Veterans inspire commitment and leadership.
In an op-ed for the San Antonio Express-News, Jason Galui, Director of Veterans and Military Families at the George W. Bush Institute, shares his experience transitioning from the U.S. Army and continuing to serve the United States out of uniform.
“My wife and I are both combat veterans. Almost immediately upon our transition back to civilian life, we realized that our service to the country was going to be more challenging beyond the uniform than when in it.”
Galui explains that veterans can continue to be leaders once they hang up the cloth by protecting the values of security, prosperity, and international order.
“Veterans serving in our communities can help us restore the trust that has been eroding across our country. When we combine the attributes of a veteran with those of a leader, we get character, competence, and commitment in our communities. We get a group of people we can trust to lead us toward our more perfect union. We get people who are vested in our individual pursuits of happiness while balancing the overall needs of the collective good.”
He notes though that it can be difficult to find that sense of purpose without a clear North star.
“Servicemembers find great meaning in a purpose higher than self as they serve the country through our Armed Forces. Upon transition from the military, it can feel as if such purpose is lost or stripped away from us. A veteran’s service to country, however, doesn’t end when we take off the military uniform. Our service simply transforms.”
Continue reading the article in the San Antonio Express-News.
