Why Serve?

MAJ Keith D. McManus with R. Lee Ermey moments before detonating 10,000 pounds of explosives.

You Served.com Editorial Note: MAJ Keith D. McManus, of Command and General Staff College, ILE Class 10-003, Fort Belvoir, VA, emailed You Served with an essay of his on why he joined and what has motivated him to continue serving.

The question of whether or not to serve one’s country by joining the military certainly crosses the minds of many people these days. When people find out that I am in the Army, many inquire as to why I joined and if I recommend others to join as well. Though I am certainly not a recruiter, I always try to share the positive aspects of my experiences and try to highlight the benefits of joining the military. My reasons for joining are not necessarily the same as my reasons for staying and making the Army a career. The common thread, however, is that the opportunities I have been afforded since joining the Army are unparalleled in any civilian career field. I serve because the things I am able to do in the Army are interesting, inimitable, and indispensable.

The reasons that I joined the Army are pretty common among young recruits: free education, regimented living, physical rigor, the allure of adventure and excitement. My initial choice was to enlist in the Army. However, when I told this to my Latin teacher she told me that I should go to Annapolis. I had never heard of the Naval Academy and I asked if the Army had an academy as well. After gathering more information about the United States Military Academy at West Point, I started the long, arduous process of applying for a Congressional nomination and an appointment to the Academy. Once I got into West Point, I realized that what I would be doing for the next ten years of my life was fairly fixed. To a seventeen year old this might seem scary and it did seem that way to many of my friends. However, I saw this as a benefit. Specifically, I would graduate from a top-rate school without any student loans, have a job with decent pay and benefits as well as quick promotion, have the chance to see the world, and most importantly, I would have the opportunity to lead America’s sons and daughters.

The reason I stayed in past my initial commitment has to do with the leadership piece. If you had asked me on the day that I graduated from West Point were I would be in five years I would have told you with some certainty that I would be out of the Army. I was not considered a stellar cadet and I was not sure what to expect in the “real” Army. I felt that I could be a good leader, but it was difficult to shine amongst so many other stars. However, once I got to my first unit as a maintenance officer and worked my way through several lieutenant positions, I realized that I was pretty good at leading people and I loved being around Soldiers. This led me to make the choice to stay in and command a company.

My path changed as a captain and I became an Explosive Ordnance Disposal officer. My command was very different from most commands. For instance, the platoons that I had led all had more folks than I had in my company. The missions that we executed included blowing up weapons caches in Afghanistan, responding to IED threats, and assisting the Secret Service. My soldiers were very intelligent, many with advanced degrees, and they worked in two person teams. The nature of this work and the people involved only intensified my desire to continue to serve.

After my command, I was giving a rare opportunity to return to West Point to teach physics. This gave me the opportunity to attend graduate school and extended my service obligation out to the fifteen-year mark, essentially making me a career officer. While I was “missing out” on the current conflicts, I had the opportunity to help mold and shape some of the future leaders of the both the Army and the Country. This was an entirely new facet for me. Serving as a mentor and role model was very fulfilling and helped me see how important the opportunities I had been presented helped shape my decisions to continue my service.

My path changed again as a major. I am now a Nuclear and Counterproliferation officer and my future jobs will play a part in the defense of our nation against weapons of mass destruction. I look forward to this challenge and realize its importance in the defense of the nation. While my contact with Soldiers has decreased significantly, the need for me to organize my thoughts, communicate a purpose, and lead people towards a common goal has not.

In conclusion, my reason to serve hinges on the opportunities afforded to me by the Army. In my twelve years of service, I have had the chance to run a warehouse, be a mechanic, serve as a human resources specialist, defuse bombs and blow stuff up, teach physics, and combat weapons of mass destruction. I have stayed because the jobs are important, I love working with soldiers, and I believe that I am pretty good at it.

The views expressed above are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.

Keith D. McManus responding to a possible IED at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.