Why Are So Few Millennials Willing To Join The Military?

I don't really buy the premise of the article. First of all, 65% of the Army is 30 or under, so they're all millenials. And the Army has all the people it needs. When you grow up in an all volunteer Army world, saying you think ground forces should be used to fight ISIS shouldn't mean you also agree to go fight. ISIS isn't an existential threat to the US, so it's not like they are saying they wouldn't fight for their country if need be. If you ask someone what the best tactic is, the answer shouldn't hinge on whether you are going to volunteer to fight it.

So most of the fighting being done is being done by millenials. I think they get a bad rap. Everyone loves to talk about this entitled generation. Really? Well, young people don't vote in very large numbers, so it isn't millenials passing any laws about entitlements. They don't own many business, so they aren't setting any employment standards. And as I said, they've been doing most of the fighting for the last 10 years or so. And besides, if they are a screwed up generation, then just what generation was the fucked up parents who raised them that way? Oh, yeah. Probably the same age group that bitches about them. Hmmm.

So, sitting in my office, I get to see two types of people: those who are willing to serve and those who just want the benefits. Most, from my perspective joined for the benefits, as did I. Most understand that they will be called on to serve our country in multiple ways, sometimes not the best conditions or safest, as did I. Some of them start to learn the facets and find their place, some do not. It is up to those who cannot to either stay and continue working, or separate, either way, I always welcome their decision.

Then there are those who only want the benefits, do their four or six years, complain about everything, and are gone. Often time, I find that many are capable of doing the job, but are disinclined. Others are incapable and disinclined. This is where NCO's and Officers need to step up and work for their people.

Both have members from Gen X, Millennials, etc.., but many, just from conversations, joined to find something else about themselves. One young A1C told me it was to get away from his family, who hated everything about the military, as we are all just mindless robot baby killing zombies. He wanted to see if it was true, to which he we tell me that "I discovered a family I love, opportunities that I never knew existed, and had both ups and downs along the way. I would never trade this for anything." He is now a your SSgt, leading by example, a member of the millennials. Yet there is his opposite, a SrA who hated everything, worked the same job for four years, never earned awards, never went beyond average, just drew his check and went home. His final words to me were, "Sarge, this s*** sucks. I hate everyone and everything, no one cared about me, and I am done." He, too, was a millennial, but from a military family.

What I have found is that it is a personal choice whether to join or not, enjoy or not. We have many options and opportunities in life, it is up to us to make the right decisions for ourselves based upon the information we have. This is where leadership comes back into play, as we are in place to lead, but also to serve. Attitude is also a factor, it influences much of your current situation, which feeds into your long term outlook. Had the SrA spoken to someone about a career change? Did his leadership fail him? What made him different from the A1C? The key is simple: We must be willing to incline ourselves to our people, so they can become capable people, whether in the military or civilian life, no matter the generation.

The reality of millennials in the military:

A recent study found that millennials as a cohort have a higher suicide rate in the military.
For millennials born between 1985 and 1989, the civilian suicide rate increased to 37.8 per 100,000. When compared to other generations like the depression era - Americans born between 1930 and 1934 the rate is 17 suicides per 100,000. Its is almost double. This translates withing the military population. This groups coping skills have been diminished I feel by the prevalence of single parent homes within this group. So not so sure if we should be pushing this group into the military.

Because of the family void millennials have filled the space with social media networks. Many studies have shown that social media acts as a counterfeit reality that unfortunately makes if difficult for many to cope with real world circumstances. The problem is Social media and other technologies can give an individual a false sense of having true relationships, which can get in the way of developing a real peer support network which fosters mentor relationships. In actuality, these individuals never cross over from the virtual world and make any engaging relationship with people in the real world and when things get sideways there is no real support network in place. Theses individuals are relegated to updating their "status" to sad with a crying emoji. This is very contrary to the military - the fact that we all call each other bothers and sisters highlights the difference in mindset. The support and connections are very real and I believe that millennials are put off by this as they are used to being able to shut off their virtual world at will. The real world takes constant effort in maintaining these relationships and the fallout is not a easy as simply unfriending someone.
I want to say that the Air Force is now allowing recruits to have their cellphones in basic. Not so sure if this is a good thing as it enables the counterfeit "mindset" of millennials. These folks need to be taught how to manage interpersonal relationships.

As I not a millennial this is what I feel is going on. Their social skills have been tampered with and the social aspects of the military runs in conflict with their "self medicating" social mechanisms.


http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/dec/6/us-militarys-millennials-at-greatest-risk-for-suic/?page=all