McRaven: Anyone who calls millennials ‘soft’ has clearly never seen them in a firefight

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For many people, millennials are seen as super-entitled, self-involved, over-sensitive snowflakeswho don’t have the brains or brawn to, among other noble callings, serve as the next great generation of American warfighters.

Retired Navy Adm. William H. McRaven is here to tell you that you have no idea what you’re talking about.

McRaven, the former head of Joint Special Operations Command and architect of the 2011 raid that put down Osama bin Laden, appeared on CBS This Morning on Monday to primarily promote his new book, Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations. But in the process, the legendary commander ended up offering a full-throated defense of the millennial generation that a CBS host deemed “not known for rigor and courage overall.”

“I am probably the biggest fan of the millennials you’ll ever meet,” McRaven said. “[Critics] talk about millennials being soft and pampered and entitled, well I’m quick to say, then you’ve never seen them in a firefight in Afghanistan.”

“This is a fabulous generation and anybody that worries about the future of the U.S., I don’t think you need to worry,” he added.

You can watch McRaven’s remarks here:

Do you think McRaven’s right? Or wrong? Do you just have strong feelings about avocado toast? Drop your thoughts in the comments below and the best one gets a participation trophy.

SEE ALSO: 10 Things We Need To Understand About Military Millennials

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Jared Keller Avatar

Jared Keller

Former Managing Editor

Jared Keller is the former managing editor of Task & Purpose. His writing has appeared in Aeon, the Los Angeles Review of Books, the New Republic, Pacific Standard, Smithsonian, and The Washington Post, among other publications.