It was reported that 1 in 5 people who stormed the Capitol were military or military veterans. I was shocked by the number of active duty and veterans who would participate in such an act. I was told by a friend that I was naive when I thought the veterans would behave better than that because of their oath, my friend was right. I started analyzing my blind spot for veterans to figure out why they would do such a thing. In my eyes those who participated should be prosecuted for failure to uphold their oath to protect the constitution. In the constitution Section 3 of the 14th amendment prohibits federal employment or benefits to any person that fought against United States in an insurrection or rebellion, this fits that bill. The law is clear that those who commit acts of treason or subversion will have their federal benefits revoked. It will take some time for the repercussions of their action to pan out. While this is going through the process, we need to figure out how we got here. I have some thoughts on that.
In the military when the Commander and chief said storm that building, they followed that order. I believe that some of these veterans feel the loyalty they swore to the constitution was also loyalty to the President. I understand this may feel farfetched to some but understand those of us who have served in the military drank the Kool Aid to some point. Some veterans continue to drink the Kool Aid. I can see where they felt protected and were doing the right thing because the President told them to do it. The president did not lead the rebellion because he was too weak. He just reveled in how he could control so many folks by just telling them as he hung them out to dry to face the upcoming consequences. Another reason veteran could be talked into joining these militia groups is because they miss the camaraderie that some of these groups offer.
Every time I talk to a veteran the biggest thing, they miss about the military is the camaraderie they have with those they serve with. These militia groups profess to be Patriots and offer them what they are missing, a type of a Brotherhood they do not have in the general community. Our society does not offer military veterans this type of camaraderie and brotherhood in the civilian world because civilians are all about themselves. The military culture is dependent on community and building community in order to have a cohesive unit. This is what so many veterans miss, that cohesive unit. Veterans have been recruited by these groups because they have the skills to meet their needs and goals. These veterans were able to utilize the skills learned in the military and were accepted outside of the military by these groups. These veterans are finally appreciated for their skills and knowledge from their military service to meet the needs of the group. In essence they feel appreciated and it gives them the purpose they have been seeking.
After camaraderie, many veterans struggle with finding a purpose. Some veterans recruited by these groups struggle to have a purpose. In the military the purpose is defined. In the civilian world so many veterans struggled to find a meaningful purpose. Some veterans feel they are looked down on by the general population because they believe society thinks they are broken. Many veterans feel civilians do not understand the military and their needs once we get out. I can see where someone who has been discounted after their time the military would flock to a group that accept them.
It just happens that the groups that stormed the Capitol building were mainly followers of the Republican Party. Next time it might be the followers of the Democratic Party. Either way we need to focus on how to get our country back together or we will fall apart and lose everything that we fought for. We need to find a way to give our veterans the camaraderie and purposes they miss in a peaceful way, and deeply appreciate their sacrifices to society and not just give lip service. If we do not find a way to honor our veterans, we could cease as a democracy.
For questions or comments you can contact me at afterdutyvets@gmail.com or visit my website at www.afterdutyvets.com and like us on Facebook @ afterdutyvets.