John is one of my clients who is struggling with the political climate in the country. He firmly feels that we are headed for a civil war because of the discontent. I am discovering that he is not alone when it comes to the veteran’s community. The upcoming election is seeing the country as the most divided since the Civil War. I am finding that veterans are divided like never before. The question we need to ask is how did we get here? We have become tribal. The definition of tribal is relating to a group or community with similar ancestors, customs, and traditions. As a society we used to be more accepting to people with differing views, customs, and traditions, that appears to have changed in recent years. The media and politicians appear to be playing a large part of the tribal division in our society to stay in power, and it appears it is working. They are not just dividing the country; they are dividing veterans.
The media and politicians are using fear to separate us. Our primal fears are there to protect us, but the media and politicians are using it to divide and conquer. The division has appeared to stretch into our Active Duty troops. The media and politicians appear to have found a way to make money using division as a way of staying in power. I served under four different presidents both Republican and Democrats and we never demeaned anyone for their belief for following one party over another. We always felt that we were fighting for everyone’s right to have their opinion. We did not allow partisan politics to get in the way of our respect for each other, I fear that is changing. It appears veterans might be losing our tribe and wandering aimlessly as we listen to the media and politicians trying to decide where we belong. If we do end up in a civil war it is because we have allowed the media and politicians to do it to us. We need to stop turning on each other before it gets too bad.
It is disappointing that we have started to demean others who have separate opinions than us. I know as a 20-year military veteran that things are not the way they used to be. I heard a General the other day talk about how Active Duty troops and leadership are taking sides. It appears that we now have tribes within the military tribe. The use of the military to suppress peaceful protesters did not help. I must ask myself, was this done on purpose to divide us and divide our tribe in two separate factions. We need to start accepting each other’s beliefs. We need to start doing our homework and doing the fact checking for ourselves, not listening to the pundits on FOX, MSNBC, or CNN. Use research done by those who investigate stories and use evidence. The trolls on the internet do not get a lot of their news from reliable sources, they are trying to get their “clicks up” to make them feel important by using questionable research. News Papers are still the go-to for many stories when looking for reliable information. It takes a lot of work, but it is what we need to do to save the country we all love and have fought for. The facts are the facts.
We as veterans know how to critically think and weigh the facts and not let others tell us what to think. We are starting to allow the media and politicians to control our thoughts. The veteran community is not as fractured as badly as society, but I am seeing cracks starting to form and it worries me. If there is a civil war, as John believes, it will be ugly, and like our forefathers we will become tribal and take up sides against each other. We need to do all we can to prevent the possibility and stick together as veterans. We should be respecting the rights of others to have their opinion. We need to embrace the fact that those who disagree with us have earned the right to be wrong and support their decision.
For questions or comments you can contact me at afterdutyvets@gmail.com or visit our website at www.afterdutyvets.com. I also have 2 books on Amazon if anyone wants to read more about veterans and their struggles. Living the Dream: Nightmares of Military Re-integration and Living the Dream II: Nightmares of Navigating the VA System.