A legacy in the balance

The Defense Department recently announced its plan to downsize the military to the smallest size in 74 years. In our ‘new’ military, fewer sons, daughters, spouses and parents will serve in uniform.
 
The impact of this new reality on our long-term security is a source of debate – but I find the nearer-term impact more pressing. Between the end of two wars and the shrinking military, more than one million men and women will leave the military over the next four years – one of the largest spikes since WWII.
 
{mosads}Today, their legacy lies in the balance. The decisions we make now will determine whether this legacy is defined by opportunity, continued service and success – or rather by challenge, continued hardship and struggle. The men and women who served in uniform are poised to make a lasting and positive impact at home, if we ask them. They answered the call after the attacks of 9/11, and their enduring spirit of service is readying them to answer a new one in our communities.
 
Through the nonprofit organization, The Mission Continues, veterans facing this transition are empowered to answer this call. Last weekend, more than 100 veterans from across the country mobilized in our nation’s capital prior to embarking on a new mission of service at home. As Mission Continues Fellows, they will focus their strengths and skills to address community causes as they serve as regular volunteers for six months. In Alexandria, a former Marine Corps platoon sergeant will engage community members in fitness programs, while in Houston, a former Army master sergeant will help educate and screen students from low-income homes in oral health.
 
Connor Mallon, an Army veteran, D.C. resident and Mission Continues alumnus, helped welcome these men and women into their new service.
 
After two combat deployments in six years of Army service, Connor came home eager to start a career as a civilian. Yet as he pursued traditional post-military pathways (school, finding a job, etc.), something was missing. He felt disconnected from his surroundings. In place of the camaraderie and sense of purpose that deeply characterized his military service, a hole remained in his life.
 
Connor’s experience is not uncommon. A recent survey from Kaiser Family Foundation and The Washington Post reveals more than 50 percent of recent combat veterans struggle as they leave the military. We’ve all heard of these struggles: overcoming physical and mental injuries, tragically high rates of suicide, dealing with the widespread stigmas of Post-Traumatic Stress. Unchecked, these challenges could conspire to tell the story of this generation.
 
At The Mission Continues, we envision a different story for our military men and women – one of continued service and personal success.
 
Connor found his new mission as a volunteer photographer at the Smithsonian National Zoo. He used his Mission Continues fellowship to pair his hobby of photography with his passion for service, and provided much-needed support to a civic institution.
 
He continues to serve his community today as a member of his local service platoon – a team of veterans united by the bond of military service. Together they are helping to address a need in their community: for Connor and 1st Platoon D.C., it is fighting hunger in the city’s urban center. Their efforts have drawn attention and participation from hundreds of community members – including the president and first family, who joined them in service around Thanksgiving.
 
Nationwide, veterans are mobilizing communities to protect our environment, help end chronic homelessness and serve as mentors to at-risk youth. Most inspiring of all, the impact is felt in equal parts by the veterans and by their communities.
 
Last Saturday, the newest cohort of Mission Continues fellows deployed to Hart Middle School in Anacostia – a neighborhood whose residents face a multitude of challenges. Their mission: complete refurbishment of a local school’s grounds and its surrounding areas.
 
In a single day of service, these fellows transformed the school, while they forged their new “unit” and deepened their own commitment to serve.
 
Our all-volunteer military force is coming home in large numbers. As a nation, we must ask them to report for duty, again – and help them tip the balance of their legacy towards opportunity and success.

Kympton is the president of The Mission Continues and a former Blackhawk helicopter pilot in the United States Army.