This week on the Mind Matters News podcast, I have the privilege of interviewing Major General Bobby Hollingsworth (ret.). His story is a powerful testament to the unique opportunities in America, where even the most humble beginnings— often marked by extreme poverty and challenging circumstances— can lead to extraordinary careers and remarkable achievements.

American success stories stand in sharp contrast to the limitations fixed by systems like India’s caste structure, where one’s birth largely dictates position in society or monarchies where status and influence are solely determined by lineage.

Japan, for example, can also stifle advancement. While traveling in Japan, I once mistakenly got off the train at the wrong stop. I was unable to read the Japanese signs and was hopelessly lost. Thankfully a friendly but drunk local spoke English and helped me buy a new train ticket. He even carried my luggage and traveled with me to my destination. He apparently needed someone to talk to.

At the hotel bar, I bought him drinks by way of thanks. I repeatedly ordered carbonated water for myself. As he got drunker, I got bloated. Alcohol loosened his lips and I learned he was drinking to cope with his son’s failure on a crucial academic test, which derailed his chances of ever attending college. A concrete ceiling now stood between his son and any further shot at accomplishment in Japan. This brought shame to the family.

Socialism likewise stifles upward mobility by enforcing a centralized system where resources and opportunities are distributed based on government decisions rather than individual merit and ambition. This lack of personal ownership and limited incentives to excel discourage innovation and self-driven success.

Social mobility in the United States

Things are different in the United States. Regardless of your lineage, financial circumstances, or past failures, opportunities remain accessible to anyone with talent who is willing to pursue them.

Bobby Hollingsworth is such an example. His journey began on a dairy farm, where, at just two years old, he discovered his lifelong dream of becoming a fighter pilot. With unwavering focus and determination, much like Maverick in Top Gun, he pursued that dream to become a fighter pilot for the United States Marines, eventually rising to the rank of Major General. Later, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to lead a Pentagon program fostering collaboration between reserve service members and their employers. From the humble beginnings on a dairy farm, General Hollingsworth’s life exemplifies the power of dedication and vision in achieving extraordinary success.

As a naturalized citizen friend of mine would say with affection: “Only in America!”

Of course, dynasties do exist. Think of the Kennedys or the Bushes. My current congressman, Pete Sessions, comes from a notable lineage himself. His father, William Sessions, served as the Director of the FBI from 1987 to 1993.

The role of individual achievement

But then there are others who leveraged their God-given talents to bootstrap themselves into accomplished distinction. Examples are many and they include:

● Justice Clarence Thomas, in his autobiography My Grandfather’s Son (2007) chronicles his journey from extreme poverty in rural Georgia to a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court, a testament to resilience and determination.

● Dr. Ben Carson, renowned for leading the groundbreaking operation at Johns Hopkins Hospital to separate conjoined twins, in 1987, later served as Secretary of HUD under President Donald Trump. In his autobiography, Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (1992), Carson shares how his Detroit upbringing in poverty, guided by a single mother working multiple jobs, shaped his character and propelled his success.

● J.D. Vance, in his memoir Hillbilly Elegy (2016) recounts his challenging Appalachian upbringing with a drug-addicted mother and a strict but loving grandmother who raised him. Vance went on to serve as a U.S. Marine, a U.S. Senator, and, at this writing, the Vice President-elect of the United States.

● Oprah Winfrey was born into poverty in rural Mississippi and raised by a single mother. She overcame numerous obstacles, including sexual abuse, to become one of the most influential media moguls in the world.

● Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919) immigrated to the U.S. as a poor Scottish boy. He worked his way up from a factory laborer to become one of the wealthiest industrialists of the 19th century and a major philanthropist.

● Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) was raised in poverty in a log cabin where, after he devoured books by candlelight in his youth, became by all accounts one of the greatest Presidents in US History.

These stories and many others reflect the profound power of perseverance and opportunity, shining a light on what can be achieved despite humble beginnings.

“Only in America” was the motto of my friend and colleague Mohamed El-Sharkawi. Mohamed was born in Alexandria, Egypt, to humble beginnings. He immigrated to Canada and then the United States where he worked his way to becoming a pioneer in power engineering and a tenured professor position at the University of Washington.

Mohamed loved America. We worked and published many papers together. One was on the application of AI to forecasting loads for power companies. The method was adopted by numerous power companies and, to date, our paper has been referenced about two thousand times.

Mohamed was Muslim. Despite our different faiths, he was a steadfast ally, both in academia and in political matters.

The day after 9/11, emotions ran high across the U.S., often manifesting in inappropriate ways. Mohamed’s mosque became a target of this misplaced anger. It was vandalized and defaced with graffiti. When the word got out, his mosque was soon surrounded by protectors, many of them Christians, who knew that equating Muslims with terrorists was wrong. One of the protectors was a septuagenarian nun who camped outside the mosque with a sleeping bag in a tent. When Mohamed shared this story with me he teared up and said “Only in America.”

Major General Bobby Hollingsworth’s story embodies the spirit of Mohamed’s comment, “Only in America.”” From his humble beginnings on a dairy farm, to learning to be a fighter pilot, to becoming a Major General in the United States Marines, his journey illustrates the boundless opportunities available in this nation for those with talent, determination and vision.