Gen Z’s Band of Brothers
Many young people today don’t feel proud to be American. That’s far from the full story.
Free Expression is a daily newsletter on American life, politics and culture from the Opinion pages of The Wall Street Journal. Sign up and start reading Free Expression today.
Gen Zers aren’t known for being overly patriotic. But they’re helping the U.S. military rebound its recruiting to the highest levels in 15 years.
The Navy, Army, Air Force and Space Force have hit their 2026 recruiting goals months ahead of schedule. Only three years ago they fell short of their goals by as much as 25%. Reserve Officers’ Training Corps programs are also seeing a surge in interest at several universities.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attributes the turnaround to higher standards and strong leadership under President Trump, claiming that the military went “woke” under President Biden. Recruitment leaders point to technical changes, including modernized recruitment processes, enhanced outreach and new prep courses. Financial factors also play a role. The rising costs of higher education are a big draw for full-tuition ROTC scholarships, and the uncertain civilian job market makes active-duty enlistment more appealing.
Deeper cultural currents are also at work. Even during an unpopular global conflict in the Middle East, and even among a generation largely skeptical of the U.S. role in the world, a fresh wave of young Americans with little exposure to military life is looking to the armed forces for stability, purpose and belonging.
“We’re a generation where things have always been relatively easy. Gen Z has not faced a direct existential threat and visceral sense of loss like Pearl Harbor or 9/11,” says Peter Mora, 21, who will commission with the Space Force focusing on cybersecurity after he graduates from Brown next year. Still, he says that he and his fellow ROTC cadets seek challenging and rewarding careers. “It gives me a purpose in life, in the sense of what I can contribute and give back to my country. And it gives me the elite level training that would be broadly applicable and desirable everywhere else.”
For Cooper Hyldahl, 23, the inspiration to join Army ROTC didn’t come from ad campaigns emphasizing the skill-building benefits of service or influencer initiatives to reach Gen Zers on social media. Instead, the idea came to him after a summer internship at a lobbying firm in Washington, D.C., made him feel “disillusioned with the whole political atmosphere.” Upon returning to Dartmouth for his sophomore year, Mr. Hyldahl decided that entering politics wasn’t the best way to serve his country. “I take a lot of pride in being an American and feel that military service is the logical way I can best express that and give back.” He graduated this spring and begins his specialized training to become an intelligence officer in the Army reserves this month.
ROTC isn’t an easy path. Cadets do physical training three times a week and spend extra time in the classroom. They must attend a weekly military lab to run technical simulations, and twice a year they do intensive, four-day field training. All of this is in addition to taking classes like normal college students. But in three years Mr. Hyldahl saw Dartmouth’s ROTC program grow from eight students to 35.
For many, service has been a dream since childhood. Mahlon Sorensen, 26, says he grew up with a conviction that “American ideals are worth defending”—along with a desire to fly. That wish is coming true: He was commissioned through Navy ROTC at Yale in 2022 and now trains at Naval Air Station Lemoore, where he flies the F/A-18.
For others, the military is offering something today’s young people are often said to lack: a sense of meaning. “I didn’t really know what I wanted to do,” says Matthew Raines, 22, a gas-systems technician who’s served for four years so far on the USS Farragut out of Mayport, Fla. He says he didn’t come from a military family, but “I wanted to find my place somewhere. That’s why I joined.”
The payoff is real. Benefits for active-duty soldiers include healthcare, education and life insurance. Congress is expected to review legislation expanding veterans’ healthcare and benefits. Reginold Godwin, 29, used the Navy’s tuition assistance program along with Pell grants to complete an associate degree after 10 years of service so far, and he’s now working toward his bachelor’s. “I’m so grateful for it. I never thought I’d be able to afford going to college. I never thought I’d be able to get a degree,” says Mr. Godwin, who serves as an electronics technician on the Farragut.
The recruitment crisis isn’t over. The pool of young Americans who are capable of serving—not only willing to—has shrunk, as medical issues like obesity render more candidates ineligible. As fertility rates decline, things are likely to get worse. U.S. Army Reserve Maj. Gen. Dennis Laich, a critic of the U.S.’s all-volunteer force, warns that the nation needs to do more than meet modest recruiting goals to win a war against a peer competitor. “An increase in numbers is not enough. It’s a false sense of security,” he says.
Confidence in American institutions is declining across the board. But the military stands out as the nation’s second-most trusted institution behind small businesses. For as much as the country and its political priorities have evolved, life in the armed forces hasn’t changed much. “Older guys on the ship have similar boot camp stories,” says Zachary Fredrickson, 25, a machinist serving on the Farragut. “The training is consistent. It’s like getting McDonalds’.”
Mr. Fredrickson has been in the Navy for five years after finding that community college wasn’t for him. He says what makes him proudest about serving is the camaraderie: “Meeting all the different people from around the country. And they all come together to get a job done.”
Ms. Koch is associate editor of Free Expression.