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The Misuse & Abuse of Military Tribute

"Using the pretense of patriotism to suppress the efforts of humanitarians and civil rights activists is unscrupulous in that it hinders social progress and reduces our veterans to a political ploy."

By Andie ColombelPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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The US military has evolved greatly since its inception in 1776 and with that evolution, so has the civilian support of it. The past thirty years have seen an increase in programs and events for returning veterans. But what if this civilian fervor is being misused? Opposition to civil rights activism has been masked in patriotic passion and humanitarian crises have been disparaged with references to unrelated issues such as veteran homelessness. It is not to say that concerns like veteran homelessness and respect for the troops are not valid, but they should not be used to silence people who have matters that are just as legitimate.

My family has been heavily involved in the armed forces: my grandfather served in both the European and Pacific theatres during WWII, my uncle is a Vietnam veteran, two other uncles were in the Marine Corps, and my brother was deployed to Afghanistan. I have heard old war stories about the Nazis and Okinawa, been told of the damaging psychological effects Vietnam had on my uncle, and attended my brother’s boot camp graduation at Camp Pendleton. By no means would I consider myself disrespectful of the military. But I didn’t always feel that way.

I was born with high-functioning autism and was receiving disability benefits from the community college that I attended. I wanted to enroll in a class whose deadline had already passed. I filled out a petition form and turned in a letter from the course’s instructor. The administrator in charge of the admissions and records office replied to my petition with a rejection letter that still exasperates me to this day. In this letter, he informed me that I had ample opportunity to sign up for the class because I was getting the same level of registration priority as the veterans, whom fought hard for their country and deserved it. Reading this letter crushed me. It made me feel like the lowest of freeloaders. I was not only taking something from hard-working people, but hard-working veterans. The fact that my brother had just returned from his tour in Afghanistan only amplified my guilt. It was the first time that someone made me feel reprehensible for being born different.

I became angry at the constant praising of veterans that was superfluous around my conservative college. Why should I be treated so cruelly for something that I had no choice in, while many of them enlisted in the military of their own accord? I became so engrossed in my own indignation that I forgot about the sacrifices my brother and his fellow service members made. I allowed the cowardly pride of chicken hawks to cloud my perception of a group of people, who like me had limited access to health care and psychological counseling, who like me utilized public transportation because of mental health issues, and who like me struggled with constant anxiety about their surroundings. Realizing this has also helped me to understand that many of the people who use the military to devalue the pain and suffering of others really don’t care about issues concerning service members and their families. As much as the “homeless veterans” line is used, I don’t see droves of people going to major cities and helping out with food, clothing, and financial resources. There’s a demand for respect but no talk of ending these perpetual wars anytime soon.

Using the pretense of patriotism to suppress the efforts of humanitarians and civil rights activists is unscrupulous in that it hinders social progress and reduces our veterans to a political ploy. It also gives the false impression that returning service members must be doing well because of all the people who proclaim their importance. To me, true patriotism is about believing the American dream is for anyone with the passion to pursue it. It doesn’t matter their race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or sexuality. What matters is their willingness to work hard and contribute to the beautiful landscape that is America. To deny someone that opportunity is to deny the country a chance for further prosperity.

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About the Creator

Andie Colombel

I was born in Los Angeles but grew up in Redlands, CA. I graduated from Redlands East Valley High School in 2013 and I have been attending Crafton Hills College and San Bernardino Valley College ever since.

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