Are All Veterans The Same?

By Frank Wickersham, USMC (Retired):

For much of the past century, the US military and its Veterans were considered by the public to be more homogenous and more patriotic than the general citizenry. And most citizens believed this population represented the US public in general. Are these two views truly accurate today? Likely not. How can today’s military and Veterans be super patriots on the one hand and still represent our modern, fractionated society? This confusion in public perspectives on the military and its Veterans is only made worse by the so called “generational dissonance” of the American public.

The cause of “generational dissonance” within our society is often traced to the various and conflicting experiences across generations running from Silent to Millennials to Zed. If these generational divisions are so consequential, how can we believe that there is actual continuity within the military and its cohorts of Veterans? But we as a Nation may be missing a larger point! If the military and Veterans are our benchmark for patriotism and homogeneity, our society more broadly should also be marked by such patriotism and homogeneity!

Since 2001 and the Attacks of 911, this has not been the case. Our American society has been severely bifurcated by competing political philosophies from both inside and outside of the Country. Think about the impacts of communism, socialism, liberalism, patriotism and any of the more than 234 “isms” that have impacted human thought! Did any of these” isms’ impact our US generational dissonance?

Let us consider just two cases of patriotism that have greatly impacted the US society, military and our Veterans.

On 11 September 2001, the US population was 281 million when Islamist terrorists killed 2,977 people and injured upwards of 6000 persons. In the following year 181,510 individuals joined the active-duty military, and 72,908 individuals enlisted in the reserves. From 2001-2024 the US military lost 7,000 killed and 53,000 wounded.

By comparison, on 7 December 1941, the US population was 133 million when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Sixteen million men and women served in WW2 between 1940-1945, with 10 million of these being males who were drafted. The US military lost 400,000 killed and 671,000 wounded.

Patriots all, but with harshly different experiences for the military and Veterans of 1945-2001 as compared to those of 2001 to present. The “generational dissonance” being experienced within our modern-day military and Veterans is caused NOT by sameness of experiences compared to earlier generations. They are differentiated by the shift to post-911 liberalism.

The generations from 1945 to 2001, believed themselves cut from the same basic cloth of patriotism and resilience. Their Christian beliefs and codes of responsibility were strong. Politically, they voted for values and policies rather than parties and personalities.  After 911 our military and Veterans looked for strong leaders such as their Country had produced in years of crisis before. The search for patriotic leaders faltered. America was on its way into post-911 partisan politics. The “age of diversity and division” changed the metrics by which the US military and its Veterans were measured. The institutionalization of DEI, CRT, Spectrum Clubs, political correctness, and rabid partisan behaviors began to override the homogeneity and patriotism of the military and its Veterans.  Sides had to be chosen.

With the emergence of the Millennials and Zeds into military leadership and Veteran organizations the “die was cast.” Liberal social agendas were in vogue, diversity was overtly emphasized, principles and standards were mutated, political correctness triumphed, combat effectiveness was diminished, and commanders were dismissed so that others more partisan could oversee liberal change.

Given the new Presidential Administration and Congress, it appears that many of the debilitating liberal policies are rapidly changing. Will the military and Veterans and the American society sense this change and become more patriotic and more homogeneous?  Will the military and Veteran population once again reflect the US public at large?

I believe a return to such a balance between the beliefs of a nation and those held by its military and Veterans will be both healthy and powerful.  Unity in belief regarding a strong national defense, patriotism, fiscal conservatism, defense of the Constitution as written, and limited government will mitigate “generational dissonance” for the better! 

Read, study and vote wisely.