My Veterans Day Perspective.

As I reflect on my first year of retirement after 31 years of naval service, I am filled with a sense of pride and relief knowing that the future of our naval forces is in good hands. For my last eight years on active duty, I was fortunate enough to participate in the professional development of future leaders, first in flight training and later in officer accessions. While I’m proud of these operational accomplishments, the ability to directly impact the newest Navy and Marine Corps leaders and help shape the future of military leadership brought me the most joy.

I personally would not have achieved my success without the trailblazers that came before me and the support of family, friends, colleagues, and mentors along the way. Our future leaders will also come to know that this is truly a team sport, and they will need to rely on multiple resources for that same support. Men and women from all walks of life and representing all that is good in our nation's young people have voluntarily answered the call of duty to be part of something greater than themselves.

However, this burden of responsibility of ensuring our profession of arms remains the most formidable in the world continues to be borne by a smaller segment of our population, as the propensity to serve continues to decline. In his book, Integration of the Armed Forces, 1940-1965, Morris J. MacGregor, Jr. contends “…the Navy … made significant changes in their racial policies, primarily to make more efficient and effective use of available manpower. ‘In a period of reduced manpower allocations and increased demand for technically trained men, [the Navy] came to realize that racial distinctions were imposing unacceptable administrative burdens and reducing fighting efficiency.’” It wasn’t until 1944 that 12 line officers and one warrant officer, known as the Golden Thirteen, became the first black officers in the Navy. 46 years later, I was the beneficiary of those trailblazers. The struggle to recruit and retain diversity, especially among the officer ranks, continues.

Admiral Mike Mullen, in the Chief of Naval Operations’ 2007 guidance, emphasized diversity as a strategic imperative, stating, “As the world becomes more globalized and our Nation more diverse, our ability to access, retain and employ the different talents and experiences resident in our country’s population will increasingly impact mission success at home and abroad.” Much like the incentive to integrate the armed services to increase fighting efficiency following WWII, today’s services must keep pace to attract and retain more diversity.

I’m excited about my ability to serve as a mentor and veteran example to continue to advocate for greater diversity in our armed forces. In my opinion, the leadership challenge for increased diversity in our officer ranks is fourfold: understand and acknowledge the importance of diversity for the future of the Navy; recognize and utilize the unique talents of the people; foster an environment of opportunity; and encourage people to lead and empower them to reach their full potential.

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