Why I No Longer Recommend Military Service
Rethinking Military Service
A few months ago, I was standing in an overly-priced Sushi restaurant turned nightclub with a handful of young men. These were the type of young men the Department of Defense needed: smart, driven, ambitious, and multi-lingual. As we were standing around watching the dance floor, one of the young lads approached me.
“Sir, I heard you fought in Iraq and Afghanistan?”
Over the next ten minutes, I spoke to him about my service, what I did, and the good times I had. I’ve told this version of my story countless times to young men. It’s part of my old pitch to young men who I think would thrive in the military.
After my soliloquy, I asked the young man if he had ever considered serving.
“Sure, I love the military,” he said. “But, I don’t want to go fight some wars, lose them, and then pretend everything is fine.”
For the first time, I was hit with the truth from a “potential recruit.” It stopped me cold.
“Actually, son,” I said haltingly. “That’s the smart choice.”
When I joined in June 2004, I never thought I would be writing a column like this as a veteran. However, after much reflection, I’ve concluded that military service isn’t worth the effort. That doesn’t mean I think military service isn’t a net positive for some people. There are benefits: camaraderie, purpose, and steady employment (unless you’re trans). But the advantages don’t come close to outweighing America’s despicable treatment of its combat veterans.
We don’t win wars anymore, and honestly, nobody really cares whether we win or lose them. Perhaps I missed the national outcry after we lost the 9/11 wars? Despite being humiliated on the world stage on August 15, 2021, the Democratic Party did nothing to hold anyone accountable or, more importantly, to make the necessary reforms to ensure we don’t get humiliated again.
But hey, thanks for the PACT Act.
The Republican Party, the supposed conservative party often tied to military service, is no better, of course. Under the banner of MAGA, we’ve surrendered to Al Qaeda. In Afghanistan and Syria, Al Qaeda reigns supreme. Despite assurances by such ignoramuses like Charles Lister and Zalmay Khalizad (and his wife), Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham are radical Islamic terrorists with the blood of tens of thousands of Americans on their hands.
But, hey, thanks for taking DEI out of the DoD.
When I retired less than a year ago, I didn’t truly understand why veterans take their own lives in the land of the free and brave in record numbers. Now, however, I completely understand—and honestly, I don’t blame them for their choice. And why should we? That doesn’t mean it’s the right decision, but it’s also not entirely irrational, either.
In less than a year, I’ve been wrongfully detained, repeatedly betrayed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, lost my family, and received death threats from a group of veterans connected to a future Wing Commander. I still haven’t received any mental health treatment from the VA, even after they refused to admit me following a public flashback that resulted in a 7-day stay at a state mental hospital, where I was allowed outside for only 2 hours without any shoes.
I share the above not for your pity. Believe me, it’s the last thing I want. I share my experience because it represents nearly every veteran’s experience. Every single close buddy of mine from the military has either lost their family, had suicidal thoughts, or has been detained. Every. Single. One. Of. Them.
And here’s the most revolting part of this little story: Americans don’t know shit about the wars fought in their names, but nearly all of them know that the VA is a failed institution.
And what has been our response: More legislation that can’t be properly implemented because the VA is a bureaucratic hell hole where civil servants’ careers are more important than preventing my friends from killing themselves.
I will never regret joining the military; I would do it all over again. Someone had to protect America, while others amused themselves to death. But would I join today’s military? Absolutely not.
This decision has little to do with President Donald Trump, who followed Biden’s lead in Syria, just as Biden followed Trump’s lead in Afghanistan. Instead, it’s about the failed civic compromise inherent in the All-Volunteer Force. We are meant to be cared for after fighting your wars. Instead, we’ve been abandoned by the very country we fought for.
America’s GWOT veterans, who endured nearly 20 years of war, are highly esteemed. However, all those well wishes and cool programs for combat veterans do not change one essential fact: We lost the 9-11 wars.
More importantly, we refuse to admit that we lost these wars. And now, as summer begins, the very Afghan allies my comrades fought, bled, and killed alongside are not only on the verge of being deported, but many are taking their own lives because we’ve betrayed them.
I sincerely pray that one day I will recommend military service again. It’s clearly critical for the protection of the American way of life and our ideals that we’ve effortlessly flushed down the toilet while expecting others to fight on our behalf. Nevertheless, after carrying the DoD’s water for over 20 years despite its incompetence, I’m not going to do it anymore. Until we start winning wars and make a genuine effort to heal GWOT veterans, I won’t recommend service to any young person. Why would I want any young American to endure what my friends and I have had thrust upon us?
Military service is a noble calling. However, that nobility does not mitigate America’s dishonorable treatment of its combat veterans. I honored my friends who made the ultimate sacrifice on Memorial Day. I mourned them and prayed for their families who endured the unimaginable. I will always be grateful to those who continue to answer our nation’s call. However, for those considering joining the military, I will only say, “Don’t follow my lead because it only leads to heartache.” Instead, if you do serve, take pride in serving your country, but don’t forget one crucial fact: this country doesn’t care anymore if you win or lose wars, and thus you shouldn’t sacrifice everything on behalf of an ungrateful nation.
In High School during the mid-60's I was a Civil Air Patrol Cadet Staff Sergeant headed for the Air Force. Both of my parents were Civil service employees at the local Navy base doing classified work supporting DOD objectives. My mother encouraged me to apply for entry into a degree program at Florida State University because she thought I would do better there than with my plan to serve in the Air Force and possibly obtain a degree using the G.I. Bill benefits as a veteran. I decided in my senior year of High School to make the application to the University and was accepted although I still had enlistment in the Air Force as a fall back if college did not pan out. As it happened I managed to hang around the University long enough to collect a B.S. in Physics and then got the letter from my friends and neighbors to report to Jacksonville, Florida for my draft physical where I found out that shooting rifle and pistol along with flying small aircraft and running circular saws without hearing protection left we with limited hearing. Later notified by my draft board that I was on the roster but not likely to be called, I decided to get on with life. I was lucky to have choices available to me that others did not and for that I am grateful. Several of my friends in High School did go into the military and a few of them came home in a box. I still think of them, have respect for their choices, and wish them well.