There have been numerous hearings on the disgraceful and strategically failed withdrawal from Afghanistan and 20 years of conflict that resulted in 2,442 U.S. military service deaths. Testimony from Biden Administration officials, both civilian and military, did an expectedly shameful job of boasting about the operation as a great success, with claims that it was the Devil who made them do it (i.e. Trump) and that any imperfections attributed to their failed operation were naturally his fault. Sadly for the country, politics has evolved to a point in America where it has become a lifelong profession for the most opportunistic individuals to seek office, rather than a place where those who have succeeded in other walks of life run for office with the goal of giving back to their country. The truly political animals of that kind have become America’s worst.
Now, let’s talk about America’s BEST… These are the 1% of the population who serve in the military to protect the other 99%. Don’t get me wrong; being a member of the armed services does not inherently make anyone good, and certainly not great. That said, anyone who joins through enlistment or any other form of service, even for the most self-serving reasons, places themselves in harm’s way and deserves meaningful support and protection from America. When a service member is killed in action or during any type of training exercise, their surviving family needs to know how and why it happened. Unfortunately, that's not the way it works these days…
Before the all-volunteer Armed Services started in 1973, all eligible Americans were required to register for the draft, and the entire country had a stake in the game. It was your son (no women were drafted at that time) who was being sent into harm's way. Nowadays, most Americans have no personal connection to the military, hence they have little concern for someone they know or love being at risk. The all-volunteer Military, in that respect, has done considerable damage to the fabric of our society. On many other levels, the All-Volunteer military has been a success. The all-volunteer Armed Forces have transformed since the post-Vietnam era when the draft was eliminated, and by almost any standard, they've become one of the world's most formidable and capable.
However, our nation has paid a price for the all-volunteer system. With no direct stake except as taxpayers, a significant indifference has arisen toward the fate and sacrifices of American service members and their families. This indifference has allowed politicians at every level of the Greasy Pole of elective and appointive office to be apathetic towards the fate and well-being of our service members and their families, using them as pawns with feigned support either during campaigns or in televised committee hearings, like those attempting to “uncover what happened” in Afghanistan or Benghazi.
As much as I'd like to claim that Republicans have gained superior moral authority through greater care and concern for the fate of service members and their families, I can't.
Of course, there is always the blatant case of Joe Biden lying about the success of the Afghanistan situation, or the habitual liar Hillary Clinton during the Benghazi incident in 2012, claiming that it was a cartoon of Muhammad, etc., that led to the attack on the embassy and the subsequent murder of Ambassador Chris Stevens. The anticipated falsehoods from these two inveterate liars don't support the notion that Republicans on the Greasy Pole have been much better, although they tend to present a more polished image when in the public eye.
Israel, the nation widely considered to have the best military in the world pound for pound, operates under a system of mandatory military service. That system, in many ways, unites the country, creating cohesion that persists even among bitter political rivals, factions, and citizens in times of trouble, making it evident to all citizens that the military is not an insignificant part of its population. When Israel goes to war (which it has been since 1948), it is your own daughter, neighbor, or someone you know who is heading into the conflict.
In fact, it was a Republican (sort of), Mitt Romney, in his acceptance speech for the 2012 nomination, who labeled the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as checkbook issues with no mention of the horrible reality that America’s sons and daughters were being maimed and killed.
There is a clear imbalance when 1% of a nation’s population defends the other 99%. While the U.S. military has undoubtedly faced insane uphill challenges to its military competence and readiness due to the disease “Woke” ideologies now deployed, that is a topic for another day...
1% of America protecting the other 99% is NOT sustainable.
What’s the answer? Stay tuned…
-Emes