A Lament for Service

This is not why they served

Those who watched live the September 11th attacks remember a lot about that day. I was about 19 months into a career in the Army and watching the news unfold at home. I remember that on that day, my priorities for what I wanted out of a military career changed from a simple couple of years and a peacekeeping deployment into a longer, more involved career that included fighting in the upcoming war. The US invoked Article 5 of the NATO charter, the only NATO member to do so to date, and the Global War on Terror began. Canada was one of six allies to join America in the initial invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and one of forty-two nations to join the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF); all NATO members participated in ISAF. As friends, we were strong.

I deployed in the 3RCR Battle Group in 2008 and fought in Kandahar alongside our allies. American forces are often displayed as cowboys in media, but I remember that during our joint patrols, I was impressed by their professionalism and conduct towards the locals. I remember one particular mission in November 2008, a two-day multinational company-sized operation into Pashmul, not too far from the infamous White School; a US Army platoon joined us to root out insurgents. We patrolled on foot through the hamlets and wadis, seeking weapons caches and insurgents. On the first day, word came across the radio net that the US platoon was ambushed and had casualties; later, I learned they had been searching a group of buildings, their rooftop look-out was hit with machine gun fire and two American soldiers were wounded. My platoon was ordered to reinforce them while the MEDEVAC helicopters came in. During our kilometer run to their position, a friendly artillery fire mission came down between the Americans and us. It was danger close for both friendly units; I remember someone pulling a piece of shrapnel the size of their forearm out of the wall we had taken cover behind. Once we got into position, we were quickly flanked and under fire. The insurgents kept up their fire on us as we covered the Americans and the MEDEVAC; as the MEDEVAC came in, it brought a second helicopter providing close air support suppressing the insurgents. The MEDEVAC was quick; the fight ended once they were clear en route back to KAF. As allies, we were stronger.

More than 1,200 non-US coalition members, including one hundred and fifty-eight Canadians, gave their lives, and thousands more are living with the injuries from the war in Afghanistan. Despite any bravado from south of the border, America would not have had as much success in Afghanistan or any other conflict without her allies. Canada spent $18B fighting America’s war, never once asking for mineral rights within America or demanding thanks. And now, to see our nation's long-fought and developed friendship torn apart by men who can’t stop themselves from invoking comparisons to nazism is deeply painful. However, this article is not to lament for Canadian veterans; this is for our American sisters and brothers who are watching their own nation turn into something vile.

America is following historical patterns of oligarchy and fascism, and its place on the world stage is severely diminished. The list of problematic policies and directives coming from the White House since President Trump began his second term is almost too long to list. The ongoing threats to annex or alienate her allies are destroying centuries-old alliances and pushing allies to exclude America from defence and security summits. The US stance on Ukraine and NATO policies is so backward that even the Kremlin agrees that US policy now aligns with Russia’s strategic goals. America’s addition to the Human Rights Watch List is a considerable blow to America’s credibility among G7/G20 Nations. The disinterest in holding the Command of NATO is likely a prelude to leaving the Alliance altogether, leaving Russia, China, and Iran in favourable positions. The embarrassing level of incompetence and the disregard for OPSEC reflected in the Yemen Signal app leaks. The pointless trade war with America’s most reliant trading partners has led to an international boycott of US products and travel, leading to billions in economic losses to the US Tourism sector. The fire sale of the United States has begun; from the stock market dropping at historic rates to the shuttering of vital federal agencies to policies benefiting their adversaries, the US economy is in a free fall. Although, America’s economic and ideological problems have only just begun.

The ideological crusade against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has taken its mask off and shown itself to be nothing more than thinly veiled racism and sexism. The anti-DEI movement fostered by the far right, having been previously and exhaustively debunked, is attempting to rewrite American history in a modern-day digital book-burning. Defense Secretary Hegseth directed the Department of Defense to remove any references to diversity, and now DoD historical websites are removing every mention of BIPOC, LGTBQ+ or women service members, including historic firsts, Medal of Honor recipients, and celebrities from historical records. This includes removing references to black Vietnam Veteran MGen Charles Calvin Rogers, now referring to his Medal of Honor as a DEI medal, and celebrities such as Jackie Robinson and Bea Arthur. Also caught up in this purge are official references to the Enola Gay (for no other reason than the word gay), the Navajo Code Talkers, and the Tuskegee Airmen. Additionally, transgendered service members, who wanted nothing more than to serve their country, are being forced out after years of honourable and unproblematic service merely to serve the ideological wishes of the far right. As sad as this is, the veterans in the White House’s and DOGE’s crosshairs aren’t just minorities.

Eighty-three thousand jobs at the US Department of Veterans Affairs are on the chopping block after reporting last year that there were 66,000 unfilled positions at Veterans Affairs. The cuts at Veterans Affairs have already surpassed 1,400 jobs, and the Veteran Crisis Line is closing. These cuts will impact services and health care for wounded veterans. Thousands of Veterans in the Public Service have been laid off in DOGE’s sweeping cuts to the public sector. Sixty thousand civilian jobs at the Pentagon are on the chopping block after purging senior military leadership, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Chief of Naval Operations, Vice Chief of Staff for the Air Force, and top lawyers for the Army, Navy, and Air Force to make way for loyalists. This all led to a massive protest of veterans against the new administration in D.C. at the US Capitol Building and across America at State Houses on March 14th, which received little attention in American media.

This is not what American service members have fought for over their history; however, it is what they voted for. 2024 Exit Polls showed that 65% of US veterans who voted voted for this administration; they voted for a draft dodger, a convicted criminal, an adjudicated rapist, a man who insulted Gold Star Families, a man who called fallen soldiers “suckers and losers,” a man who said he needed men like Hitler’s Generals to serve him, a man who complained about the cost of a military funeral, a man who launched an insurrection when he lost the 2020 election, a man who campaigned with Musk and campaigned on DOGE, a man who campaigned on slashing the Public Service, and a man whose team wrote Project 2025 and detailed these policies long before Election Day 2024. None of these truths were secret or unreported to the American public before election day; the sad reality is that America is getting precisely what they voted for.

It is hard for anyone to sympathize with Americans for getting what they asked for. But that is precisely why we should; our friend and ally made poor decisions and are now paying for their mistakes. We shouldn’t be mocking them or merely fearing what they’re becoming. When the dust settles years from now, America will either be an enemy or a friend once more; if we are to hope for the latter, Canadians must be their friend while they stumble. That doesn’t mean allowing them to cross us or continue to threaten us; it does mean that we have to show them a better way and prevent a similar takeover in Canada. America is now a cautionary tale. What is happening to America is not by accident; it is the culmination of decades of work done by their adversaries and the greedy. As Canada steps into what may be one of the most contentious elections in modern history, our next steps as a nation will have to be game-changing.