What attracted me to the military was I wanted to know that experience, I wanted to have
the experience that I could talk to my kids. I could talk my grandkids and my friends and
say "I was there, I served my country, I did my duty... " (music).
Douglas MacArthur: Duty, honor, country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate
what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be!
George S. Patton: It's no fun to say to men that you love, go out, go out and get killed,
and we've had to say it and by God they have gone. And they have won. But I want you to
remember that the sacrifice these men have made must not be in vain.
Norman Schwarzkopf: Why did they do it? Why did
they do it. They did it simply because their country asked them to and therefore they thought
it was the right thing to do. ( Bugle Call) Kizzie: Being in the military teaches you
kind of fundamentally to work as a team. It also teaches you to work with people that
are in different geographic areas, we have to do a lot of that in the military and just,
lo and behold, we have to do a lot of that here as well, working with health centers
all across the country. Newton: Veterans are mission focused so we
connect to the mission and we feel vested into making sure it happens. Another thing
that I think it's a benefit for HRSA is that we are used to working in teams. So team building,
working as member of a team, collaborating, is what we do. We've learned that it takes
more than one person to get the job done. Vazquez: From the military some of the skills
and things I learned there was about a code of ethics, so I say I'm going to be in place,
I will be in that place. Bringing that sense of working hard, not going
home until the job is done, those are things that I bring with me. Especially leadership...
Colin Powell: Good leaders are people who are trusted by followers. Leaders take organizations
past the level that the science of management says is possible. One of my sergeants back
in the Infantry School at Fort Benning, and he said to me one day, he said, "No matter
how terrified you are lieutenant, you must never look terrified. Because if you are scared,
terrified, hungry and cold. They will be scared, terrified, hungry and cold. And they'll follow
into the darkest night, down the deepest valley, up the highest hill, if they trust you."
Benford: One of the things about the military is, it is a teaching ground. It is an institution
that teaches lessons that aren't sometimes learned in the halls of the major universities.
Such as commitment, dedication, honor, courage, teamwork, esprit de corps.
Woodruff: I see veterans bringing dedication, proven loyalty, a proven work ethic. And a
can-do attitude, of getting the job done. I see veterans bringing quite a bit to the
table in so-called soft skills, but yet skills that really make things work.
Jackson: I can say that the military made me a better nurse than what I probably would
have been in the civilian sector because you see more things and you're allowed to do more
things in the government side of nursing when you're in the military. Coming from a military
background, discipline is very important and working at HRSA we have lots of deadlines
that we have to meet, lots of confidential information that we deal with so I have to
be disciplined with my time frame, my schedule and all of those things. Making sure that
I am responsible for my work. (music)
John F Kennedy: Since this country was founded each generation of Americans has been summoned
to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered
the call to service surround the globe. Woodruff: Military veterans bring a lot to
the table they a lot of great skills that are easily transferable.
Newton: I would say the spirit of excellence is the one that pulls it all together and
brings the best to HRSA. Vazquez: Veterans, they go through extensive training and they
are very disciplined. Kizzie: I think the military experience prepares
you well for working in a civilian environment generally speaking and I think being here
at HRSA is no exception. Jackson: Veterans understand that there's always a bigger picture
from the smaller picture. Benford: Leadership, esprit de corps, commitment
and dedication. Honor. It is a hallmark of what makes a good soldier. And the essence
of what makes a good employee. (music)