave me an opportunity to serve our great country, and had an indelible imprint on who I am. I only wish the same for others.  

The recruiting challenge is not a problem that the military can solve alone.

Of course, the military must ensure the roles of soldier, sailor, airman and Marine are as attractive as possible. It can emphasize the benefits of signing up for American youth, 38 percent of whom feel higher education is too expensive or hard to access, and almost a third of whom feel they have not been taught important life skills. The military’s generous tuition assistance, health care, and retirement benefits rival many private sector perks. Veterans also have access to lower-cost home loans and generous education benefits. As Sen. Thom Tillis of the Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee has stated: “enlisting in the army increases cumulative earnings, postsecondary education attendance, [and] home ownership,” among other benefits. In addition, the military must address valid concerns and fears potential recruits and their families may have about service. The military and our Veterans Affairs ecosystem must provide unparalleled care for those suffering the visible and invisible wounds of war.

But beyond the military and the VA, we all must do our part. On this Veterans Day, and on every day, we should be encouraging the young Americans we know — especially, though not exclusively, those 18 to 24 years old — to consider serving. Beyond the benefits an individual receives, they also build skills such as leadership, grit, agility and the technical skills that come from a chosen career field. Service provides rich and varied experiences to travel the country and the world, working shoulder to shoulder with Americans from all walks of life. Being in uniform provides the opportunity to be part of something larger than one’s self, and a love of country and commitment to democracy required for our democratic experiment to continue another 250 years. Lastly, and most importantly, we all rely on the military to fight our wars and defend our freedom and way of life.

There is also an important relationship between a thriving, diverse military and the commercial strength of the nation. We should not forget that Silicon Valley’s success was spurred by military research and development investments, which catalyzed the internet and a dynamic innovation ecosystem. Tomorrow’s aspiring innovators can have no better testing ground for the creation of important products than through solving tough military problems, and serving our nation in the process.

What we can all do, on this Veterans Day, is to expose our young people to the many benefits of service, and do our part to encourage them to consider the role it can play in their life, and for our nation.

Elizabeth Young McNally is executive vice president of Schmidt Futures, a philanthropic initiative of Eric and Wendy Schmidt and a former partner at McKinsey & Co. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, she served as a military police officer and twice deployed to Iraq.