Several weeks ago, we marked the 17th anniversary of the attack on America from Islamic terrorists led by Osama bin Laden. It also marks something else: this year we will start seeing kids graduate from high school who were not even born at the time of the attack. I believe I must now know what those returning veterans from World War II must have felt as they watched the memory of Pearl Harbor slowly fade from the memory of those American’s who swore to never forget.
I have seen some veterans angry about this shift in our country. I understand and empathize with their perceptions. I have never met anyone who served overseas in either Afghanistan or Iraq who did not carry with them some baggage from their time in theater. Some of their scars are clear and evident. There were over 50,000 Purple Heart medals awarded from combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq as of 2011. Then there are the emotional scars that so many others hide. Some scars are from dealing with the horrors of having taken the life of another human. Others come from watching brothers and sisters in arms pay the ultimate price. Then there are those who suffer due to EIDs they encountered on convoy operations. We have the nightmares that come from the memories of rocket and mortar attacks on the FOBs. That only discusses the combat-related effects. How many servicemembers were told by their spouses that they no longer loved them and when they returned home, they would return to an empty house. How many had to explain to their children why they were leaving, again.
These veterans return back to a country whose populace never had to sacrifice anything for the war effort. In WWII, due to wartime economy, there was rationing. People bought war bonds to support the funding of the war. In today’s world there is no real connection to the war on terror except for the families involved. This was something that I had a personally hard time overcoming. I was not looking for parades in my honor or to have people come up to me and thank me for my service. It was not even about my ego. It was about having empathy for all of those who volunteered to serve. People say thank you and tell you how appreciative they are, but what does that really mean? Don’t get me wrong, I am in no way dismissing their gratitude. I am quite certain that they are sincere in their thanks and appreciate them for it. What bothers me is the lack of any conceptual understanding for what those who served have gone through. In this regard I have often felt that their words of thanks have been hollow. True appreciation is not shown in their words, it is shown in their love of country and the values for which we fight.
To me, this lack of insight by the majority of Americans is a large part of the problem in America today. It has become commonplace today for people to make comments about those with whom they disagree, declaring they are as bad as Nazis, Hitler, or Stalin. Really? In all of the cases I am speaking about the individuals being compared simply have disagreements of opinion. They did not kill thousands or torture children. They simply don’t agree with their views and because of this they believe that they have the right to accuse them of the most heinous of crimes we as humans can commit.
I believe that this is easy to do when you have lived a life where your safety, security, and liberties are ensured by others. When one lives a life of unprecedented human luxury it is hard to conceptualize what actual terror or strife is. There is a reason why our children have become emotionally weak. They have never had to struggle. Even those amongst us who are impoverished are still better off than the majority of those throughout the world. We don’t, as a nation, understand this though. We are completely isolated from the horrors that most of the world faces.
This is not due to some fault of anyone or anything. It is simply a natural consequence of living in such an incredible country that has allowed us such success and wealth. However, just because it is a natural consequence does not mean that we should simply ignore it. First, we need to understand that America is one of the most empathetic nations in the world. Part of this empathy is a feeling of guilt over our success. Often this guilt engages in a desire to even the playing field by giving away our resources. Along with the empathy, we are also very apathetic. We have an indifference when it comes to the sacrifices that others in our nation have paid in order to help propel us to where we are.
Here is the calling that we have as veterans. We, more than any, understand what our country is. I have never in my life heard a veteran state, “America was never great.” We have seen the greatness of America. We have been the beacon of hope for others. It is hard to view your country through such a negative stigma when you put yourself in harm’s way for others. How can I expect someone who has never served or deployed understand the true depth of greatness our country represents?
In a world that is ruled by the 30-second elevator pitch it is hard to engage people in a meaningful way. This is especially true of our youth, who have grown up with the Internet telling them everything important that they could possibly need to know. It is our responsibility to break through this block and ensure that civilians understand why we have done what we did. This has nothing to do with war stories or regaling others with tales of valor.
So, what are the lessons that we should be teaching our posterity? I have a nearly instantaneous bond with just about any fellow veteran, regardless of their branch. This is because of that commonality of devotion to service: service to our brothers and sisters in arms, our nation, our God. It is this loyalty to a cause greater than ourselves that bonds us together. There is not one character trait that defines it, but instead it is a conglomerate of things inside us that allows us to stand united and face down tasks that would seem insurmountable. Loyalty, integrity, selfless service, clarity of purpose, motivation, the list goes on. At the end of the day though, what it comes down to is love of your fellow man. The ability to put their needs before your own with the awareness that they would return the act.
I remember a scene in the movie Remember the Titans. In the movie, Coach Boone was letting the team know that it was ok if they lost, because of how hard they had played. Big Ju responded with, “No it ain’t, Coach. With all due respect, uh, you demanded more of us. You demanded perfection. Now, I ain’t saying that I’m perfect, ’cause I’m not. And I ain’t gonna never be. None of us are. But we have won every single game we have played till now. So this team is perfect. We stepped out on that field that way tonight. And, uh, if it’s all the same to you, Coach Boone, that’s how we want to leave it.” This is true of our country too. America is not perfect, and it never will be. But our ideals…those are perfect. The freedoms that we profess are perfect in their promise for allowing us to reach our full potential. It is this knowledge that we as veterans are uniquely equipped to pass on through our experience.
