When I joined the U.S. Air Force in 1968 and later served in Vietnam, I learned that every mission relies on teamwork, technical precision, and a clear purpose. Decades later, I’ve found a new mission that calls on those same skills: clean energy. For many veterans like me, the clean-energy sector isn’t just an industry, it’s a continuation of service. A way to build a better and more secure America while supporting our families and communities.

Here in Arizona, clean energy has become one of the state’s fastest-growing job engines. According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Employment by State 2024 report, Arizona had about 83,000 clean-energy jobs in 2023, including nearly 10,000 jobs in solar.

Our state ranks second in the nation for solar energy potential, and as of this summer, Arizona had the fifth-highest operating and the third-highest planned or under construction solar electricity generation capacity in the country. But the boom doesn’t end there. In recent years, Arizona has also become a significant hub for battery manufacturing and is among the top ten states for electric vehicle registrations.

It is among the top 10 states with the highest number of electric vehicle registrations. Together, the EV and battery sectors provide more than 13,000 clean-energy jobs to Arizonans.

For veterans, these opportunities are more than statistics; they’re lifelines. Many of us come from technical backgrounds in power production, engineering, or logistics. We’ve managed complex systems under pressure, kept equipment operational in harsh conditions, and worked together to achieve missions where failure was not an option.

Those same skills are exactly what the clean-energy industry demands: Precision, discipline and adaptability.

Whether it’s maintaining a solar array in Buckeye or optimizing energy systems across the state, veterans are already proving their value in this new frontier.

Programs like Solar Ready Vets have helped bridge the gap by providing training and certifications that make it easier for service members to transition into the renewable workforce. Across the country, more than 30,000 veterans now work in solar alone, about eight percent of that entire workforce. Clean energy offers us not just employment, but renewed purpose.

It’s another way to serve, this time by helping build a stronger, more sustainable nation and cutting energy costs for our communities.

The economic benefits are undeniable. Clean-energy investments create local, good-paying jobs while lowering electricity bills for families and businesses. Every new solar project or battery manufacturing in Arizona keeps dollars circulating in the local economy rather than sending them out of state for fossil fuels. That’s why recent news of federal funding cuts, both from the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act and the Department of Energy’s announcement, is so troubling. Canceling clean energy investments blocks access to the cheapest new power, locking Arizona into dependence on higher-cost, slower-to-build fossil resources — the termination of programs like Solar for All strips away proven cost-saving solutions and good-paying jobs.

For Arizona’s veterans, these are not abstract policy debates. They are decisions that determine whether we have stable jobs and a sense of continued service. Clean energy is already helping veterans find meaningful post-military work, stabilizing local economies and reducing costs for everyday Arizonans, and it remains the cheapest form of energy we can invest in. To roll back support now would not only undermine the progress we have made but also waste the enormous potential of a workforce ready to lead.

I urge Arizona’s congressional leaders to protect and restore clean-energy funding. This is not about partisan politics; it’s about protecting jobs, saving money, and securing our state’s future.

And while Veterans Day has passed, its message endures: veterans never stop serving. Today, that service continues as we help build America’s clean-energy future, one solar panel and one wind turbine at a time.

The mission is clear, and it’s one worth fighting for.