A slew of recent articles were recently published on the entrance of the new military academy classes into their summer training sessions.  It was interesting to see a pattern emerge with reference to each of the institutions:

Class of 2014 most diverse in USNA history
This year’s plebe class is the most diverse in Naval Academy history, officials said…

CG Academy: Outreach pays off in diverse class
The Coast Guard Academy’s incoming class of freshmen is one of the most diverse in school history, according to academy officials…

Class of 2014 joins Long Blue Line
The diversity of the incoming [USAFA] class is unprecedented, said…the director of Admissions.

Of course, the military benefits from the integration — not the suppression — of different life perspectives far beyond the racial diversity most often discussed in the articles above.  It is both entertaining and inspiring to watch trainees from as varied places as Hawaii, Alabama, and New Jersey (many of whom have never met someone from outside their town, let alone their state) work and grow together as a coherent team, and to combine their unique experiences to accomplish a mission they would have struggled to do on their own.