What we should learn from our nation’s veterans

In response to the threats of World War II, our Nation fashioned what has been called the “Greatest Generation.” Our entire country was mobilized to fight for liberty and freedom. A great percentage of our citizens joined the military or directly served the war effort – 10 percent in the Armed Forces alone. As a result, our post-war nation was built in large part upon veteran values and experience. Countless numbers of our national, state and local lawmakers, and corporate and civic leaders were veterans. Many of our revered Hollywood movie stars served in the Armed Forces. Veteran values and experience were pervasive as the Greatest Generation built the strongest nation on earth.

{mosads}Today, two generations later, our national experience is much different. Fewer than one-half of one percent of our citizens serve in the Armed Forces. Veteran values and experience are largely missing from our government, corporate and civic leadership, and our citizens. While we proudly thank our veterans for their service, we don’t seek to learn from them, or embrace their values. In fact, many of our citizens silently look down on our military. “It’s fine for those with low career aspirations, but not for my son or daughter.” This ill-informed impression comes from a lack of understanding of the meaning of “duty, honor, country” which drives our military personnel and upon which our national greatness is built. I want to share some values we should all learn from our veterans.

I am humbled to be a member of the Legion of Valor, our nation’s oldest veteran service organization. Our members are all recipients of our nation’s two highest awards for valor in combat, the Congressional Medal of Honor and each service’s highest award for valor (Army Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross and Air Force Cross). Only two one-hundredths of one percent of those who have served in the military in our nation’s entire history, or are currently serving in the military, have received one of these awards. Our deceased and current members have participated in every conflict from the Spanish-American War to our current anti-terror campaigns. Our membership rolls include Buffalo Bill Cody, Teddy Roosevelt, Audie Murphy, John Pershing and Gary Rose an October 2017 recipient of the Medal of Honor. Members of the Legion of Valor share one thing in common, an extraordinary act of heroism in combat at extreme risk to their life. Many of our members have paid the ultimate price to save another American’s life. This love of country and commitment to fellow soldiers is our nation’s most precious and selfless value. Our members range in rank from Private to General, and span every ethnicity and every religion. Their stories are told at www.legionofvalor.com. It is from these extraordinary heroes that I draw the veteran values and experience for this article.

I have the honor to know and talk with many of our living members from a World War II fighter pilot who became an ace in seven minutes over Tokyo, to an infantry point-man in Vietnam, to a forward air controller in Afghanistan. Despite their diverse backgrounds, these men shared important common values. Above all they love America; they believe in America and the values it stands for; and they have demonstrated that they are willing to defend it with their lives. They know that in combat there are no Republicans, Democrats or Independents – only Americans. In combat, ethnic and religious differences must be put aside as they endanger everyone. On the battlefield, we are Americans and we do everything possible to protect the lives of our fellow Americans. We know that divisiveness plays into the hands of the enemy.

We see firsthand what most of our citizens will never know – military service is more than “service,’ it is a tremendous sacrifice built upon an overwhelming sense of commitment to our nation.

Months and years away from family and friends in remote, dangerous locations just to be ready when the call to action arrives. Continuous readiness to risk life in support of our liberty. Military service means giving up the opportunity for a “normal” life that most Americans seek. As a nation, we owe our veterans a place of honor and our eternal thanks. We owe them a debt we can never repay – and, they don’t ask us to. They ask only that we love America as they do, and honor the heritage and sacrifices of those who went before us. With all its imperfections ours is still the greatest nation on earth and we owe it our loyalty. To diminish our nation in the name of politics, to divide its people for gain, or to set its citizens against each other, is to dishonor our forefathers and those who sacrificed to build our nation.

Our veterans have contributed to the building of our great nation and continue to contribute to it’s evolution; they have been tested in the worst of conditions and prevailed; they have maintained the moral high-ground in the internal conflicts of our changing society and they have placed duty, honor, country foremost in our nation’s consciousness. We have much to learn from our veterans.

Donald Marx is the recipient of the Air Force Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star, Distinguished Flying Cross with oak-leaf cluster, and Vietnam Cross of Gallantry. He is the past National Commander of the Legion of Valor and Past President of the Rotary Club of Washington DC.