A day to honor service and community

Council member Jason S. Dozier had tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan during his service

Each year on November 11, Americans join together to commemorate Veterans Day and honor those who dutifully served the nation. To District 4 Council member Jason S. Dozier, the commemoration carries personal importance as a combat veteran.

In 2006, he joined the military as a reconnaissance officer during the Iraq War. He earned a Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal during his tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. For Dozier, an important principle reflected in Veterans Day is the idea of service.

“There are sacrifices that are made as a function of military service — time spent away from family, time spent away from friends,” he said. “But I think that service is really what captures the spirit and the intention behind Veterans Day. Regardless of why you join the military, as veterans, we serve and that is something that we carry with us for the rest of our lives.”

Dozier began his military service as a reconnaissance officer during the Iraq War

“Serving in the military is the most personal way that someone can serve this country — recognizing the risk to life and limb,” Dozier said. “Recognizing that service, that selfless service, is important, as is ensuring that the next generation of veterans is welcomed, loved, and cared for if they decide to join the military.”

Professionally, Dozier has worked for several years with an organization called Hire Heroes USA — a nonprofit dedicated to helping military members and veterans find and secure employment.

“You can retire from the military at 37, and you’ve never written a resume or had a job interview, so going into the job market is a very unique challenge,” he said. “We’re able to step in and bridge that gap. We help veterans learn how to translate their military skills onto a resume, to articulate those skills in a job interview, and better understand how to navigate the civilian job market.”

Dozier was elected to the District 4 seat on Council in 2021

In the military, Dozier served in cities such as Baghdad, Iraq and Kabul, Afghanistan, which made him reflect not only on the region’s centuries old history, but also how he could make an impact back home.

“I wanted to make sure I could do everything in my power to ensure that my hometown was able to stand the test of time,” he said.

After his military service, Dozier returned home to Georgia to earn a Master of Public Administration from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree in real estate from Georgia State University. Initially, he planned to serve in a more administrative role in government, but he later recognized that he wanted to run for office.

“I knew for a long time that I wanted to serve Atlanta in a bigger way,” he said. “I ended up deciding to eventually run for office and to run to represent communities in need.”

Dozier serves as chair of the Council’s Community Development and Human Services Committee

Serving in the military also helped provide Dozier with a stronger understanding and appreciation for how government works and a greater recognition of the challenges and opportunities that organizations face.

“For a city like Atlanta to work effectively and efficiently, it requires investing in local government and in its people if you want to be able to accomplish the missions that you set out to do,” he said. “From retaining good talent to promoting from within to building something that people want to be a part of — I think the military does that well, and I think there are some lessons learned there that I bring into my current role in city government and that I hope to carry forward.”