Donald Trump versus the "woke" military: More proof he hates America [View all]

[Kid Berwyn]

Donald Trump versus the "woke" military:

More proof he hates America

America's tremendous military diversity reflects who we are now. Trump wants to undo that, but he will fail

By Lucian K. Truscott IV
Salon, November 12, 2024

EXCERPT...

Usually, Veterans Day is an occasion for the Pentagon and the U.S. military to strut their stuff. I recall marching down Fifth Avenue in 1968 in a Veterans Day parade wearing my cadet dress uniform. Even though it was yet another grim year in the war in Vietnam, people lined the street and waved as we marched by. This year, Veterans Day falls on the one-week anniversary of Donald Trump’s election, once again, to the presidency. Trust me, they’re not celebrating across the Potomac at the Pentagon. Here are just two headlines from the days immediately following Trump’s victory last week: From the Washington Post: “Pentagon anticipates major upheaval with Trump’s return to the White House.” From Politico: “Pentagon officials anxious Trump might fire military’s top general.”

That would be Gen. C.Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, whom congressional Republicans have accused of being the Pentagon’s top “woke” general.

SNIP...

To be “woke” in the military, according to Donald Trump and his MAGA adherents, is to support DEI programs and the enormously diverse military I have just described. The fact of the matter is this: Since the end of the draft under Richard Nixon, the U.S. military has been a wholly volunteer organization from top to bottom. That means, people walk into recruiting offices and sign on the dotted line to potentially serve in combat, risking their lives in the service of the country.

There have been gay, lesbian and bisexual people serving in all the branches of the military for as long as we have had soldiers and sailors in uniform. Today the numbers of those serving who would come under the umbrella of what might be described as a "diverse" military are so enormous that we wouldn’t have a military without those patriotic volunteers. So, if Gen. Brown is described as “woke,” it’s because he is the senior general in a military that demands officers and senior enlisted service members who can command a broad spectrum of troops who serve.

Donald Trump and the Republicans’ concept of “wokeness” when it comes to the military is a fantasy born of ignorance and prejudice. The fact is, we wouldn’t have an army, a navy, the Air Force, the Marine Corps or the Coast Guard if we didn’t have brave men and women of all races and sexual persuasions who are willing to serve to defend this country. They deserve to be led by commanders who are not bigots and misogynists. That is what being “woke” in the military means. If Donald Trump thinks he’s going to fire all the “woke” commanders in the military and replace them with Republican loyalists who hew to the discriminatory party line of Trumpism, he’s going to end up with a hollow military.

CONTINUES...

https://www.salon.com/2024/11/12/donald-versus-the-woke-military-more-proof-he-hates-america/

Hope all DUers read the article. For those new to the writer, Lucian K. Truscott IV is an outstanding analyst and patriot. He knows the road, sees what's up ahead, and how We the People will preserve the Constitution.