Not Everyone Deserves to be in a Position of Power

by Benjamin Fortier

The civilian-military divide doesn’t include just the white and blue-collar workers of America. It also includes politicians. While the number of veterans in the House and Senate today is significantly bolstered compared to the past, military experience at the highest level has left something to be desired, particularly in times of near-total war, as we experienced during the peak of the Global War on Terror.

Without the foresight of a prophet, President George W. Bush and his cabinet could not have known they would oversee the initiation of the country’s most extended military campaign. The cabinet certainly made the most of the dire situation by squeezing profits from the blood of Americans, Iraqis, and Afghans. While Bush has military experience under his belt, an examination of his record shows that he was far removed from any hazardous duty. One can rightfully argue that a fighter pilot has inherent job risks, but those are incomparable to the complex obligation of leading troops in a forward area.

In the fall of 2001, President Bush assumed the highest-ranking position in the country: Commander in Chief. This is a position of great honor, responsibility, and consequences. Without tearing off on a side tangent equivalent to a full essay, President Bush has borne those consequences with maturity more than any of the Presidents that followed.

Under the command of President Obama, a man with no military experience, the war in Iraq came to an awkward end, and the war in Afghanistan shifted to direct action via unmanned aerial vehicles to reduce American casualties on the ground. Under his watch, the War in Afghanistan became an overlooked talking point except in small circles such as the intelligence community.

His democratic counterpart, sitting President Joe Biden, also has no military record. His office will always be remembered in military circles as the authority that oversaw the debacle that was Afghanistan’s withdrawal. This event will forever go down as a black mark against the American military and how it handled the prolonged war.

You’ll notice that I skipped President Donald Trump. I wanted to save the most pressing (and trending) for last. When he took office in 2017, his cabinet inherited a war in transition. Fighting in Syria and Iraq was starting to ramp back up. The names at the highest levels of military office under his command are some of the most well-respected of our generation, including Marines John Kelly and James Mattis. In October 2019, Trump personally oversaw a Delta Force raid that ended with the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq. On the surface, Trump was a competent commander-in-chief.

His public remarks about veterans, however, show a disturbing trend of disconnection between our warriors and those who send them off to fight. Most recently, former President Trump took the opportunity to commemorate the withdrawal from Afghanistan with a photo-op at Arlington Cemetery. This sacred ground rightfully prohibits this sort of political grandeur. Let that sit for a moment.

Stack this on top of Trump’s alleged remarks about Americans buried at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery outside of Belleau Wood, France, as being “suckers” (as a Marine that had the honor of wearing the French fourragère, I’m personally irked by this one); his five medical deferments to avoid a war he didn’t oppose; or his disparagement of Prisoners of War including the late Senator John McCain.

Former President Donald Trump continues to disgrace our military, using fallen warriors to boost his image as the commandant of law and order. Sadly, he is not the first, nor will he be the last to act this way. This is a memo to my fellow Americans to consider how our presidential candidates utilize our military and treat its members. There are multiple approaches to bridging the civilian-military gap. If veteran’s issues matter to you, considering how your elected officials treat veterans should be a prime concern when you head to the polls.

Now, more than ever, we need to consider the abstractions of our choices. We aren’t just voting for policies; we are voting for people. And not all people deserve to be in a position of power.

[Editor’s Note: Opinions regarding former President Trump often illicit strong emotional responses, both positive and negative. For example, some gold star families report a positive experience regarding the former president’s recent visit to Arlington. Likewise, others, including former President Trump, deny the alleged negative comments about veterans were ever made.]

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Benjamin Fortier grew up in Northern Rhode Island. He enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve, and within ten days of graduating from high school, he was standing on the yellow footprints at Parris Island. In 2006, he served as an infantry team member with 1st Battalion, 25th Marines in Fallujah, Iraq. His latest book, Phantoms, was awarded the Robert A. Gannon Award for poetry dealing with Marine Corps life. He is a life member and plank owner of the 1st Battalion, 25th Marines Association.

As the Voice of the Veteran Community, The Havok Journal seeks to publish a variety of perspectives on a number of sensitive subjects. Unless specifically noted otherwise, nothing we publish is an official point of view of The Havok Journal or any part of the U.S. government.