Soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen, and Guardians are all service members. We may focus on them storming a beach or driving a tank or soaring the skies in a jet, but regardless of what they do, they’re all said to be “in the service.” I recently spoke with retired Army 1st Sgt. Travis Baker, asking about his service, a question that often invites a record of achievements. But Baker focused on the idea of putting the needs of others before one’s own. 

He enlisted in 1992 not for college money or a cash bonus or upon the encouragement of a judge but because he wanted to serve his country. He joined the field artillery, determined to be a “lifer-plus,” serving beyond the 20 years required to qualify for retirement benefits. His goal was to remain in the Army for 30 years. He persisted for nearly 24, and of course with the high deployment tempo of the first decade of the 21st century, he deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. He notes sadly that it wasn’t a war wound that ended his military career. He was compelled to retire after an accident in the Colorado mountains while on leave.