Dr. Overby wrote that all that the military taught him was “primarily how to kill and destroy.” It taught him absolutely nothing about “democracy.”
I have to disagree with him about what military experience can, and often has, brought to the political office.
I feel sorry for Dr. Overby, who, unfortunately, does not remember learning about leadership, integrity, initiative or management.
A military veteran such as Randy Morris offers those as well as other skills, talents and traits that embody the U.S. military of today.
They are held to high standards of performance. In the military, you are given management opportunities: management of troops, human resources, even responsibility for policy-making and strategic planning.
Military leaders learn how to build teamwork and collaboration. They learn how to be decisive, resourceful and perform under tremendous pressures.
And maybe Dr. Overby “learned absolutely nothing about democracy, while serving in the military,” but virtually every veteran and military person I know has served to fight for our democratic republic and even die to defend it.
And I think that a person who believes democracy is worth fighting and even dying for can understand and appreciate democracy just as well as, if not better than, someone who has not served.
Those are skills and traits valued in the military. Those are also skills and traits valued by business enterprises, nonprofit organizations and even in our educational systems. And history has shown that they are valued in the political system.
It is unfortunate that some, such as Dr. Overby, try to minimize and even trivialize military experience.
These are skills and traits that you cannot learn in a classroom or in a lab but are skills that should be valued for any position, whether in business or politics.
Harry T. Prestanski is a 1972 graduate of Ohio University and served in the Vietnam War as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps.
