Dr. Barkin, who is married to a physician and has a 20-year-old son, added that military reservists need support from their family, employers, and friends as they carry out their obligations. Without family support, “the ability of our reservists in the future is going to be very limited.”
He added that the military emphasis on team over self makes reservists an invaluable asset in the civilian business world, particularly in medicine. A reservist is “notoriously reliable, a self-starter, a person who will benefit … by taking educational courses, and the person who will learn people skills and make the team better,” Dr. Barkin said. “That's what we need in business.”