Can Millennials Keep Us Safe?
What They Should Know From Those Who Came Before
Many people have been wondering whether Millennials can keep us safe, and my answer is emphatically…Yes!
Millennials can and have been keeping us safe for awhile now. The real question should be: are the older generations sharing what they have learned from their mentors with those that they are now responsible for mentoring. I will soon complete 30 years of service in public safety and many of my early mentors served in Korea and Vietnam. Over the years, many of them would share words of wisdom with me, mixing their own thoughts along with a historical quote. A few years back, my nephew was in the military and I decided to continue the tradition. What follows are some of the most memorable quotes that were shared with me and things we should be sharing with millennials who are selflessly choosing to serve our communities and our nation.
The Stockdale Paradox
“Retain unwavering faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties, and that at the same time have the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality.”
James Stockdale was the highest ranking naval officer held prisoner during Vietnam. He was awarded the Medal of Honor and many credited him with saving other prisoners’ lives through his actions. He told his men that being a prisoner was just “their current duty assignment. I know you are not a prisoner but you should know that many of your military brothers and sisters have been where you are and continued on to far greater challenges, as you will.” Keep your head. You are going to make it and be greater for the experience.
The Power of Silence by Carlos Castaneda
“A warrior is on permanent guard against the roughness of human behavior. A warrior is magical and ruthless, a maverick with the most refined taste and manners, whose worldly task is to sharpen, yet disguise, his cutting edge so that no one would be able to suspect his ruthlessness.”
I would guess that you have had more than one discussion regarding what it means to be a Warrior. Everyone has an opinion these days. I hope you have learned that the Warrior trains, struggles, and fights — not for his own benefit but for the benefit of others. That is what makes the Warrior unique, service to others. Your greatest weapon is your mind. Skill without knowledge is not the way of the Warrior. Humility will also serve you well as a Warrior. Others may think they know who and what you are and you should not feel the need to prove anything to them. Your actions will tell them what they need to know.
Heraclitus 500 BC
“Of every 100 men, 10 should not even be here, 80 are nothing more than targets. Nine of them are the real fighters. We are lucky to have them, they the battle make. Ah, but the one. One of them is a warrior and he will bring the others back.”
Warriors do not become leaders because they choose to be one. Others choose to follow them. Do the hard work. Be knowledgeable and skillful. Most importantly, take care of your team first. Then, take care of yourself. Being a leader is a privilege and responsibility, not a reward. No one is perfect and you should not expect perfection from yourself. Striving to help your teammates achieve mastery and expertise is the goal.
Theodore Roosevelt
“It is not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred with sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause and who, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat”.
You have chosen to enter the arena. When you return home, many will want to know your experience. Some may not understand your choice to serve. They will never understand what Roosevelt was trying to say. Oddly, it is these very people who will benefit from your service. Such people cannot protect themselves, let alone others. So, in your life, spend yourself for a worthy cause. You will know that you have made a difference.
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My nephew remains in the military as a reservist. Soon, he will begin service in the same public safety agency in which I continue to serve. To look at him and the many other millennials I have the pleasure of knowing and working with, I sleep quite well — confident they will keep us safe.
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