If you squint, you can almost see America

America in Name Only (AINO)

“And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.”

-JFK, 20 January 1961 Inaugural Address

Great words. Inspiring even. However, we are a long way from the America of six decades ago. Some refer to it as a different time but the truth is that it was an entirely different world. By all metrics of demographics, culture and traditions, mid-20^th century America should be thought of as a foreign nation. While the past was not the perfection of a golden age it is acknowledged that common threads of unity and national bonds were stronger. Citizens felt invested in this country and wanted to contribute to the prosperity of her future. Trust in government by national polls maintained over 70% during this time.

Even Pyle could perform basic tasks.

The Vietnam War showed some of the first signs that there were cracks forming in the bonds of trust that the US government told the American public unvarnished truth. Once media reporting showed that Vietnam was quickly becoming a quagmire, support for the war began to wane and recruiting more bodies for the effort became difficult.¹

After a while they resorted to Robert McNamara’s expanded enlistment program.

Hilarity ensued.

When an enlistment program is nicknamed ‘McNamara’s Morons’ it can be safely assumed that it was not a success.

“In 1967, Defense Secretary Robert McNamara lowered military recruiting standards as part of a program called Project 100,000. Its goal, as the name suggests, was to recruit 100,000 men each year who were otherwise mentally, physically or psychologically underqualified for service. These men all had IQs below 91, and nearly half had IQs below 71. From the Project’s launch in 1966, through its termination in 1971, it allowed 354,000 previously ineligible men into the military.”

Are we headed towards a similar predicament? While not actively in a war at this time, the all-volunteer force has begun to show signs of distress in attracting the required number of enlisted to continue operating at sustainable levels.

At present, the military cannot fill its coffers with required personnel due to lack of interest in serving and too many disqualifying factors. Obesity, drug use and criminal records cancel out 75% of eligible young adults to even join. That is 24 million out of 34 million from the 17–24-year-old range. Of those who do qualify, why would they join? The stated purpose of the US military to defend the nation is dubious at this point. The Southern Border? Nope. More vassal states overseas such as Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Israel? Sign-up and fight for another countries borders sounds more like a mercenary slot then a defender of the homeland. What is there to defend except the stock value of defense companies and a politician’s re-election chances?

Or get sent thousands of miles away to some 3^rd world country because…well the reasons are never very clear but our political ruling class will explain to the public that for whatever the reason they can be rest assured that we are defending Democracy TM. As retired Rear Admiral John Kirby, member of the White House National Security Council stated, “LGBTQ+ rights are a “core part” of United States foreign policy. Wait, what? Is it now the purpose to bring the freedoms of gay marriage and gender-affirming care to foreign lands at the point of a gun? Not exactly a trendy slogan to put on military swag.

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A lifetime ago in the early-2000s I was on deployment in the Northern Persian Gulf off the coast of Iraq and Iran. Our primary mission was establishing and maintaining a security perimeter around the offshore oil terminals and platforms KAAOT and ABOT in support of re-establishing the oil capacity output.

After a couple of months of chasing away fishing and transport Dhows, warily eyeing Iranian cigar gunboats and generally being on edge, I realized the stupidity of the situation. I joked to our CO that instead of US Navy tags on our uniforms we should be wearing ExxonMobil badges. My logic being that we should represent who we were working for. He didn’t like my humor for some reason.

Dying or being injured in the service of defending the nation is one thing. Risking American lives so a fat cat oil executive can buy another house on the shores of Lake Tahoe wasn’t what I signed up for. Some of us recall a time in America’s past when politicians sought approval of those they represented. Now, they make proclamations like they are rulers of a vast, faceless land without identity or shared history. This is to be expected with demographic changes so severe that it has affected every facet of the nation; from culture, historical reflection and, of course, politics.

Public trust in government currently hovers around 20% nationally. Today’s generation sees echoes in this that they do not want to fight under the banner of ideologies that hate them and their traditional way of life.

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Links

Pentagon: 7 in 10 Youths Would Fail to Qualify for Military Service

https://time.com/2938158/youth-fail-to-qualify-military-service/

'LGBTQ rights' are 'core part' of Biden foreign policy, State Department says

https://katv.com/news/nation-world/lgbtq-rights-are-core-part-of-us-foreign-policy-state-department-says-biden-administration-saudi-arabia

Inside the Pentagon’s shameful effort to draft mentally disabled men to fight in Vietnam

https://taskandpurpose.com/history/project-100000-vietnam/

Who Were McNamara's Morons?

Public Trust in Government: 1958-2022

https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/06/06/public-trust-in-government-1958-2022/

1. Many will rightfully point out that there were multiple factors involved that hampered and even prevented the US military in Vietnam from achieving their mission. For the purpose of this essay, those variables are not expanded upon.