Mr. Joo is many things. A curious entrepreneur, devoted family member, tireless mentor, and firm believer that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Growing up Mr. Joo had a fascination with the role the military has played throughout history; specifically, General MacArthur’s role as the Commander of the Southwest Pacific Theater in WW2. MacArthur's prominence in the Korean War is something that struck Mr. Joo’s interest. The way the General counterattacked the North Korean and Chinese forces from further penetrating South Korea inspired him. General MacArthur attended the United States Military Academy, West Point. This is what gave Mr. Joo the idea to apply to the academy. “I was inspired by all the American leaders who had attended the Academy and decided to give it a shot without knowing too much,” he said. Choosing to attend West Point, among all the other schools he could have gone to, was something he didn’t want to pass up.
Mr. Joo graduated in the class of 2001. At the beginning of his service, it was the closing out of the 2nd Persian Gulf War. He served as part of the Special Operations Command in Korea.
When I asked what was the best part about serving, Mr. Joo said something that, from what I’ve learned in these first few interviews, really unites the veteran community. “Of course, it’s the people,” he said. “The memories of drills, deployments, the grit, the tough times, but even those are a distant second to the times that you’ve spent with the people and relationships that you build.” The relationships that were gained through his experience serving have been ones that continue to flourish in his life. Opportunities like this, opportunities to meet with veterans and have that common common thread are now what continues to be the best part about serving.
However, something that Mr. Joo had to accept is that the military is not for everyone. The feeling of knowing you want to pursue other things “2 years before your 5-year mandatory service is up… can bring you out of the moment” he said. The contemplation of what he was going to do next made the time move extremely slow. Also, the fact that the truth of the matter is, the military requires you to put yourself last at times. “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts” is not always an easy thing to constantly pursue.
One of my favorite things that Mr. Joo said during this interview was his advice to the youth. He talks about having various mentors throughout his career who have helped him immensely. He said it was important to be a good mentee. Plus, you need to have a thirst for knowledge. One must also give Mentors something back in return for their time and dedication. “Find someone, someone who you really like, respect, and admire, and just get as much as you can out of that person as possible… But that mentorship comes with a price – working hard.”
Watch the full interview here!
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