Following the Call to Serve Again
When U.S. Army General Jonathan Wainwright discharged his troops following the end of World War II, he encouraged them to “start being a leader as soon as you put on your civilian clothes.” Seeking a sense of purpose and mission is a common desire for military veterans when they leave the service. It’s not a surprise that many have found their way to USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance.
On the surface level, it’s easy to view the military and humanitarian domains as polar opposites. The stereotypical images of camo-clad warriors and the peace-loving do-gooders paint a picture of two groups destined to clash.
“I will be the first to admit that as a soldier, I viewed humanitarians as ‘bleeding heart, tree-hugging, granola eaters,’” U.S. Army veteran David Bopp said. “I experienced equally negative perspectives and stigmatization when I attempted to transition careers. Aid workers that attended the same training courses as myself demonstrated entrenched apprehension and concern as to whether my background would make me somehow ‘incompatible’ as a humanitarian.”
Yet, veterans have a long tradition of joining USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), formerly the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), after leaving active duty service.
“For me, all the same things that motivated me to put on a uniform motivated me to join OFDA: Being part of something bigger than yourself, giving back, trying to make the world a better, safer place,” U.S. Navy veteran John Patterson explained. “Nothing about the why changed, only the how.”
From former master sergeants to colonels, pilots to infantrymen, they now use their skills in logistics, communications, strategic planning, operations, and leadership to help USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance efficiently and effectively deliver humanitarian aid around the world.
Meet a few vets who have found another way to serve.
Fritz Little, U.S. Army (1979–2014) / Now: BHA Management Integration Team Leader
“Whether you are in the military or work for USAID, you have one thing in common: You put your mission, which is working for the greater good, above yourself. You understand that you are never going to become rich and famous in the Army. The same applies to USAID. But the reward is also the same in both: job satisfaction and knowing that every day when you get up, even on the worst day, your job is important and relevant.
I spent 35 years in the military. Over that time, I did 11 combat deployments. Working in special operations civil affairs, we had a lot of freedom of movement. We went to places that USAID was not allowed to go. We would go in and take a look at the civil infrastructure and analyze the humanitarian needs. A lot of times, we would make first contact with people that would later become USAID beneficiaries. We did these initial assessments all over the world. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to get this ‘on the ground’ perspective, to see the situation first-hand and help figure out what we were going to do about it.
When I came home from Desert Storm in 1991, I took leave and went back to my hometown, Rochester New York. I remember getting off the plane and seeing the hall lined with signs. I assumed there must be a local high school or college sports team flying in. But the closer I got, I began to realize it was my name on the signs. I didn’t know what to do. At that point, I had been in the Army over 10 years and nothing like that had ever happened to me. When I entered the army in 1979, the perception of the military was very different, and you didn’t even wear your uniform when you were traveling. It was shortly after Vietnam and the military was not a very popular place to be.
Now, when people say ‘thank you for your service’ my response is ‘thank you for your support,’ because it really means a lot, and it is nice to get acknowledged for the sacrifices that you have made.”
David Bopp, U.S. Army (2005–2009) / Now: BHA Humanitarian Assistance Advisor to the Military
“After serving as an Airborne Rifle Platoon Leader in a particularly oppressed neighborhood in Baghdad, many of my perspectives underwent a profound change. I saw the suffering of the Iraqi people. Although my platoon took its fair share of casualties and I dealt with much personal loss, it hardly matched the suffering of the people around us. My dismay at the suffering around me quickly earned me the nickname ‘Lieutenant Hugs and Kisses’ from my battle-hardened men. The youthful idealism of wanting to be a ‘hero’ had little relevance in the face of the realities found on the streets of Baghdad.”
“This became clear to me after an improvised explosive device targeting our patrol devastated the neighborhood. Through the smoke and fire I caught sight of a man on the road carrying his 3-year-old daughter, limp in his arms. Seeing this man weeping over his child had a catalytic effect on me. I was filled with sorrow, rage, and frustration. I had been trained to fight the enemy but had no idea how to remedy the suffering around me. I felt completely helpless.”
“In 2018, I returned to Baghdad with OFDA. I was expecting it to be an extremely emotional and challenging experience; however, this is not the Baghdad I left. It has been so gratifying to see the positive changes that have occurred in Iraq. There is still much work to do, but where the country is now was a pipe dream back in 2007.”
Rebecca Simon, U.S. Navy (2007–2010) / Now: BHA Humanitarian Advisor to the Military
“I actually left the military in pursuit of a job within the humanitarian sphere. Within months of leaving active duty, I was at an NGO in rural eastern Kenya working with dryland farmers. I felt that the military had given me incredible exposure to the international community and shown me the potential the U.S. has to influence other parts of the world. However, I wanted to work on the ground alongside the people we were trying to help, and to better understand the different ways we could work with them. I wanted the chance to know that the work I was doing actually helped beneficiaries from all walks of life — that this work could improve their lives and situations beyond the short-term timeframe we often worked from in the military.”
“One of the greatest moments I’ve had with OFDA — now BHA — was the opportunity to stand on the beach in Mogadishu, Somalia, and look out at the ocean. Nearly 10 years earlier, I had been on a Navy ship floating in that ocean, working on Somali piracy and terrorism issues, some of which still plague Somalia today. I had guessed what the shoreline would look like, what the weather on land would be like, how people would talk, and what foods they would eat. The Navy was not allowed to come within the territorial waters of Somalia, and we only had papers and books and images to learn about the place we were working on.”
It was so surreal, all those years later, to be on a USAID team working in Somalia as part of the Horn of Africa drought response, and to have the opportunity to look out at the water from a different vantage point and to know so many of the things I had wondered about before. I felt very lucky and privileged that my work with OFDA took me full circle to my time in the military.”
John Patterson U.S. Navy (2004–2015) / Now: BHA Regional Advisor for Europe, Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia
“When I applied to the Naval Academy as a high school senior, I did so for one purpose: to be of service. It was the best way my 18-year-old self could think to do that, no doubt, influenced by the fact that both my father and grandfather had also chosen to embark on a life of service at the very same institution. I was drawn to a place that talked not of career trajectory and entry-level salaries, but of duty, commitment, and dedication to things bigger than the self. As a young adult, these were vague but compelling notions. I was in my second year at the Naval Academy on Sept. 11, 2001, and suddenly the notion of what service would mean for me and my classmates was not so vague at all.”
“Just like the military, OFDA — now BHA — is accustomed to working in imperfect environments with imperfect information, and not letting that get in the way of moving forward and doing the best we can for people who need our help. But for me, the biggest similarity is that neither one is a ‘regular’ job. People don’t do this for the paycheck. People do this because they believe in the mission — they put in extra hours, sacrifice time with their loved ones, and are willing go to some of the most dangerous places in the world because this job is about more than making money and career enhancement.”
“For me, it is far more motivating to know that humanity isn’t just a means to an end or a collateral benefit. Humanity IS the mission. When you deploy with BHA, humanity comes before politics, before policy or agenda, religion or nationality. It is the same sense of service but for a larger constituency.”
