Op-ed: I’m a veteran and will #VoteTheOutdoors on election day
I am a veteran and an outdoor enthusiast who has spent the last 10 years working in the outdoor industry. Without a doubt, our industry is the first in which I experienced the same level of camaraderie and commitment to purpose as I did during my 22 years in the Navy on active and reserve duty.
This shared ethos is not surprising. Today’s outdoor industry and the $787 billion recreation economy it supports have roots that began over 70 years ago with the returning veterans of World War II. According to a Forest Service report published in 1989, the desire for outdoor recreation grew as millions of servicemen returned to civilian life.
At the same time, an outdoor recreation economy was born to support this growing demand. During the war, Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist Ernie Pyle keenly observed that the Coleman GI pocket stove was one of the “most important pieces of noncombat equipment ever developed.” Coleman, along with companies like Stanley and Eddie Bauer, supplied the Army with essential gear. Today, of course, these items-portable cooking stoves, insulated bottles, down jackets and sleeping bags-are key tools for outdoor recreation. After the war, the commercialization of noncombat military supplies provided returning service members with the same equipment they used in combat. This familiar…
