“Thank You For Your Service” is back. In Season 2, we’ll be taking a hard look at how the military institution interacts with American social issues and social change: race, gender, LGBT issues. We’ll address questions like: Who joins the military and why? What can be done to address sexual assault in the military or mental health issues among service members and veterans? What does the veteran transition to civilian life look like? We’re hoping to provide more context and information to these ongoing conversations, so they get the focused, rigorous, analytic examination they deserve.

In this Season 2 premiere, Thomas and Nick look at reasons for joining the military. First, they speak to students on campus to get an informal look at why civilians think people enlist. Many of these stereotypes do not stack up to reality, and researcher Emma Moore joins to explain what the evidence shows. Finally, Thomas and Nick speak with Kaedy Puckett, a Navy veteran and first-year student at UChicago, to get a personal look at her reasons for joining the military.

“Thank You For Your Service” is a production of the University of Chicago Public Policy Podcasts and does not necessarily represent the official positions of the Department of Defense or the U.S. government.

Podcast Production Credit:

Thomas Krasnican, host
Nick Paraiso, host

Tommy Lattanzio, producer
Bobby Maxwell, editor
Michelle Tran, producer

Special thanks to Emma Moore, Kaedy Puckett, and Morgan Wade