Memorial Day signals a significant shift for veterans – America’s future is in jeopardy.

Memorial Day: A Stark Change Among Veterans

Every year, Americans gather on the last Sunday in May to commemorate the men and women who died in uniform protecting our country and defending our liberties. But this Memorial Day may be different.

“I come from a long line of veterans. Military service was encouraged, even after Vietnam. Now most [global war on terror] vets are actively discouraging their kids from enlisting. Interesting times ahead.”

These sentiments are echoed by many “global war on terror” or GWOT veterans. They actively discourage their children from enlisting in the military. What’s caused this change?

The Nature of War

War is mankind’s most brutal enterprise. Even those who return whole from the battlefield may carry scars with them for years. The nature of the war itself, culminating in the withdrawal from Afghanistan during which 13 service members were killed by a suicide bomber while they were helping evacuate civilians at the airport in Kabul, has left a lasting impact on veterans. It was the image of Afghan men clinging to troop transport planes, from which many fell to their gruesome deaths. It was the recognition that for 20 years, the U.S. had no clear strategy — not for winning the war, nor even for withdrawing from it.

The Anger and Resentment of GWOT Vets

The anger and resentment of GWOT vets is the logical response to the character of the American leaders who recklessly spent American lives for two decades. “Let’s go spill blood over weapons of mass destruction and fight the Taliban for 2 decades only to leave making all of the blood spilled essentially for nothing,” another veteran posted in response to the Marine pilot. “Every service member who was deployed to the Middle East should be furious with our worthless lawmakers.”

The Military Has Gone Woke

Another warrior attributed his conviction to the transformation of American society, at least in its elite quarters far from where U.S. servicemen are sent to fight for their fellow citizens. “It’s because the military has gone woke,” he wrote. “I served for nine years and after the vax mandates, change of the word ‘equality’ to ‘equity,’ and several ‘mandatory transgender sensitivity’ trainings, I figured my kind weren’t welcome anymore. Their recruitment crisis is their fault.”

The Fight for American Freedom is Here at Home

Taken together, what the GWOT vets are saying is that the fight for American freedom is here at home right now, not on foreign fields of battle. Those who most threaten our liberties and who have laid waste to our constitutional order are not foreign nationals but rather carry U.S. passports.

This Memorial Day, as we remember and give thanks to the long line of Americans who risked it all to defend us, we also look to the future. Our fate and our freedom may rest with the rising generation of Americans whose families long served our great nation. Held in contempt by our political and military leaders, they are the finest among us, and thus it depends on us, their elders, to create space and opportunity for them to serve the nation here at home.

As one veteran wrote, “Those who choose to serve their country deserve better than how their country abuses that service.”

We at America’s Future vow to honor those who choose to serve as we revere our fallen. May God bless the men and women over generations who shed their blood and gave their all for everlasting freedom in America.

• War is mankind’s most brutal enterprise.
• The nature of the war itself has left a lasting impact on veterans.
• The anger and resentment of GWOT vets is the logical response to the character of the American leaders.
• The military has gone woke.
• The fight for American freedom is here at home right now.

This Memorial Day, let us remember and give thanks to the long line of Americans who risked it all to defend us. Our fate and our freedom may rest with the rising generation of Americans whose families long served our great nation. Let us create space and opportunity for them to serve the nation here at home.

“Those who choose to serve their country deserve better than how their country abuses that service.”

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