I was surprised to learn recently that the USA has thousands of people defending us who are not even American citizens. This news came by way of an article in my hometown paper, the StarTribune. The article features two National Guard soldiers who recently became U.S. citizens, even though they’ve served in our military for a number of years. The article reported that our military has over 20,000 people in the military who are not citizens of the U.S.
That amazed me (in a good way).
I’m a patriot. I believe the USA is a wonderful place. I’m thrilled so many people from around the world would want to move here and become citizens. And many of them do so only with great sacrifice to themselves and their families. I’m a big fan of anyone who shows such courage and commitment to bettering their lives.
So, I’m even more impressed by the men and women who would risk their lives defending their new home, even before they are citizens. It’s a big deal to join the military, put your civilian life on hold and potentially give your life, all to serve your country. Anyone who does so deserves our gratitude and support. But, I think it’s amazing when someone does this for a country that is not yet theirs. This takes my breath away.
One of the soldiers in the article explains why he became a soldier for this country before he became a citizen:
“This is a country that has done a lot for me in a short period of time. I went to college here, got a job here. … I look forward to having the right to vote … and being part of America, land of the free.”
He understands service. He gets it because it comes from his heart and soul.
When people view service this way, then delivering Remarkable Service to your customers becomes easy. When your desire to serve others is so strong, you’re willing to risk your life, then you understand the concept of serving others. Sometimes, I think the most effective customer service training would be to hear from soldiers, police officers, fire fighters and others who put themselves in harm’s way every day. They risk everything just to serve others.
Next time you find yourself having a hard time getting motivated to serve your customers the best way you can, think of the 20,000+ US soldiers who are not even US citizens, yet who serve this country and risk their lives doing so. I know I will.
Other articles you might like:
- Know your purpose
- How to Beat the Recession – Part 1
- Choose to serve
- The Smart Marketing Formula – Part 3
- Boston understands customer feedback (and iPhones)
