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
Admiral McRaven is a former commander of the United States Special Operations Command.
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.
William
H. McRaven, a retired Navy admiral, is a former commander of the United
States Special Operations Command and former chancellor of the
University of Texas system.
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