A Boomer’s Perspective on Millennials in the Military

PO3 John Aldrich — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 12:01:24 -0400

(AMU Students, alumni, faculty & staff participating in Wreaths Across America December 13, 2014 at Arlington National Ceremony)

As a Baby Boomer, I tend to sit on the fence regarding my views on Millennials, but as one who is also only three years shy of being a Gen X-er; I tend to move easily between the two generations of thought. For example, I generally take a more heterogeneous view on social and cultural diversity, whereas Boomers, especially those born shortly after WWII, tend to have a more homogeneous perspective. I realize that this is the type of stereotyping that goes hand in hand with most generational biases, and someone out there is already disagreeing with me, but that’s okay. Such differences are one of the many things that make our country great.

The majority of today’s active-duty force and veterans are products of the millennial generation, shaped by their environment and combined social experiences. For example, Millennials have experienced the bombing of the World Trade Center, over ten years of war in the Middle East, the housing and banking bubble, and the Great Recession.

There are numerous opinions on Millennials in the military, ranging from their obsession with social media to their liberal political views. Like their civilian counterparts, they are often described as a lazy, self-centered, and privileged generation. In the workplace, Millennials are often portrayed as putting in the bare minimum of hours, and driven by the self-absorbed notion that they should be promoted overnight. I work with numerous Millennials, some of whom have served, and couldn’t find this sentiment to be further from the truth. My experience is that they are actively engaged in meaningful social causes and are typically among the first at work to contribute their free time and money toward a worthy cause. One could also argue that being strapped with the nation’s debt created by past generations or being subject to a retirement system dependent on the whims of today’s financial markets isn’t “privileged” at all.

What is clear, whether you are talking about the Greatest Generation, Boomers, Gen X-ers, the Net-Generation, or Millennials, is that they all share a love of country. Millennials are no different.
I have the honor of visiting veterans and servicemembers throughout the country, and with each encounter, I leave with a great sense of pride about the young men and women from this generation. Millennials join the service for many of the same reasons as others before them: to seek adventure, grow up, get a job, serve others, and satisfy a deep sense of patriotism, especially for those who joined after 9/11. This is no different than those from the Greatest Generation flocking to recruiting centers after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. They felt a patriotic duty to join.

The future for millennials in the military is as bright as that of any preceding generation. Women are breaking barriers by joining the exclusive military communities of Navy Submariners and Army Rangers, and, as the first digital natives, Millennials are perfect candidates to combat the growing threat of cybercrime.

Millennials question authority more than generations of the past, and texting and engaging on social media comes naturally, but no one should doubt that this generation is any less patriotic than previous ones. The heroic stories of self-sacrifice by this generation on the battlefield and the endearing sense of optimism by those Millennials wounded in recent wars are humbling. One need look no further than the heroism and selfless sacrifice of three servicemembers who recently stopped a terrorist gunman from killing and injuring countless people on a train in France.

As our country prepares for this Veterans Day, we not only take time to reflect and honor the accomplishments and sacrifices of those who came before us, but to also recognize today’s servicemembers and veterans. No matter how you choose to spend this holiday, one thing is for certain, we can all sleep at night knowing that we are still in good hands.

About the Author
John Aldrich is Vice President of Military, Veterans & Community College Relations at American Military University (http://rly.pt/2kX2yxZ) where military and veterans of many generations attend to further their educational goals and help transition to civilian life.

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Response by 1stSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 23 at 2015 12:08 PM

1stSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 12:08:29 -0400

Interesting read.

Response by Capt Mark Strobl made Oct 23 at 2015 12:11 PM

Capt Mark Strobl — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 12:11:46 -0400

The "next gen's" will always come under scrutiny from the Archie Bunkers of the world. In some ways, they've proved us wrong. And, they've proved us right. Embrace 'em... despite any criticism, they define our future.

Good read, PO3 John Aldrich!

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 23 at 2015 1:04 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 13:04:03 -0400

Every generation has had its over- achievers and under-achievers, it's cops and robbers, we have done "o.k." so far. Let's pray we keep our heads in the future. (Did I mention liberals and conservatives etc., etc., etc.)

Response by MSgt James Mullis made Oct 23 at 2015 1:27 PM

MSgt James Mullis — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 13:27:39 -0400

Good article. However, I disagree with one point made in the article, that being "Millennials question authority". While this has become almost a cultural meme, in my experience what really happens is that Millennials tend to "defer to experts and/or the group consensus". This is similar but not the same as "questioning authority". The hippies of the 60's questioned authority when told to do something, the Millennials tend to look around them and go along with the majority. Try this experiment the next time you're in a group setting (I used to do it while teaching classes), ask a Millennial his opinion on any subject. He or she will begin answering while looking to each of his peers for validation. You can often see their position change based on the looks of his or her peers.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 23 at 2015 4:10 PM

SGM Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 16:10:03 -0400

PO3 John Aldrich, Although some of your generalizations I do not agree with as you knew going into your article, I do agree that Millennials are very patriotic and community service based. Interesting opinion piece, sir.

Response by Sgt Tom Cunnally made Oct 23 at 2015 5:11 PM

Sgt Tom Cunnally — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 17:11:09 -0400

I've noticed almost every millennial who I discuss the military with is quick to thank me for my service and seems to be generally interested in the answers I provide to their questions about the military. I not sure I remember this same attitude with the Baby Boomers who I think were mostly not into the military that much in the 60s & 70s. As a matter of fact we were told to not discuss our military service in the 70s & 80s by a lot of retired military when I lived in California, especially in the Bay Area.

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 23 at 2015 5:58 PM

Capt Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 17:58:48 -0400

Thanks for your thoughts. As a millennial myself, it really irritates me when I hear people bash my generation based on these completely false generalizations. It's even worse when it comes from another millennial. Now with kids of my own, I'm pretty sure the generalization that youth writ large is a generational constant. "Entitlement" is a constant. It just seems like a new thing because of the digital explosion. Just like younger folks are accused of believing everything they read on the Internet, I think older folks do the same. So you see a video of someone abusing the welfare system, for example, and then assume everyone on welfare is doing the same. (Thanks to FOX News for ensuring this trend is propagated). But I digress. I agree with Strobl

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Oct 24 at 2015 9:07 AM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Sat, 24 Oct 2015 09:07:07 -0400

I wonder what are the shifts, caused by the Millennials in the military and the delta.

Response by Capt Craig Gilman made Oct 26 at 2015 10:30 AM

Capt Craig Gilman — Mon, 26 Oct 2015 10:30:58 -0400

Overall, I agree. Each generation has to deal with the generational bias of the preceding generations, all of whom seem to think they are the "greatest." I do not fret our future concerning Millennials. It will be interesting to see if they can do a better job than today's politicians (how is that for a stereotype?) :-)

Response by Capt Brandon Charters made Oct 26 at 2015 5:39 PM

Capt Brandon Charters — Mon, 26 Oct 2015 17:39:20 -0400

Great piece PO3 John Aldrich. I love that there is a unique mutual respect from within the military for all generations that have served. We all have our stereotypes of Gen X, Y, & Z, but it's nice to know we all served for one purpose and cared about things greater than ourselves. I hope you have a great upcoming Veterans Day and thanks for your service!

Response by MSgt Jeffrey Glick made Oct 26 at 2015 6:04 PM

MSgt Jeffrey Glick — Mon, 26 Oct 2015 18:04:23 -0400

Wow brought a tear to my eye well written and I am glad I got to read it,

Response by MSgt Lionel (Leo) Rondeau made Sep 20 at 2016 12:05 PM

MSgt Lionel (Leo) Rondeau — Tue, 20 Sep 2016 12:05:33 -0400

This is a great article PO3 John Aldrich. I appreciate the insight and perspective and agree with much of what you said.