I retired from the United States Navy a few months ago. From one Veteran to all who earned the privilege of wearing the cloth of our Nation, this is my message.
The Veteran’s unwritten bond
I retired from the United States Navy as a Senior Chief Intelligence Specialist, just over 20 years after I joined the world’s greatest Navy. I promised my daughter that wherever 20 years of service gets me, I will switch gears and dedicate my undivided attention to her. The undivided attention she patiently waited her whole life.
My wife, who is my daughter’s mother, also retired from the Navy. Our daughter is the unsung hero here, because while the duties in uniform took essentially all our time, it was our little girl waiting by the pier as the ship faded into the horizon for months at the time. And when we were assigned to shore, she would wait from the time she opened her eyes, often to the time she closed her eyes for at least one of her parents to return. Many Veterans who have a family have experienced something similar. It is never easy.
When we think about Veterans, sometimes we only think about the wars, and the deployments, and special missions that take us away from our families. Yes, those do happen… and for some a lot more often than for others. But the sacrifices are a lot more diverse than those obvious moments of being far away. Early mornings, late nights, duty days, a never-ending workload that only gets larger waiting for you if you take time off. If you’re a Veteran, you know what I am talking about.
There is the good, there is the challenging, and sometimes there is the extremely bad and frustrating. But what makes us the world’s greatest military is the diversity in our ranks. We have people who earned the privilege of wearing the cloth of our nation, who were born in every corner of the world. This is what makes us great, because our diverse cultural acumen help us understand the blind spots that other military forces lack.
This is not what they derogatorily call ”woke” – it is strategy. The smarter and better rounded your forces are, the better you will understand the many different cultures that exist in the world, the better prepared we are to serve our nation, and protect our national interests abroad. For example, I would have Sailors who spoke different languages, and when we got to a foreign port, they would be instrumental in ensuring that our communication was not skewed. These service members were not linguists, they were Sailors from every specialty, they were our team.
The US military is a microcosmos of the entire planet. Sure, we have rules and regulations, rank recognition, and doctrines, traditions, and so many other factors (because they are multipliers) that unite us. We can spot who is not a Veteran miles away, we can quickly find out who is a “stolen valor.” We might not agree on everything we do, but we do have a bond that is not articulated with words, because it would take several million pages to express.
I’m extremely proud to be a United States Armed Forces Veteran. It was the honor of a lifetime. Less than 1% of the US population answers the call of duty. We did it, we answered. We are a military force of volunteers. And nothing is stronger than a volunteer’s heart. And for all my Veterans, don’t forget what we are fighting for. The fact we have our DD-214 does not imply our commitment is over. I have my crisply pressed uniforms ready should we are ever called upon to defend the USA from any enemy, foreign or domestic.
To the future Veterans
Understand the difference between lawful and unlawful order. Like it or not, YOU have the watch today. YOU are the future of the United States Armed Forces. Your duty is loyalty not towards a person, but towards the Constitution of the United States of America. We are here to defend the United States of America interests. Make no mistake, there will be insider threats.
Insider threats come in two broad categories. Witting, and unwitting. A witting insider threat is the one who is knowingly sabotaging their own team – and has been coerced for whatever reason to support the adversary – this is extremely dangerous. The unwitting insider threat is even more dangerous, because they are too stupid to realize they are doing the same as the witting insider threat, but without realizing it.
Make no mistake, I said it before, and it is worth repeating again. We have insider threats at all levels of the very government you’re supposed to obey. That is why it is important to understand the difference between a lawful and unlawful order. A lawful order is in accordance with regulations and does not support the adversary. An unlawful order is designed to mobilize useful fools to carry out directives that are against their own interest, while attacking their own United States persons – the ones they are supposed to protect.
And if somebody call you a “woke” military – ask them. What is the definition of “woke?” – I’ll tell you. Woke means to be awake, and to be paying attention in order to prevent somebody from disenfranchising you. That’s it. It means you’re awake and paying attention. By definition if you’re asleep or unaware you’re not paying attention. Beware of whomever is using any “wedge issue” to cloud your judgement.
Wittingly looking the other way when you’re supposed to pay attention is willful ignorance. Willful ignorance is tacit consent for an adversary to take over your life without your input in the matter. You are in the front lines, and you have to be able to identify who is that witting or unwitting insider threat. It could very well be you, but you just don’t know it yet.
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To all current and former military members
Our service does not end when we are discharged. The wisdom from the US military accumulates millions of combined years of knowledge and experience. For us who earned an honorable discharge, our duty remains to ensure the next generation who is in charge understands what their duties and responsibilities entitle.
There is nothing an adversary would prefer than to wipe our slate clean, and infiltrate ideas that are contrary to the wisdom that has made our Armed Forces the most powerful force in the world. Why? Because they know that the way to defeat the USA is from the inside out. They can’t compete with our “toys” – but that is all they are unless we have people behind them.
The only thing a warship can do on its own is rust. It takes the people with that volunteer heart to man those watch stations. And yes, the only thing we can do on our own is quit. To all my siblings-in-arms past and present, like it or not, the world is not an easy place to live. Yet, most people don’t realize it – even in the Armed Forces… the peril that is already here. Not around the corner, the call is coming from inside the house.
For all of us who swore an oath to the Constitution of the United Sates of America, forget any political partisanship. Be objective, because sometimes the adversary will be draped in the very flag you’ve signed your life to defend. The time when they will ask you to carry an order that is contrary to that oath might be coming closer than we think. I can only wish I was wrong. But as a former intelligence professional, I’m here to tell you that all my assessments were spot on – to this day.
Be ready should you be the one to speak truth to power. The zeal of true courage is not being a “yes man or woman” – but to properly articulate and challenge a directive if it goes against all other regulations against what America represents – freedom. I’ll close by reminding you again that our loyalty is to the Constitution of the United States of America, against all enemies – foreign and domestic. And likely those who want to attack Americans could very well be adversarial forces draped in our American Flag from a position of power and influence. HLC