Note: I wrote the original of this a year ago, in November 2020. It’s still true. I’ve only lightly edited to reflect a year’s passing.
Most people don’t know I was in the Army at all. I don’t talk about it and it isn’t a big part of my identity. But the military life itself became a HUGE part of my world for many years after, and so it is that, between one thing and another, I have something I need to say here on this Veterans Day.
Our country is in terrible danger. Our democracy is at risk, and the foundations our society is built on are being attacked.
And I am very, very angry today. Because these attacks aren’t coming from outside, from some foreign enemy. They are coming from inside — and they originated with the Commander In Chief himself— the (now former) President of the United States.
The integrity of our electoral process, and the free press, have been dragged through the mud for four years, and now we’re approaching a constitutional crisis because of it.
You want to honor a veteran? Uphold our values. Stop acting like your fellow citizen is your enemy.
Anything else — everything else — is dishonoring everything veterans stand for. On this Veterans Day, don’t waste your breath thanking a veteran… unless you are willing to stand up for what WE stood up for.