Yet again, the military community is struck with the death of two outstanding individuals in the midst of unnecessary military involvement in Syria. And yet again, there will not be a single person bearing the burden of this loss other than close family and friends. In the latter half of the Global War on Terror, the American people have largely remained unaffected by continuous years of war and politicians have deferred all responsibility to the office of the President. Our involvement in the Middle East continues regardless of which party holds the Presidency, with virtually no accountability when soldiers are killed in what is perhaps our nation’s most baseless war to date.
Furthermore, not but a few weeks prior to these deaths, the White House hosted Syria’s new President and former Most Wanted founder of al-Nusra (responsible for committing atrocities across Syria throughout the Syrian Civil War). While American service-members in the Syrian conflict remain in harm’s way and are killed yet again, political elites are welcoming a man who was undoubtedly responsible for attacks on Americans in Syria. Rolling out the red carpet for a man who was once targeting American forces is more than a slap in the face to GWOT veterans, and that sentiment is furthered now that two more Americans have been killed.
So I must ask all veterans: are you not exhausted yet of our friends being killed (or committing suicide) as a result of conflicts that are not only not in defense of our nation, but have actually inflicted severe lasting damage to our economy and our way of life? Have you not seen that while our friends die, our nation gains nothing and our leaders could not care less? The American political class can be defined by its disdain for the American public, but are we willing to accept the deaths of our friends without any protest or accountability?
While political and military leaders fail to consider the interests of either the nation or soldiers under their command, the veteran community has no other option than to begin advocating for withdraw from these unnecessary and baseless forever wars. This is by no means a call for isolationism (which critics will attempt to label it as). But rather, a call for accountability and recognition that we have failed and lost multiple wars across the Middle East over the past 20 years. The American people have gained nothing. Our military presence is absolutely unnecessary. And we continue to lose service members.
The veteran community is a much larger lobby than we often recognize. And regardless of which side of the political aisle you find yourself leaning, surely, we can all agree that our nation has far surpassed any justification of an enduring presence in Syria. Frankly, it is time for the veteran community to wake up and set the example for the next generation of service men and women. We can no longer sit idly by while politicians continue to send our friends, family, and children into the same useless conflicts that we were sent into.
Call your member of Congress now and demand the U.S. withdraw from Syria. Support Defend the Guard legislation in your state. And most importantly, start voicing your opinion on U.S. intervention online. Domestic pressure from the veteran lobby can change policy if enough of us speak up.
