What you don't know about military veterans (Part 1 of 2)

"Thank you for your service."

Conventional wisdom says conservatives are staunch backers and supporters of the military and veterans.  Liberals, not so much.  As a veteran and a liberal, I've got news for you. Neither side seriously considers or understands the issues, needs, or perspectives of those who served and continue to serve today.  And, to be honest, I'm kind of tired of the platitudes.

In the 60's, liberals were the original "Flower Children" opposing the Vietnam War.  Opponents of the war treated returning veterans shamefully afterward.  Three decades later, many Democrat officials opposed the invasion of Iraq.  Ironically, both of those actions have come to be viewed as historical mistakes, but that has done nothing to lessen the narrative that liberals are "doves" and "hippies" and therefore dislike the military as a matter of principle.

Even my fellow liberals are surprised when they learn that I have a long, multi-generational military background.  Sadly, this particular piece of conservative mythology has seeped across party lines to the point where it is almost universally accepted as true.  The truth is, red or blue, support for the military is more of a prop than a genuine, heartfelt belief.

There's a joke:
     "How many Vietnam Veterans does it take to screw in a light bulb?"
     "I give up, how many?"
     "You weren't THERE, man!"

In those three lines, you can find a whole host of lessons about understanding the military culture.  If you're not sure you should laugh or why, there's a reason.  Let's call it "Civilian Privilege".

You may not think of veterans as a "Marginalized Group" and I can understand that.  Veterans, by and large, have enjoyed special access to services, support, and recognition that many groups have not.  Add to that the inherent strength that is associated with the US military, and it would be easy to dismiss the idea of veterans as a minority or class at all.  And that's sort of the problem.

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, about 7% of the American populace living today ever served in the military.  The LGBT community is somewhere around 5-6%.  The African American community is around 12-13%, and the Hispanic community about 17%.  Statistically, that puts veterans in a sharp minority, comparable with other protected classes.

Did you know that the US military has been in virtually constant hostile action since OPERATION: DESERT STORM in 1991?  That's 26 years.  Entire careers have been spent deploying from conflict to conflict.  Were you aware that there are still over 8,000 US troops in Afghanistan today?  Most people aren't.  That's because, in modern America, nobody has to sacrifice to support ongoing war efforts overseas.  The shelves are full.  There's no rationing.  And news cycles just sort of blow through periodic spurts of coverage when things go sideways.  We've got very short attention spans.  You can turn off your television, close your front door, and forget entirely that there is a segment of the population that has spent two and a half decades in harm's way, and that nobody comes home unchanged from that.  That's the very definition of privilege.

Americans are absolutely shameless in brief, shallow, pre-fabricated displays of patriotism and support for veterans.  We stick a flag out on a holiday, or post a meme on Facebook and call it good.  It's exactly the same sort of co-opting we do during Black History Month.  We talk about Fredrick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and Martin Luther King for a week and walk away feeling like that qualified as substantive support and understanding.  Nonsense, right?  But, when it comes to veterans, we don't have that same feeling in our guts - that feeling of knowing that we are doing ourselves, our history, and our posterity a disservice by relying on token gestures.

So, red or blue, left or right, when people wave their little plastic flags and say "support our troops," in my heart of hearts, I say the same thing: "You weren't THERE, man!"

In Part 2, I'll discuss common veteran perspectives and how we can do a better job of actually engaging them.

Introductions: About me and this blog

Well, hello there!  Nice of you to drop by.  Since, you've decided to visit, let's get to know each other a little better.  I'll start.

Update (6/22): Below, I stated that I'm not a Democrat, per se.  That was a mistake.  I was not informed enough about the real mechanisms at the base of the party or the real needs for everyday people to roll up their sleeves to make the machine work.  I've applied to be Precinct Committeeperson and am actively engaged in my own Legislative District.  You can't fix something from the outside.  I keep my original introduction intact below, for the sake of transparency and, hopefully to help you relate to where I came from to get here.  

About Me:
If you're going to read any further, you probably want to consider the source.  I'll just come right out and say it: I'm a liberal and I'm not afraid.  I am not a Democrat, per se.  Odds are pretty good that, when I go to the ballot box, the candidate of my preference will have a little [D] next to her name, but political parties really aren't my bag.  Why?  Well, that's pretty simple.  Political parties of all stripes are for-profit enterprises with the stated objectives of keeping their members in power.  That puts me at odds with them right up front.  I want people who are problem-solving maniacs in office.  And, from what we've seen lately, the parties haven't exactly been bringing out their star talent.

I also don't entirely agree with any party platform.  To me, they are a painfully contorted set of positions designed to pander to voting blocks, rather than actually make our country a better place to live.  Not cool.  So, while my positions will be undoubtedly liberal, they also undoubtedly will regularly contradict party orthodoxy.  That's something we'll all just have to come to terms with.

About the Blog:
I'm doing this for a single, shameless purpose: to change the narrative that has been pinned on liberal thinkers for far too long.  As I write this, when I type the phrase "Liberals are" in Google, the auto-suggestions that come up are: 'racist,' 'cry babies,' and 'idiots.'  Frankly, that pisses me off.  And, if I'm being completely honest, I have to express some grudging admiration for the conservative machine that has so successfully painted liberals into the corner in which we currently [apparently happily] reside.

It's time to go on offense.

I will be writing, as often as I can, to start to change that narrative.  To become a part of the growing number of voices who no longer want to be defined by a hateful propaganda machine.  To show up in search results, so that, when you Google "liberals are" you find new words.  Words like "Fearless" and "Patriot" and "a Force to be Reckoned With."  I don't expect to do this alone.  I hope others will follow this lead.

My Promise:
It's pretty clear that I have a point of view.  You may disagree with what I say, but I promise you this: I'll never lie to you.  I'll never make up facts.  And I'll never try and confuse you or distract you.  I'll also never make a single dime off this site.  There are no ads here and there never will be.  Your clicks, comments, and shares are for the sole purpose of delivering the message.

That's it.  It's pretty simple, really.  So, I hope you enjoy what you read here.  I encourage you to share these posts and the page in any forum you feel our voice is needed.