Calvin Stevens, 77, had a dual military and federal service career that took him to high ranks in both starting in 1979 and ending in 2009. Now in his late 70s, the retiree is a part of a generation of Black Americans who used the military and federal service to pursue the American dream. He acknowledges there were challenges, but he says they got more opportunities serving the nation as military and government employees than they might have gotten in a private sector where discrimination and patronage might have derailed them. Leaders in various parts of the country of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, including Stevens, have decades of military and federal service between them as they watch attacks that began first on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs. Those have expanded into wide-ranging actions against the whole workforce as President Donald Trump’s chief campaign benefactor Elon Musk remakes the federal workforce as head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. The opportunity fueled a rise in the Black middle class, especially in places like Washington, D.C., where workers entered the system in lower level jobs but rose through the ranks based on performance to senior management levels. As his career went forward he would take it upon himself to get whatever training he needed, out of his own pocket so he could advance. His goal was to serve as a role model for others. He also suggested recruitment efforts include HBCUs in the Atlanta area along with the schools that were always visited. What he remembers, especially in the Atlanta area, people of color who came into the service had degrees, often advanced degrees and were qualified. He said some might have said he was an affirmative action hire “but I met the qualifications. I was educated and I was trying to advance, taking classes on my own” to train and prepare for each position he sought. Stevens said he is saddened because the whole system seems under attack now. As a member of NARFE he hears from current and past employees and the focus against them is “demoralizing." His advice is not to resign or quit because there is due process for federal employees. “The federal government is not a fire at will business.” His other advice: “Stay focused, do your job. You swore to the Constitution” and if they do leave, “retire on your terms.”