Author Wes Moore On The Potential Of War Veterans: They're Not 'Robots'

Author Wes Moore: Our Vets Are Entrepreneurs, Not 'Robots'

War veteran and author Wes Moore wants to make it known that former cadets have more to offer the workforce than a sense of compliance.

"A lot of the common perception of veterans is that 'these are robots,'" he told HuffPost Live's Marc Lamont Hill in an interview on Monday. "For a lot of people, they think veterans are great because if you tell them what to do, they'll do it, but if you don't, they'll just kind of sit there and wait for orders."

Moore explained that soldiers' ability to think on their feet is, in fact, one of their strongest qualities. He cited that one of the only consistent things he experienced in combat was that no two days were the same, and it was his responsibility to "instantaneously react," which he said is essentially the definition of entrepreneurship.

"Entrepreneurship is reacting to contact by having a vision but understanding that, in many cases, the first casualty is always the plan. [You then have to decide] what becomes your plan B when your plan A has completely gotten thrown out the window," he said.

While it may take time for veterans to recognize this side of themselves, the author of "The Other Wes Moore" noted that it's up to the public to give them the chance to exercise it.

"We need to help society see that that's a great skill set that veterans are bringing to bear," he said.

Catch Wes Moore's three-part PBS series, "Coming Back With Wes Moore," starting Tuesday, May 13.

Watch Wes Moore's full HuffPost Live interview below:

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