Opinion
Our
Republic Is Under Attack From the President
If
President Trump doesn’t demonstrate the leadership that America needs, then it
is time for a new person in the Oval Office.
By William
H. McRaven
Admiral
McRaven is a former commander of the United States Special Operations Command.
Oct. 17,
2019
Last week I
attended two memorable events that reminded me why we care so very much about
this nation and also why our future may be in peril.
The first
was a change of command ceremony for a storied Army unit in which one general
officer passed authority to another. The second event was an annual gala for
the Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.) Society that recognizes past and
present members of the intelligence and Special Operations community for their heroism
and sacrifice to the nation. What struck me was the stark contrast between the
words and deeds heralded at those events — and the words and deeds emanating
from the White House.
On the
parade field at Fort Bragg, N.C., where tens of thousands of soldiers have
marched either preparing to go to war or returning from it, the two generals,
highly decorated, impeccably dressed, cleareyed and strong of character, were
humbled by the moment.
They
understood the awesome responsibility that the nation had placed on their
shoulders. They understood that they had an obligation to serve their soldiers
and their soldiers’ families. They believed in the American values for which
they had been fighting for the past three decades. They had faith that these
values were worth sacrificing everything for — including, if necessary, their
lives.
Having
served with both officers for the past 20 years, I know that they personified
all that is good and decent and honorable about the American military with
genuineness of their humility, their uncompromising integrity, their
willingness to sacrifice all for a worthy cause, and the pride they had in
their soldiers.
Later that
week, at the O.S.S. Society dinner, there were films and testimonials to the
valor of the men and women who had fought in Europe and the Pacific during
World War II. We also celebrated the 75th anniversary of D-Day, recognizing
those brave Americans and allies who sacrificed so much to fight Nazism and
fascism. We were reminded that the Greatest Generation went to war because it
believed that we were the good guys — that wherever there was oppression,
tyranny or despotism, America would be there. We would be there because freedom
mattered. We would be there because the world needed us and if not us, then who?
Also that
evening we recognized the incredible sacrifice of a new generation of
Americans: an Army Special Forces warrant officer who had been wounded three
times, the most recent injury costing him his left leg above the knee. He was
still in uniform and still serving. There was an intelligence officer, who
embodied the remarkable traits of those men and women who had served in the
O.S.S. And a retired Marine general, whose 40 years of service demonstrated all
that was honorable about the Corps and public service.
But the
most poignant recognition that evening was for a young female sailor who had
been killed in Syria serving alongside our allies in the fight against ISIS.
Her husband, a former Army Green Beret, accepted the award on her behalf. Like so
many that came before her, she had answered the nation’s call and willingly put
her life in harm’s way.
For
everyone who ever served in uniform, or in the intelligence community, for
those diplomats who voice the nation’s principles, for the first responders,
for the tellers of truth and the millions of American citizens who were raised
believing in American values — you would have seen your reflection in the faces
of those we honored last week.
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But,
beneath the outward sense of hope and duty that I witnessed at these two
events, there was an underlying current of frustration, humiliation, anger and
fear that echoed across the sidelines. The America that they believed in was
under attack, not from without, but from within.
These men
and women, of all political persuasions, have seen the assaults on our
institutions: on the intelligence and law enforcement community, the State
Department and the press. They have seen our leaders stand beside despots and
strongmen, preferring their government narrative to our own. They have seen us
abandon our allies and have heard the shouts of betrayal from the battlefield.
As I stood on the parade field at Fort Bragg, one retired four-star general,
grabbed my arm, shook me and shouted, “I don’t like the Democrats, but Trump is
destroying the Republic!”
Those words
echoed with me throughout the week. It is easy to destroy an organization if
you have no appreciation for what makes that organization great. We are not the
most powerful nation in the world because of our aircraft carriers, our
economy, or our seat at the United Nations Security Council. We are the most
powerful nation in the world because we try to be the good guys. We are the
most powerful nation in the world because our ideals of universal freedom and
equality have been backed up by our belief that we were champions of justice,
the protectors of the less fortunate.
But, if we
don’t care about our values, if we don’t care about duty and honor, if we don’t
help the weak and stand up against oppression and injustice — what will happen
to the Kurds, the Iraqis, the Afghans, the Syrians, the Rohingyas, the South
Sudanese and the millions of people under the boot of tyranny or left abandoned
by their failing states?
If our
promises are meaningless, how will our allies ever trust us? If we can’t have
faith in our nation’s principles, why would the men and women of this nation
join the military? And if they don’t join, who will protect us? If we are not
the champions of the good and the right, then who will follow us? And if no one
follows us — where will the world end up?
President
Trump seems to believe that these qualities are unimportant or show weakness.
He is wrong. These are the virtues that have sustained this nation for the past
243 years. If we hope to continue to lead the world and inspire a new
generation of young men and women to our cause, then we must embrace these
values now more than ever.
And if this
president doesn’t understand their importance, if this president doesn’t
demonstrate the leadership that America needs, both domestically and abroad,
then it is time for a new person in the Oval Office — Republican, Democrat or
independent — the sooner, the better. The fate of our Republic depends
upon it.
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