Why I decided to serve, why I continue to serve, and how it fits into the greater purpose of my life, all differ. Military service was not a given path when I was growing up. There is minimal history of military service in my family. Nonetheless, my father raised my brothers and me to have a deep reverence of the ideals that create the American identity. With that came an appreciation of those who served. While this belief in America, appreciation for the Armed Forces, and – by nature of my age when it happened – the effects of 9/11, played a large role in my deciding to serve, they are not why I stay. The reasons for my continued service are deeper, perhaps more complex, and more matured from time and experience.

I admittedly struggled writing this post, not because I did not know why I serve, but because it felt so personal that I was not (and still am not) sure it would connect. Putting the role my faith plays in my service into words posed an additional struggle. As an Army Officer, I am careful about the influence my religious beliefs can play on those I lead (evangelize, not proselytize). In a recent The Military Leader Podcast with Lt. Col. Adisa King, he mentioned the phrase “who you are and whose you are”. For me this strikes to the heart of this matter.

Purpose Driven

Lt. Col. King references that quote as a reminder to his Soldiers that our actions reflect on “who” we are (individual identity) and “whose” we are (collective identity of the U.S. Army). But, I use that phrase differently. I use it, in a prayer for my daughters, to ask that God reveal to them who they are (their identity) and whose they are (His). Another part of that prayer is asking that God would help raise them to carry out the great purpose He has for them. I would be remiss to write a piece on “why I serve” without mentioning my firm belief in God.

Somewhere along my reading and podcast listening I picked up the picture of a 3-legged stool to represent “purpose”. Your purpose is where your talents, passions, and profitability (not just in monetary value, but in value to others) intersect to reveal God’s work for you. It took me a while to put words to it, and it is always under revision as God reveals more to me through my work and seeking Him. As it stands, I believe my purpose is “building men and women of character to create a better world through the demonstrative power of leadership and deliberate investment in a community’s greatest conduit of change – people”. This was a purpose that was revealed to me through how I was raised and early life experiences.

Coach’s Son

I am a coach’s son (baseball and football coach). My childhood was spent on the baseball and football fields of Maryland. My father still coaches baseball, my brother coaches college and summer league baseball, and my other brother is a sports journalist. Sports are the common language and are inextricably woven into the fabric of my family. At a young age, the idea of a leader to me was synonymous with parent and coach.

Meyer talent tops out at DIII and even that is quite arguable – but we were raised to do the absolute most with the talents we were given…to leave nothing on the table and it all on the field. Being a coach’s son taught me the importance of leadership, what it means to be a good teammate, and how to bring a collective group toward a common goal. As I type this, I am realizing that I have been part of a team since I was five or six years old; I don’t know anything else. This also instilled in me a – perhaps sometimes unhealthy – desire to strive, to compete, and to win.

Competition

Winning may not be everything, and clearly character is a huge part of the equation, but it is a very important thing. Make no mistake, if you are in the profession of arms then you are in the business of winning wars. This may not have been a conscious part of my decision to join, but it clearly correlated to the culture I was a part of at Norwich University and continued in the Infantry units I have served.

As I said in my piece on serving in the infantry (Ordering Salad at Ruth’s Chris), “Growing up as one of three boys meant “playing” as a kid always turned into a household version of WWE Wrestlemania. I am competitive to a fault and hate losing. As my middle brother says, “every game is my game 7”. It doesn’t matter if I am throwing rocks at a light pole, doing morning PT, or conducting an Exercise Evaluation (EXEVAL), everything is a competition. There has to be a way to win, and I want to win.” The Army, and specifically the Infantry, fills that need for me. It is, to put it in overly simplistic and crude terms, the world’s #1 contact sport.

Connecting All Three

Leadership is the connective tissue between these three muscles that drive my continued service. It is a purpose, a foundation, and a call to compete. Why I decided to serve is not what keeps me in uniform. Obviously, the financial benefits and security (a pension, college opportunities, etc.) are all part of the equation. But, they are not deciding factors. I stay in uniform because it fills three of my deep, internal needs:

1. An alignment with what I believe is my purpose – leadership.
2. A deep-seeded need to be part of a team and serving a purpose higher than myself.
3. A fire to compete, strive, and improve daily.

I love working with, training, and developing Soldiers, NCOs, and junior Officers. They are some of the greatest people I have ever known. It is a reciprocal relationship that results in as much learning on my part as I hope it does on theirs. I love having the opportunity to wake up every day as part of a team, with like-minded people, and compete physically and intellectually toward a singular goal of winning wars. That is why I (continue to) serve.

For more on why I love serving and, specifically, the Infantry – check out “Ordering Salad at Ruth’s Chris”.

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