A NEW MISSION: WALKING IN PURPOSE BEYOND THE REGIMENT

Ranger Brothers,
Your time in the Regiment may be complete or soon ending, but your journey in life is far from over. As an Army Ranger, you’ve lived a life of sacrifice, courage, and discipline that few will have the privilege of ever understanding. Your years in the Regiment, whether four years or thirty years, shaped you, tested you, and refined you — not just for war, but for something greater. Rangers have always done great things during and following their service. Each year, as I look at the Ranger Hall of Fame inductees, I am reminded of how special Rangers are and always have been to our great nation.

Today, I want to remind you that there is a divine purpose on your life that extends beyond the Regiment. The same God who gave you strength during your service to our great Regiment now calls you into a new mission — a new purpose. Lord knows I wish I could still be serving— many old Rangers feel that way. However, God did not build us to Ranger forever; now, you are being invited into a season of peace, growth, and legacy. Make what you do after the Regiment just as important as what you did in the Regiment. I told my kids as they were growing up that the secret to life is to find something you love to do, then find someone to pay you to do it. Most of us found that in the Regiment. It is even more important to seek and find this kind of purpose after your service in the Regiment.

It’s natural to feel uncertain after the structure of your time in the Regiment falls away. But remember, your identity was never intended to be found solely in the scroll or beret — it’s rooted in something eternal. Your worth is not measured by rank or the awards you wore on your uniform. Instead, your worth comes from being a child of God and by the calling placed on your life by your Creator. You may not find your calling in the very first job you find after your service. I have had six different paying jobs (and four volunteer jobs) since I retired in 2017. Heck, I am 58 years old and still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. In the interim, I find purpose in trying to know God and to make Him known to others through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Additionally, I find purpose in helping other Rangers through TRF, the 75th RRA, and other veteran organizations.

So here are my closing thoughts— lean into faith, seek wisdom, surround yourself with people who remind you of who you are — and whose you are. There is still a fire burning within you — not for war, but for your new purpose. Trust me Ranger, you were made for more.

I leave you with these words from Scripture which are always more important than anything I have to say, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”—Jeremiah 29:11

Rangers Led the Way — always, even after you leave the Regiment.

Dan Knight
d.knight@threerangersfoundation.org