I am a veteran. Recently, I was listening to the audio version of a book about the next hundred years by a man who has a doctorate and is a professor of geopolitical studies. As I was listening to the book, it struck me that early in the book, as he made his geopolitical analyses, he made sure to state that his son had served two tours in Iraq so far and that he had nothing against the military. And that made me realize a couple of things.
First, I had to ask myself why he felt it necessary to make that statement. The answer is that in this country, at this time, failure to have served in the military or to have an immediate relative who has served in a war zone is used as a reason to claim that the person does not know what s/he is talking about, or worse, is even biased against what is right. In passing, one of the reasons I quote Fox News on an extremely regular basis is that all too many people have convinced themselves that unless they hear it on Fox News, it did not happen or is not being reported correctly. Thus I cannot quote CNN or MSNBC without someone immediately posting a comment dismissing my entire post simply on the basis that those cable networks are liberal. This type of attitude begs the question of what is truth. Having served in the military does not guarantee that one’s opinions are rational or logical. Fox News has one of the worst ratings for accurate reporting of the various cable networks. And, no, it is not liberal to say that, although sadly all too many will claim that.
But, the fact that the author of that book did have to point out that he had an immediate relative who had served in Iraq also points to an interesting parallel between the USA and ancient Greek history. In ancient Greece, the city-state of Sparta had the requirement that only those who had received military training could be citizens. And, they were most egalitarian, as both men and women received military training, if they so wished. One did not have to receive military training, but if one did not, then one did not have the right to directly speak into the governance of the nation. I know that I have not mentioned my military service before 2001 as much and as constantly as I have mentioned it since then.
We are obviously not where Sparta was. But certainly, on this Veterans’ Day, I am even more aware of the changes that have taken place in this country since 2001. Some of them I am not against. Ray Bradbury, the science fiction writer, wrote a couple of tales based on a united Earth in which the government was a Spartan-like government. Other military science fiction writers, such as J.E. Pournelle, wrote an entire series of science fiction novels based on the idea of a civilian Earth-based confederacy which was corrupted and dying. It was only eventually mostly fixed by instituting a Sparta-like government. There is something to be said for the idea, as most veterans learn the value of self-sacrifice, working for and with a team, and looking at the greater good. And veterans come in many flavors, from liberal to conservative, so this would provide a variety of ideas for consideration.
But, some of the changes I am against. Neither veterans nor current service members ought to be used to justify a policy or to attempt to silence someone who disagrees with your ideas. Veterans are not traitors if they oppose the current wars, and neither are civilians who have never served. Sadly, there is a segment of the country that uses veterans as a shield against any critique of their opinions. This is plain wrong. If an action in a war is wrong, it is wrong regardless of who did it. Frankly, there is some basic Judeo-Christian principle behind that. It did not matter that David was King. What he did against Uriah and Bathsheba was wrong, and he was called on it by the Prophet Nathan. If a “war” policy is wrong or unjust, simply standing in front of a bunch of soldiers and flags does not sanitize the policy. Soldiers are not props for your ideas.
And so on this Veterans Day I reflect on the many changes I have seen in this country. When I became a teenager, there was a war going on, Viet Nam. As I have become a senior citizen, there are other long wars going on, Afghanistan and Iraq. We spent more time in war in the 20th century than in the 19th century. We spent more time in war in the 19th century than in the 18th century. And, so far as the 21st century goes, it has been almost 100% war thus far. The result has been an increasingly militarized culture and our ascendance as the lone superpower who controls all the oceans. (For those of you into geopolitics, control of the oceans is extremely important in geopolitical terms.)
Looking ahead, I hope that we will deal wisely with our ascendance to power. I also hope that, yes, veterans will have more of a say in our future. But, mostly I pray that we have fewer veterans and more peacetime. May the Lord give us many future years of peace and tranquility. God grant us many years.
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