They Did Not Die For This - A reflection on Memorial Day in the Age of Trump
Memorial Day is the nation’s day to mourn and honor the men and women who died in service to the United States. It is the day we are supposed to stop, look at the graves, read the names, and remember that every war speech, every deployment order, every reckless military adventure, every botched intelligence briefing, and every Pentagon power struggle is not theoretical. It ends, for some families, with a folded flag.
That is why this Memorial Day should not be only sentimental. It should be clarifying. If Democrats regain power next year, they need to take drastic, politically risky action on behalf of the nation’s military and the rest of us.
I’ll get to what Democrats need to do in a moment. But first, some reflections on what has become of our armed services under the “leadership” of the current commander in chief and his secretary of defense.
If we actually honor those who died for this country, then we owe those still serving a Department of Defense run by serious people. We owe them a White House that treats war as a grave constitutional responsibility, not a branding exercise to detract from pedophilia scandals or a Crusader reenactment. We owe them civilian leaders who understand that the military is not a Fox News segment with aircraft carriers or a laboratory for Christian nationalism. It is not a stage for humiliating Black and female officers, transgender troops or anyone else who does not fit Pete Hegseth’s cosplay vision of warrior masculinity.
https://saltypolitics.substack.com/p/they-did-not-die-for-this