The big takeaway from this Robert Burns article is that after 10 years of conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq, a majority of serving military members have doubts about what we're doing in those conflicts. They appear demoralized--tired of the tedious and constant rotations in and out of these countries, being separated from family and friends. The wars have sewn seeds of doubt and distrust in our national leadership, and service members are feeling a growing chasm of understanding between those who have served, and the public for whom they are serving.
It's a bit disheartening to see.
I'm sure the POTUS isn't happy about these poll results, either. But what did he really expect? I mean, he campaigned three years ago on quickly ending the involvement in Iraq (within a year of being elected), and quickly resolving the "good war" in Afghanistan. Instead, we're lobbying to stay in Iraq for an even longer time period, and the news out of Afghanistan is rarely painted in a good light. Now, the ones POTUS has to lean on to do these difficult taske are expressing their disapproval in greater numbers.
But even more disconcerting for me is the truth that is revealed in this paragraph, neatly tucked away in the middle of the article:
The survey also showed that post-9/11 veterans are more likely than Americans as a whole to call themselves Republicans and to disapprove of President Barack Obama's performance as commander in chief. They also are more likely than earlier generations of veterans to have no religious affiliation.
Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Maries are not only losing faith in their government and in their duties, but also in God.
As I mentioned in yesterday's post, military leadership relies on those who are morally upright. In Western culture, for the past 2000 or so years, our moral foundations have been rooted in a Judeo-Christian ethic. It is the basis (or has been, anyway) for what we acknowledge as "moral."
Consider the Army's Values:
Loyalty
Duty
Respect
Selfless Service
Honor
Integrity
Personal Courage
Every single aspect of our Values can be seen in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The Army didn't look to the Bible to determine our value system, but it shouldn't seem unusual that a Western culture would see those same attributes as noble and valuable, and borrow from the Judeo-Christian ethic heavily.
So what happens when a culture is no longer rooted in a system that understands the value of such attributes--that their sons and daughters are not raised with the foundational understanding that having such values are good and desireable? The Army will have to spend a great deal of time inculcating these values into the force. For some, the training will take hold. For others, the importance of the lessons will escape them, and the situational ethics that rule the day in modern society will overtake military life.
I see the military's slide in values far too clearly now, and with current polls showing the military is abandoning religious faith, I am concerned for those who will lead our Armed Forces in the future.
"Consider the Army's Values:
ReplyDeleteLoyalty
Duty
Respect
Selfless Service
Honor
Integrity
Personal Courage "
I agree that you can find those values in the Judeo-Christian ethic and tradition, but they are also a part of the Western tradition generally (see: Aristotle, Cicero, Tacitus) and are also present in other cultures. I would suggest that the universality and enduring nature of those values across cultures and time suggests that they are general revelation of a common creator, and that while the Judeo-Christian tradition most accurately describes the character of that Creator, other faiths do capture elements of what is divine in the created being - Man. I am not sure how to reconcile my own belief that Christianity is the best way to approach the relationship between God and Man with the necessity of the Army as an institution to reflect and respect the increasing diversity of the United States. However, insofar as those Values require an element of sacrifice - perhaps of one's very life - for a good greater than ones' self, I do not see how a secularist philosophy can be ultimately compatible with what we ask of our servicepeople.