Why do young men and women volunteer to serve the nation, even though they don’t have to? General John Kelly contends that young men and women serve because they love our nation so they are willing to sacrifice their life and protect America from enemy fire. But he keeps repeating the phrase “because they love our country.” He hasn’t really told the reporters in detail about why the young men and women are willing to take a huge risk to serve the nation in any circumstances.

There is one particular soldier who had a reason for serving the nation out of the four soldiers who were ambushed in Niger. Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright of Lyons, Georgia, just loves the idea of serving others and loved people. He pretty much liked working with them because he would always find a way to serve them in most difficult environments in the world. Wright’s reasoning may be one explanation as to why other young men and women serve our nation, but the motivations are still more complex. While many soldiers probably do fight for the sake of patriotism and camaraderie, many others may be motivated by something far more practical.

Camaraderie is one of the factors for the purpose of the young men and women who serve our nation. Wong claimed that the motivation for serving the nation for the young men and women is “fighting for your buddies.” I believe this means risking your life at any cost for your mate to live. A source called “thebalance” explained, “One role is that each soldier is responsible for group success and protecting the unit from harm.” An unknown soldier added, “That person means more to you than anybody. You will die if he dies. That is why I think that we protect each other in any situation. I know that if he dies, and it was my fault, it would be worse than death to me.”

Brotherhood seems to play major role in this. The reason he says this is because he probably thinks of his fellow soldier as his family member. Thebalance continues, “The other role is it provides the confidence and assurance that someone is watching their back.”

Camaraderie made the soldiers believe in one another. As I said earlier, they are willing to sacrifice their life for their buddy to live. Soldiers, generals and commanders, sort of bonded with each other. They have never distrusted one another. This group of men is almost like a family.

Although Kelly’s assertion that young men and women volunteer for battle out of love for their country is certainly valid, and probably is one of the primary reasons, Kelly does not tell the whole story. I believe that in addition to patriotism, young enlistees are also motivated by camaraderie and love. The young men and women have a sense of need for them to feel important and be loved by their nation as they serve for them.

<Min Shin /Beckman HS 10th grade>