SEAN PARNELL: The military needs more than recruiting ads — it needs to be seen

Three years ago, Washington had written off a generation. Too soft, too unfit, too disconnected to serve. In 2023, the Army, Navy and Air Force all missed their recruiting goals. People in this town started asking out loud whether the all-volunteer force could survive. Some started talking about a draft.

They were wrong about the kids.

Under President Trump and Secretary Hegseth, every active-duty service met its recruiting mission in fiscal year 2026, and most of them did it months early.