Bipartisan Leaders Call National Service ‘America’s Best-Kept Secret’

By Sandy Scott, CNCS Senior Advisor

National service was in the house and on the agenda Wednesday as the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service released findings from its interim report to an audience of nearly 200 leaders from the national service, military, and public sectors.

Launched in 2018, the bipartisan Commission was tasked to holistically and comprehensively review the Selective Service System and recommend policies to strengthen the ethic of service and increase service opportunities in America. 

During the last year, the Commissioners visited 24 cities in 15 states, and met with more than 300 organizations to listen and learn about ways to encourage and inspire more Americans to serve. 

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Admiral Earl Gay knows a lot about inspiring others from 33 years of Navy service

January is National Mentoring Month and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) is supporting our friends at MENTOR by sharing some advice from a man who, among his many achievements, has made mentoring his mission: retired Navy Admiral Earl Gay.

Admiral Gay (pictured above, right) is the Senior Advisor for Wounded Warrior and Veterans and Military Families Initiatives at CNCS and says a lot of what he does is rooted in establishing trust, building relationships, and leading change, all of which fall under his concept of mentorship.

These traits come naturally to the Admiral as a leader of men and women in the armed forces. He willingly shares his life story, using wall-mounted photos of family and friends to illustrate his points, “I like people to have the whole story; it extends an arm of trust.”

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Navy Admiral Asks Americans to Pause and Reflect on Those Who Protected Our Freedom

By (Ret.) U.S. Navy Admiral Earl L. Gay, CNCS Senior Advisor for Wounded Warriors, Veterans, and Military Family Initiatives

Each year on Veterans Day, we stop to pay tribute to all the brave women and men of the military, and their families who have made – and continue to make – selfless sacrifices in service to America. As a Navy veteran, I am guided by the pride armed forces veterans feel for our nation and send a special salute to the veterans who have chosen to serve again through national service programs.

At the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), we believe that one of the simplest ways to support America’s communities is through the power of people who are willing to give their time to make things better. The list of challenges our nation faces and neighbors who can use our help is long, but if we have the will to face them head on, we can change lives for the better.

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For a tireless group of Senior Corps RSVP veteran volunteers, Monday’s groundbreaking of the Johnston County Veteran Center in Tishomingo, Okla. will be a celebration six years and thousands of hours of service in the making.

Monday marks the biggest moment yet in a long journey to raise the 10,000 square foot center, and the groundbreaking ceremony will commemorate it appropriately; federal, state, tribal, and local officials will all be in Tishomingo to participate in the ceremony led by the Senior Corps volunteers.

With coordination through INCA Community Services, Inc., 15 veteran volunteers have spearheaded the center’s fundraising efforts, building design oversight, and engineering. To date they have raised a staggering $600,000 toward the $1 million cost of the center. Over the course of the project, Senior Corps volunteers have surpassed thousands of hours of service.

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For military veterans returning from service, the road home can be a long one. When job-searching, these American heroes bring a lot to the interview table. Strong leadership qualities, commitment, and unique specialty skills acquired during service are just a few of the many advantages of hiring veterans. Still, landing a new job isn’t always easy.

AmeriCorps programs like Veterans Fire Corps and the Wyoming Veterans Trail Crew try to make reentry into the workforce as seamless as possible. National service programs like these empower military veterans to gain technical skills and open doors to new career fields. Some members are also earning an AmeriCorps Education Award in the process.

Through it all, these veterans continue to make a difference. Here’s how:

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Three AmeriCorps NCCC teams are serving at the 37th annual National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Cincinnati, OH from July 15 - July 24^. They are facilitating the Games in an assortment of ways, including assisting with transportation, setting up and breaking down events, and staffing hydration stations.

On Wednesday, July 17, catch an inside peek of their service at the Games on Snapchat and Instagram (”NationalService”).

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By Robert L. Gordon III, President of Be the Change, Inc., former Deputy Under Secretary of Defense

Robert L. Gordon III, president of Be the Change, Inc., shares how his family’s experience represents “a new transformative continuum, with Veterans and military family members transitioning out of military service to bring their talents, commitment, and sense of duty to the national civilian service sector to tackle some of the nation’s most pressing problems.”

There is a well-known picture in my family of my father, my brother and me – all in our military and cadet uniforms – laughing on our sofa at my parents’ home in Colorado Springs. Indeed, my father and I served a total of 53 years in the Army, and my brother spent six years serving as an Air Force Officer. My sister married an Army engineer captain, who eventually went on to become a senior Foreign Service Officer in the Department of State. My mother and wife, both military spouses, were instrumental to strengthening our familial and military communities as we deployed and moved to scores of military installations at home and abroad.

Our experience underscores the commitment my family made to serve our country across two generations, and now we watch proudly as our children carry the legacy in national civilian service. One of my sons, three nieces and one nephew have all served in national civilian service organizations, City Year and Teach for America, which are members of the AmeriCorps network. We value their service in high poverty schools and challenged communities to make a measurable and meaningful difference. My son served in an elementary school in Boston, while years later one of my nieces found herself in service for two years as a teacher in an underserved school in Atlanta.

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Robert L. Gordon III is the President of Be the Change, Inc.. He is the former Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy, and a 26 year Army Veteran. He is a member of the Leadership Council of the Franklin Project on national service at The Aspen Institute.