“You can’t handle the truth!!”
I’ve been watching the discussions and comparisons between the two Vice Presidential candidates for the last week or so and I am going to lay down some truth.
Veterans don’t get a free pass just because they are Veterans. And not all Veterans are created equal.
The “Vet Pass” shouldn’t be a thing, but it is.
No one wants to hear that and even less people want to say it out loud, but it’s true. It’s complicated, messy, and there are some fine lines to walk, but just because someone is a Veteran, doesn’t mean you can’t question them, their service, or their record.
While I could write a whole separate blog about the “Vet Pass” and Veterans OUTSIDE politics, I am going to focus on our politicians for now. By the way, Veterans have an OBLIGATION to keep other Veterans in check, as long as they do it without bias. Let me explain.
During the War on Terror, it became VERY taboo to question anything about any Veteran or their service. If you did, you were accused of “not supporting the troops”, which is total bullshit. Senator McCain got a free pass for a long time because of his service and his time as a Prisoner of War. Senator Duckworth continues to get the same free pass because of her service and her disability. Representative Crenshaw gets some of the same when it comes to his service and disability. I’m confident he would agree with me on this, by the way.
The reality is just because someone is a Veteran, it doesn’t make them an expert on the government, governing, foreign policy, foreign relations, or defense. You CAN and SHOULD question them when they hold office. In fact, you should question them BEFORE they hold office and not just vote for them because of their Veteran status, and no one should feel guilty or be made to feel guilty for doing it.
The problem is most of the voting public doesn’t know or understand the military, how it works, or how to examine a Veteran’s service. They don’t know because less than 2% of America serves in the military and they only know what their uncle, cousin, the guy at the bar, or the lady at the soccer game tells them. The reflex for most people is to give Veterans the benefit of the doubt. Some don’t deserve it, but people don’t know that, so they give them the “Vet Pass”.
We Veterans DO have an obligation to keep other Veterans in check, including the politicians, and inform the rest of America on what we know about the military. However, this is where it gets messy.
Governor Walz served in the National Guard for 24 years. He never served in combat. He deployed to Europe. He left his unit right before they deployed to combat. In the eyes of many Veterans, everything he did in those 24 years was wiped out by that one decision to leave. Other Veterans disagree.
Representative Vance served in the Marine Corps. He was a combat correspondent. He deployed to Iraq. He never actually fought while he was there. In the eyes of many Veterans, his service was of more value than Governor Walz. Other Veterans disagree.
Governor DeSantis served in the Navy. He was a JAG Officer (lawyer). He deployed to Iraq and often refers to his time serving with Navy SEALs. He was NOT a SEAL, he was a lawyer, but his consistent mentioning of them clouds his service. In the eyes of many Veterans, his service was of equal or less value than either Governor Walz or Representative Vance. Other Veterans disagree.
For many people reading this, they have no informed opinion on these comparisons but all three of them get the “Vet Pass” simply for serving. For Veterans reading this, many have gut reactions and deep seeded opinions bubbling up just from those three descriptions. That’s why Veterans need to do some gatekeeping on other Veterans, but we need to do it fairly and without bias. Be honest of the good and the bad. Hold each other accountable. We can help dissuade people from giving the “Vet Pass”, but it isn’t easy.
Veterans need to be honest about their own service. Don’t write your own “Vet Pass” so you feel better about the free steak at Outback on Veterans Day. If you don’t write one for yourself, you’ll be less likely to write one for a politician or political candidate.
Speak on what you know but speak loudly. Set the example and tell people when someone is full of shit. We are the people that can speak out without the “you’re not supporting the troops” backblast, so do it.
No one is immune. That includes people you know, people who served in the same unit as you, and even Veterans of Special Operations. They get the same scrutiny as anyone else. There is no friends and family “Vet Pass”.
We as the voting public, and specifically within the Veteran community, should strive to ensure our politicians are the best representations of who we are and what we want our country to be, but we can’t do it if we are handing out the “Vet Pass”.
And that’s the truth, whether you can handle it or not.