Dr. Lanny Snodgrass – “The Ageless Call to Serve”
- Dr. Lanny Snodgrass – “The Ageless Call to Serve” Ben Buehler-Garcia 39:50
Dr. Lanny Snodgrass completed basic training at the age of 63, perhaps a new record. He has wanted to serve in the military much earlier in life but a football injury made him ineligible. However, as a VA psychiatrist, he witnessed the Trauma of Veterans and the desire to serve in uniform became more intense.
When he was sixty a friend suggested he try to join up again. He signed the paperwork, passed the physical and took the oath. Two months later he received a phone call from Army headquarters saying he was too old. It took three more years before he was finally accepted. The US had just entered the Iraq war and psychiatrists were in short supply. Snodgrass says it is likely that had something to do with his eventual acceptance.
He shares some of the challenges completing Officer’s basic training with a heart condition. But he knew he would never get another chance. One of the more shocking moments he relates was when one of the training officers declared to the class that he “Would NEVER send one of his soldiers to a psychiatrist.”
His experience serving in the field with young soldiers led him to challenge conventional Wisdom surrounding age norms in the military. Snodgrass shares these theories in his book “The Ageless Call to Serve – Rethinking Military Service for a Changing World.”
While he supports the current enlistment age, he feels strongly that teenagers should allowed a period of maturation before being sent into combat. Snodgrass also makes a very compelling case for addressing the current recruiting challenges by allowing more mature individuals to serve. Today’s technologies mean there are many categories of service that do not require the physical stamina of younger adults. I love the idea that this flips the current blueprint on its head; persons can spend a career in the private sector developing advanced technical skills and Education and THEN start a career in the military.
