Of course, what he said in response to them wasn't just meant to change the subject. It was typical of his usual intolerance of any challenge to his version of authority. And I don't mean to minimize the importance of what those Democrat politicians did either. Though they're only a handful of the 98 veterans in Congress and in the minority party, they have the standing to be heard, including among their colleagues. It's possible, for instance, that their outspokenness lent both cover and courage to other legislators on both sides of the aisle to question, as they recently did, the legality of the military's murky and wildly destructive acts off the Venezuelan coast.
What I want to do here is refocus attention on the underlying message in that video from congressional representatives and its significance for enlistees, reservists, and part-time military members: that they have the power -- as individuals and supportive groups -- to resist what they know to be wrong. Admittedly, doing so will be anything but easy. It may be scary,confusing,and lonely. But simply recognizing that you have the legal capacity to do what's right is no small thing. It may even help protect servicemembers against the soul-crushing transgression of one's innate moral code that has come to be known as "moral injury."
When military members have claimed such power and refused blind military obedience -- during the Vietnam War and the post-9/11 wars in Afghanistan and Iraq -- it has had a significant impact on this country's politics and policies, as well as on individual lives.But of course, the responsibility doesn't fall only to the people in our military. Maybe we could all join in on a chorus or two of doin'-the-right-thing rag.
Copyright 2025 Nan Levinson
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