Clayton Dahm
Multimedia Design Manager, Marketing and Communications
Which branch of the military did you serve in, and why did you choose it?
United States Air Force | Active Duty | July 2014 – June 2018
I chose to join the United States Air Force for multiple reasons. Although I did not grow up thinking that I would join the military, my aligned values and interests made it a perfect fit for that chapter in my life.
My mother and her father were in the Air Force, which was a meaningful legacy, I needed a kick out of the nest post-graduation, and I wanted a new challenge that pushed me to the limits while serving my community in an impactful way.
What skills or values from your military service do you find most useful in your current role?
The skills that I learned while in military service have not left me. The United States’ core values of integrity, service and excellence still guide what I do. I feel like I continue to apply those core values in my role at Family & Children’s Services while also applying the learned skillsets of operating well under pressure, supporting a larger mission in new environments, and serving a diverse community with dignity and respect.
What brought you to FCS?
Family & Children’s Services was a beautiful collision of my professional skills and personal journey. I had been searching for a sustainable career path since graduating college while also navigating the treacherous challenges of mental health as a veteran. My mood, motivation and purpose were severely impacted when I lost my identity in uniform. Serving my community in any capacity had grown into a major value of mine that I thought I may have to compromise for a reasonable career path. My personal journey gave me the language and lived experience needed to meet the moment in my new role as Multimedia Design Manager at Family & Children’s Services.
Dee Harris and I have had a mentor-based relationship since graduating high school. She was my English teacher during my junior year. She showed me how to turn my dreams into a profession. So, we followed each other’s careers from afar until earlier this year when the MarCom department expanded, and the full circle moment came together.
What does Veterans Day mean to you personally?
Veterans Day is a moment to remember those who stepped to the front of the line to protect the freedoms we know so well today. Each veteran joined for a different reason and left with different stories, but they volunteered to leave their communities to protect something greater. Not all returned the same. For that, we pause to remember the sacrifices made by the less than 1% of the population that chose to defend our home and protect this American experiment.
How has your military experience influenced your career and life today?
“It gets better because you get better.”
As I laced up my boots for the final time, I reflected on that reassuring phrase. The subtle advice carried me not only through bootcamp, but throughout my entire career. Like sharing answers to a test, it was discretely whispered by bootcamp’s overnight door guard on my first night in the United States Air Force. His sense of awareness as we passed beyond the threshold captured our incoming group of misfits’ attention like moths to a lightbulb. The sentence was the most comforting combination of words we had heard in a while.
However, despite his optimism, the sentiment lingered as a distant afterthought during our drill instructor’s impossible instructions and the unfamiliar loneliness of writing letters home. Ironically, it was only a few weeks later that I found myself in the same esteemed position as the once all knowing door guard: protecting entry points and reassuring new faces. The mystique faded as I gradually realized he was just like us, or better yet, we were just like him.
Days went by slow and weeks went by fast as we developed into the modern day superheroes portrayed on brochures. We felt undeserving of praise considering all we could confidently contribute in duress was a rolled pair of socks. There was no denying the progress made but the blueprint was easier to follow for some than others. Immersion into such an exclusive club came with it’s own set of responsibilities that caused us to unlearn and relearn parts of ourselves once seen as foundational. In a new world where individuality was seen as negative characteristic, you were taught that you no longer represented yourself, but instead, we represented each other. It allowed us to hold each other accountable while still singularly understanding their actions.
As exciting as it was to remove the leash, there are a number of feelings I wish I could experience one more time. The decompressing relief of a windowless cargo ship flight home from an assignment. The distinguished honor of sitting shoulder to shoulder with Commanders from across the world in freshly pressed dress blues. The unquestioned belonging of an entire shop staying behind to help one struggling Airman find a tool.
There is no going back to being the misguided 19-year-old that stepped off the bus years ago, and against my continued reluctance, I often find myself attempting to pinpoint which moment “changed me.” When did I go from nervous to eager? From defiant to proud? From unqualified to prepared? There may not be a single instance in my story to answer those questions, but one thing is for sure… it got better.
