Young Leaders Cafe in honor of Veterans and Military Personnel

On Friday, November 22nd, the French-American Foundation—United States held a Young Leaders Café in honor of Young Leader veterans and military personnel. Launched during the pandemic, the Young Leaders Café series convenes alumni on Zoom for frank, intimate conversations on a topic of shared interest, and allows participants to deepen their ties with one another in a closed-door setting.

This café was hosted following Veterans Day on November 11th, a date that signifies the armistice of 11/11/1918, which went into effect at 11:11 AM and signaled the end of fighting in WWI. We observe Veterans Day to pay tribute to the service, sacrifices, and patriotism of 18 million U.S. veterans who live among us, as well as the millions of fallen soldiers who gave their lives fighting for their country.

The conversation was led by the following alumni:

• Col. Melissa Dombrock (2023 Young Leader and Future Operations Branch Chief, West Africa and Counter-China, at Headquarters, US Africa Command, Stuttgart, Germany);
• Col. Seth Johnston (2022 Young Leader and Chief of Army and Navy affairs, US Embassy Brussels [Belgium, Luxembourg, and U.S. Mission to the European Union]);
• Lt. Gen. (ret.) Leonard Kosinski (2011 Young Leader and former Director for Logistics of the Joint Staff, Department of Defense);
• Maj. Sarah Martin (2023 Young Leader and Transitioning Military Officer, former U.S. Army Major and incoming Associate at McKinsey and Company).

The group shared their respective experiences from their service and insights on military leadership, ethics, and the value of international alliances – particularly that of oldest allies France and the United States. They took time to underline the importance of empowering veterans and members transitioning out of the military, pointing to the many transferable skills and contributions they have to offer to the civilian sector, including adaptability, technical literacy, and cultural understanding. Thoughts and comments were also shared on how the incoming U.S. presidential administration may impact NATO and other international alliance organizations, before opening the floor to questions from fellow alumni who tuned into the conversation. After focusing on ways that we can uplift active-duty members and veterans in daily life, in and outside of the Young Leaders community, the discussion came to a close marked by a period of silence in honor of veterans and fallen soldiers.

The Foundation extends sincere thanks to Lt. Col. Dombrock, Lt. Col. Johnston, Lt. Gen. Kosinski, and Maj. Martin for leading an inspiring and important discussion and for taking the time to share their experiences in the military, as well as transitioning out of it, with fellow Young Leaders. We thank you for your service.