Renewing an ethos of military service

Former Princeton athletes, eating club officers and ORFE students will spend this Veterans Day preparing to deploy, returning from a deployment or leading soldiers in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. They volunteer to lead an all-volunteer force, accepting the risks and responsibilities that military service entails. Some are leaving the military and some are about to enter. Each carries his or her own answer to the question posed many times over by strangers and peers: "Why would you go to Princeton and choose to join the military?" This confusion exposes an attitude in our country that should worry Princetonians and Americans alike.

In her commissioning address to Army ROTC's 2008 graduates, President Tilghman described the challenge faced by today's military officers:

"The polarities of the Cold War have given way to conflicts that lack a unifying narrative, conflicts in which combatants and non-combatants are hard to differentiate and in which civilians must be safeguarded, local customs respected and national fissures healed. In pursuing diplomatic and military goals, stereotypes and generalizations have never been more dangerous, while, conversely, nuance and forethought have never been more needed."

A Princeton liberal arts education emphasizes broad knowledge and understanding, critical thinking and personal initiative. No background is better suited in quality and character to prepare an officer for the challenges of a counterinsurgency.

Unfortunately, the number of Princetonians choosing to wear the uniform is dwindling. In 1956, 450 of 750 graduating seniors commissioned into the military. The Class of 2008 commissioned a total of three. Consider that in 1956 the country was at peace, and the United States expected its next war would be one in which masses of foot soldiers, tanks and artillery slugged it out to the death across the plains of Central Europe. In 2008, the United States finds itself fighting two counterinsurgency campaigns, complex struggles that require a delicate blend of force and persuasion, in which learning and innovation represent a leader's most powerful weapons. It's no coincidence that the Army chose a Princeton-educated officer, Gen. David Petraeus GS '85 to lead the fight.

And yet, some of the Americans best suited to meet this challenge choose to decline. Despite consistently ranking as one of America's most respected professions, military service is largely overlooked or disregarded by Princeton graduates. Some subscribe to religious or personal views that preclude them from serving, while others either perceive it as an impediment to their future or simply "not for me." Though official requirements exclude a small portion of the American public from service, most decline as a matter of choice - a choice that may be based on misinformed assumptions. The experiences of the vast majority of alumni who've entered the service in recent years, such as Matthew Scherrer (Princeton '01, Harvard Business School '07) and Geoff Gasperini (also '01, Notre Dame Law '08), show that the military offers Princeton graduates a unique opportunity to lead and serve as a stepping stone to other endeavors.

Just as Princetonians and other well-educated Americans decline to serve, the responsibility for defending Americans and their values increasingly falls on the shoulders of a group of young men and women from a narrow set of (often disadvantaged) backgrounds. Few of these soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen benefit from the leadership of Princeton-educated officers who have a direct impact on their learning, development and physical well-being.

In the last few days we witnessed sea changes in our public life, reaffirming America's ideals and reminding us not to take those ideals for granted. Our country faces many existential threats - lagging education standards, economic recession and instability abroad to name a few. All of these challenges deserve our attention. To meet them, Princetonians should reaffirm our commitment to serving the greater good and renew a tradition of military service that is in the best interests of our nation's other service members and citizens.