Celebrate veterans through national service

This Veteran’s Day, our country is at a crossroads. As we grapple with the apathy and animus infecting our current political discourse, we are desperate for a solution to combat these malignant forces.

How do we, as stewards of our democracy, transform toxicity into prosperity? How do we maintain a common purpose? How do we honor the sacrifice of our nation’s veterans?

We claim ownership of our republic through action — by rolling up our collective sleeves, investing in the diversity of our talent, and harnessing the incredible power of national service. National service is a panacea to the divisiveness that plagues us.

As an AmeriCorps alumna, I have firsthand knowledge about the impact of national service.

Americans have myriad opportunities to serve, including AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, City Year, and Teach For America.

AmeriCorps members address community needs like eradicating poverty, protecting the environment, and mentoring youth. Peace Corps volunteers deliver critical infrastructure projects, education and public health resources to developing countries.

Whether serving domestically in Detroit or abroad in Albania, each program allows Americans to pay it forward for future generations and contribute to a national identity built upon the value of shared responsibility.

National Service broadens understanding and builds trust while creating tangible results in communities. National service is an effective tool to establish a dialogue between otherwise disparate groups by employing localized solutions to tackle complex issues.

As an AmeriCorps VISTA member managing a relief fund to help low-income, disabled, elderly residents recover from natural disasters in South Florida, I put the needs of my clients, the mission of my organization, and my service oath ahead of my personal beliefs.

I did not allow conflicting political views to hinder me when I replaced the rotting floor of a Vietnam veteran who was dangerously close to crashing through the warped, water-damaged wood of his trailer home in Davie.

After living inside the beltway for a decade, I had nearly forgotten how to see beyond my politically entrenched silo. AmeriCorps recalibrated my perspective, reminding me of the importance of putting service over self.

National service breeds empathy. It places participants outside of their realm of comfort. It forces participants to consider experiences and histories apart from their myopic, tribal existence. National service challenges participants to rise to the occasion to meet their civic duty, a cause greater than the trivial differences that we permit to tear us apart.

Hyperpartisanship, disinformation and lack of confidence in politicians and public institutions are increasingly eroding our faith in democracy and leading to a decline in civic participation.

Today, fewer veterans serve in Congress than at any point in time. In the early 1970s, three out of four members of Congress had military experience. Now it is one in six. The lack of veteran lawmakers, long known as consensus builders with a penchant for reaching across the aisle, signals the overdue need for problem-solving pragmatists who put country over party.

Like veterans, alumni of national service programs share a similar mentality. Not only does national service give participants a civic buy-in, but it also fosters an inclusive mindset.

Presently, about 1% of Americans serve in the military. Fewer participate in national service programs. As prominent national service advocates like General Stanley McChrystal often argue, most young Americans are not eligible for military service due to their inability to meet standards related to physical fitness, weight, education or background checks. National service gives Americans who want to serve but do not qualify for military service a viable option.

With military recruiting quotas consistently going unmet and the demands of communities growing, national service is needed now more than ever.

Earlier this year, my former boss, Sen. Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island), one of the body’s few veterans, co-sponsored the Unity Through Service Act of 2021. The proposed legislation provides various mechanisms to enact the recommendations of the National Commission on National, Military, and Public Service to inform, recruit and retain national service participants.

This Veteran’s Day, let us honor our military men and women by demonstrating that uniformed service is not the only way for Americans to protect our democracy. Veterans should not bear this burden alone.

Invest in national service and its ability to foster cooperation over discord by learning more about national service opportunities, encouraging elected officials to support national service funding like Reed’s bill, and deciding if a national service program is right for you. This will ensure that we will have a country worth fighting for.

By Melissa A. Sullivan