Why did I join? Probably it was too many war movies when I was a kid.
I distinctly remember walking into a recruiting centre and saying, I want to fly the planes off the ship. They said, we don't do that here, son, but you can join and be a bosun, so that's what I did. I had an interest in sailing as a kid. I very much valued service, I guess, from a young age, and it was something that I was interested in doing.
Why might it deter other folks from joining? As I said in my opening remarks, sir, there are people who come to the organization from all different walks of life, from all different corners of the earth, and all with different lived experiences. I think some folks may have an impression of a military that is not one they believe they would fit into. They may not see themselves in the organization. I don't think that's an insurmountable challenge, but it's one I'm looking forward to helping address.