College or Career, but Why Not the Military?

ArmyEdTour from Monique Gaudin on Vimeo.

“This generation of Veterans, when they leave your campuses, whether that be high school, junior college, community college, or even a 4-year and come into the Army, the aggregated population-level data does not lie, they will be better off by any measure of civilian success,” shared President and CEO of Student Veterans of America Jared Lyon with the educators on the 2019 Ft. Benning, GA Army Education Tour.

How many high school students and their families are privy to that information?  Do high school counselors share with students that a Veteran with a Bachelors’s degree earns $17,000.00 more, and one with a Masters $29,000.00 above their civilian counterparts? About three-in-five (60.6%) of post-9/11 veterans said their military experience applied “a lot” or “some” to their most recent civilian job, compared with 41.1% of all veterans, according to a 2010 survey conducted for the Department of Veterans Affairs. How many know that not only is this generation of Veterans, post 911, the most educated, but are also the highest performing students in post-secondary education today? 

Or that the degrees they carry were earned in tandem with their service or completed as a benefit of the G.I. Bill? So unlike the rest of us drowning in monthly payments, most all have no student debt. 

The benefits of enlisting seem to be a well-kept secret. Schools across the nation are pushing students to be college and/or career ready without the mention of Military Service. It is almost taboo to discuss it as a viable option. The surprise expressed by students attending the first #CTEinCCSD Army Career STEM day in April, where Army assets in cybersecurity, media, medical, robotics, aeronautics, were brought in from all over the US to Las Vegas, NV, was evident in the resounding “I had no idea” heard repeatedly from many of the just under 600 students from 17 different high schools who attended.

CTEinCCSD_ArmySTEMCareersDay040319 from Monique Gaudin on Vimeo.

Military service, especially in today’s advanced technological society, is not all about being on the front lines of war or conflict zone with a gun in hand.  The training and experience gained for pay covers just about every one of the 80 Career and Technical Education programs of study offered in high schools across the state of Nevada. From Culinary to Engineering, through Media Technology, Hospitality, Business, Medical and Cybersecurity, all students interested in pursuing a career and furthering their education in a chosen field of study would have the opportunity to do so in enlisting. Yes, even a program such as Cosmetology, seemingly unlikely fit, would be applicable.   The fact that all military personnel gets more haircuts than the average civilian person should seal the deal on that one.

The numbers of enlisted have significantly decreased since going to an all-volunteer military in 1973 at the end of the Vietnam era. An era which left an indelible impression, partly in being the first televised war, followed by a multitude of factors dividing the Nation from the length of the conflict, moral and ethical beliefs, to the aftermath and a surviving population, left without resources, support or acknowledgment, often portrayed in movies and media as the sole outcome of those who serve.   In 2017, counting reservist, Nevada’s active military count was recorded as .3 percent of the population, less than the national .5 percent. As of May 31, 2019, only 1,318,499 ( .4 %) of the US population of 328,972,138 were actively serving this Nation.

https://www.npr.org/2011/07/03/137536111/by-the-numbers-todays-military

In recent polls, 80% of Americans said they have confidence that the military will act in the best interests of the public. And a 2018 poll show that Americans hold the military in high regard, with more than three-quarters of U.S. adults (78%) saying that members of the armed services contribute “a lot” to society’s well-being, yet in the educational arena, enlistment is offered as a last resort option.  Truth be told, “Finding qualified young men and women, educationally, morally and physically is probably our biggest challenge today, says Alfonso Villa of the  6th Brigade, “probably 2 in 10 qualify to enlist in any branch of the military.” Furthermore, “About 4 in 10 young Americans say they have never even considered military service,” according to the January 2019 U.S. National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service interim study quoted in the op-ed; The Military Aren’t Heroes or Villains. They are us., by Elizabeth Braw.  A lack of knowledge of what the call to service can provide in personal gain and achievement seems to points to the discrepancy between public opinion and enlistment.

The key components for recruiting says Col Mark P Olin is “Setting a professional example and telling your Army story.” Let’s just say a couple of decades ago, poor eyesight and being a woman did not afford me the opportunity for a personal “Army Story,” of service, which I dare say would not be true today, but based on my many friends and colleagues who are Veterans, the firsthand accounts of others have served and my experiences with the Army STEM Day and the Educational Tour I would encourage students, parents, counselors, and teachers to do more research into the personal and professional advantages gained by going into service after graduating from high school or even college. In evaluating the resources, careers, and the “value of service” as Col Olin puts it “in creating greater, more successful citizens for our nation” at a time when student debt and disengagement to community and country is at an all-time high, speaking as an educator, and citizen, don’t “cheat yourself” Talk to veterans, and recruiters, get all the facts, then decide if enlisting in the military would be the best route to get not one or the other, but to become both college and career ready. 

#ArmyEdTour Day 1 from Monique Gaudin on Vimeo.

ArmyEdTourDay2 from Monique Gaudin on Vimeo.

#ArmyEdTour Day 3 from Monique Gaudin on Vimeo.