Honoring Our Civil Servants in Crisis
I submitted this op-ed Honoring a Defense Department civil servant who gave his life in service after Elon Musk began chain-sawing our civil servants, but it has not yet been published. It’s time we honor these quiet patriots NOW. I’m sharing it here because I feel strongly that my husband John’s story needs to be told now. He was one of the quiet patriots who helped keep our country safe—working himself to death in service to our country.
This piece is part of a larger story I tell in self-help memior in progress, Connecting Souls: From Loss to Purpose and Community in the Digital Age—a tribute not only to John, but to all the dedicated civil servants who quietly shape our world. I’d be deeply grateful for your comments and reflections.
A Widow’s Tribute to Service and Sacrifice
I am the widow of a civil servant who dedicated his life to keeping the peace for our country. My husband, John Schill, PhD, a lifelong Defense Department employee, paid more attention to his mission than to his health. Over a career spanning more than thirty years, he contributed to technologies we rely on today—and most likely helped prevent a war. I am deeply alarmed by the far-reaching consequences of Elon Musk’s attacks on expert, committed civil servants—people like John who protect our national security, public safety, environment, and economy.
John spent twenty-five years at the Naval Ocean Systems Center in San Diego (now known as the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command). During his time there, he developed groundbreaking technologies that not only enhanced national defense but also inspired the Navy, Army, Air Force, and Marines to collaborate on life-saving technologies—saving taxpayers billions. Last month, all of the employees at NAVWAR received Musk’s “Fork in the Road” email, warning that their jobs are at risk if they don’t voluntarily resign.
Throughout his career, companies like Apple tried to lure John away with much higher salaries. He refused every time. He cared more about keeping our troops and country safe than about a high salary to help a company make a profit . His deep commitment to public service came from a profound sense of duty and care for the well-being of our nation.
Yes, there is much room to thoughtfully weed out waste throughout our government. But Musk’s approach is more destroying the whole crop just to remove a few weeds. That kind of destruction will cost taxpayers dearly—especially when we realize we have to replant what we’ve lost.
Later in his career, John was recruited to Washington, D.C., as a Program Manager for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), where he spent nearly five years advancing national security innovations. In 1997, he received the Lauritsen-Bennett Award for Excellence in Engineering—the highest engineering honor in the Defense Department—recognizing the contributions of Dr. John Schill.
The dedicated civil servants at DARPA (then ARPA) created the ARPAnet, the foundation of what we now know as the Internet. Launched in 1969 for Defense Department communications, it paved the way for the digital world we rely upon today. Without those civil service experts working alongside the military and private industry, there would be no internet, no social media, and no way for AI to spread. Yet the current admisistration seems eager to fire experts like them. Without those civil servants, Musk would not have his internet-dependent X (formerly Twitter) platform.
John died unexpectedly at the age of 54, shortly after we returned to San Diego. He had been hospitalized for dehydration, but even from his hospital bed, he was calling his project managers around the world. None of them knew he was sick. On the Friday before his sudden death at 3 AM that Sunday morning, he was still working. I believe he quite literally worked himself to death in service to our country.
At one of his memorial services in Falls Church, Virginia, on November 16, 1997, a uniformed military officer stood before the mourners and asked, “Do you remember the nuclear altercation we had with North Korea in 1982?” Silence. “That’s because John’s technology prevented it,” he said.
Today, the Trump administration is pushing out civil servants like John—quiet patriots who dedicate their lives to service. Without them, how many wars will go unprevented? How many terrorist attacks will slip through? How many life-saving technologies will go undiscovered? How many diseases will remain uncured? How many more planes will crash? How many pandemics will catch us unprepared?
Like John, many of these professionals could earn far more in the private sector, but they choose service over profit because they are committed to this country. We must stand up for these quiet patriots. Let us honor them—not just with words, but with the support and respect they deserve as they continue to serve us all.
Before More Quiet Patriots Are Silenced
Now is the time to speak up. Our civil servants like John, are under threat, their expertise dismissed, their service overlooked. If this story moved you, please share it widely. Contact your representative and senators. If you know of any agents of publishers that would be appropriate for for Connecting Souls, please contact me so that these stories of quiet heroism can reach the world. christina@enhancing.com