In This Story
When Anthony Brooks graduates from the Schar School of Policy and Government’s Master of Political Science program in December 2025 it will be just the most recent accomplishment on the Fredericksburg, Virginia, native’s résumé. His list of achievements includes an internship for the U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms on Capitol Hill and a stint at the Stennis Center for Public Service, a bipartisan, federal legislative branch agency committed to promoting and strengthening public service in the United States.
All of this comes after earning a 2017 bachelor’s degree at Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia, and then rising to the rank of first lieutenant in the United States Marines. He served from 2018 to 2022 before enrolling the George Mason University’s master’s program.
The internship with Congress’s Sergeant at Arms “provided a unique view of the Senate and was a great opportunity to see in practice many of the ideas presented in the graduate classes I've taken,” he said. “I have always had a deep interest in the study of government and politics and to that end, I would like to work in either state or national government.”
As a Schar School student, Brooks worked as a teacher’s assistant for Associate Professor Robert McGrath, who specializes in American politics and quantitative political methodology.
“I find his research intriguing and his focus on legislative behavior mirrors some of my interests,” Brooks said. “I was incredibly impressed by his professionalism, his investment in my personal development, and his relatable nature. It gave me a renewed sense of vigor in my graduate studies, and he inspired me to consider the possibility of possibly pursing a PhD in the future.”
The professor is flattered, but the feeling is mutual.
“Anthony has the practical experience coupled with a burgeoning curiosity in the theoretical and empirical patterns of policymaking to make an impact in the policy world or in academia, post-graduation,” said McGrath.
As it happens, Brooks is also a storyteller. A recent essay of his, “Lessons from the Corps,” was chosen for publication in Stennis’s quarterly magazine, Public Service Review, which highlights young voices and their public service stories. We republish Brooks’s essay with permission in which he reflects on his military service and the enduring values of discipline, unity, and resilience. (You can read the story in the original publication on the Stennis Center for Public Service website.)
Lessons from the Corps
By Anthony Brooks
From an early age, I believed I was destined to a long and glorious military career like my forefathers before me. From my great-grandfather’s heroics in the Pacific Island campaign during World War II to my grandfather’s time in the jungles of Vietnam to my own father’s military humanitarian assistance in Iraq, I believed I was destined for military greatness. But alas, my path was not meant to mirror my family history in either length or significance of military events. While there are a multitude of personal reasons for which I ended my service in the Marine Corps, I often look into the review mirror with rose colored glasses and am blinded by the nostalgic memories of those days.
Despite my current sentimental outlook on my military service, I am often conversely troubled by the intense turmoil of the national events which corresponded with my time on active duty. These events include the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer of 2020 riots, January 6, 2021, and the Afghanistan withdrawal in 2021. While it is a perplexing feeling, I frequently found solace during those times reminiscing on the historical turmoil which our national predecessors experienced and subsequently overcame. From the years long complications of ratifying a federal government at the founding of the nation to the internal violence and strife of a civil war to the moral betrayal of segregation to forever wars in the 20th and 21st centuries, our internal national unity has continually been pushed towards the edge by near catastrophic events.
As aspiring and current public servants alike understand, the politics and volatility of this nation have the propensity to drown out the burning passion for service that first fueled one’s commitment to dedicate their life to the nation and the betterment of its citizens. But in these times of despair and resignation, I draw upon three main lessons learned from my time in the Marine Corps which allow me to principally recognize our common humanity, our national unity, and need for lightheartedness in the face of darkness. I now seek to apply these lessons in my daily interactions with my fellow Americans as I attempt to shape a new path in public service out of a military uniform and on an uncharted path that departs from the set path forged by my family.
My first lesson came in the form of recognizing that one of the many unique experiences one receives at some point in military basic training is the instruction of how to dress oneself in a military uniform at an incredibly rudimentary level. Each crease must be perfect, every loose thread must be removed, one’s shoes immaculately polished, and your ribbons and medals precisely placed in a specific location. The uniform represents more than just clothing, it is a history, an ethos, and a creed. At a base level, the schooling of how to properly wear a military uniform has often reminded me that no matter how elaborate or significant the article of clothing is, we all follow a near universal routine in dressing ourselves. A more tangible lesson though can be extracted from this basic everyday event; no matter how powerful or weak, intelligent or unwise, or inconsequential or influential you might feel, we all share a distinct and universal humanity exemplified by the fact that no one has conceived of a singularly unique way to dress themselves every day. No one’s inherent worth is greater or lesser due to rank, socioeconomic status, or intellectual abilities, although these metrics might denote relevant personal and societal characteristics and achievements, they nonetheless do not bestow a greater inherent humanity on individuals.
Secondly, despite what might seem like diametrically opposed outlooks on life and political goals found behind a shroud of national disunity, I believe there is a common cause held by each public servant for the betterment of society and the individual. During my time in the military, I met, worked with, and led Marines from all walks of life, ranging widely in their personal political views, religious beliefs, and opinions on military policy. If you put two Marines in the same room, the conversation could, at some point, devolve into a disagreement on some meaningful policy, regulation, or military strategy issue within the Marine Corps. The discussion, however, would most likely end with the implicit or explicit declaration that the Marine Corps was by far the most superior of all the United States Military branches. Putting the supposed and presumed preeminence of the Marine Corps aside, this tendency towards love and defense of the Corps expresses a broader relevant message. Disagreements or dissentions regarding specific policies and regulations within an organization are normal, healthy, and often needed to promote growth, but admiration and commitment to the institution are the glue which holds the Corps or entity together. Likewise, a shared overarching goal among public servants for the betterment of the country and its citizens is a common goal amongst all, despite the different proposed methods of achieving the end state.
Finally, a common element of my experience of in the Marine Corps was the eternal spiral of difficult or tragic events into a litany of inside jokes and anecdotes. While military service members do empirically have a unique brand of comedy, a more refined element of humor infused into difficult circumstances taught me a valuable lesson of transforming distress into shared comedy. The gravity and importance of decisions and policies by public servants are often not laughing matters, but neither are most situations which active-duty service members face daily. Humor, not to be conflated with political or ideological cheap shots, can provide a brief respite from the dreariness and severity of the daily tasks which public servants face on a day-to-day basis. Although discretion is always an advisable virtue in the formulation of jokes, the benefit of shared humor with fellow public servants is a benefit which should not be quickly disregarded.
Public service is a vocation not for the faint of heart nor for those who lack an abundance of altruism. Service implies a level of sacrifice and dedication to a cause outside of the normal human inclination to serve one’s own needs and to decline benefits typically found in other career paths. However, this passion and calling can be fleeting and finite, or subject to intense periods of doubt in one’s internal cause and the mission of public service generally. As I continue my pursuit of a career in public service, I remind myself of what originally drew me to this calling and invoke the lessons which I learned from my time in the United States Marine Corps to refuel my dedication to the betterment of the United States and its citizens.