I served in the military. I'm a voter. These duel roles are emphasized by the fact that Veteran's Day will take place three days after the election.
In a convoluted way, I spent my time in Vietnam and in other duty stations so that we could hold an election on November 8th. With this in mind I'm half thinking I wasted my tour.
There are many reasons men and women enlist. Some of mine were altruistic, but I can see that joining the armed forces had to do with defending a way of life.
Wearing the uniform meant I believed in everyday freedom. That our country offered enough peace and stability so that we simply went about our lives using reason to guide our actions. That laws and customs mirrored rational behavior. True, there were tensions. Discrimination and antisemitism were (and remain) pressing issues. But people got along well enough to maintain a calm, generally courteous or at least orderly demeanor in the public square.
They tamed or channeled their political doubts into the election process, assumed stability and went about their lives, expressing opinions when it felt appropriate to do so.
I was defending some other things, too.
Accumulated knowledge, for one. The concept that intelligent individuals and institutions of higher education were taking the time to examine the past and think about the future. That science and history and philosophy were real. Genuine. Worthy of respect. Necessary. Helpful.
That credibility was earned. Opinions were not facts. And though people were entitled to believe whatever they wanted, some opinions, those backed by evidence, by a consensus of the learned, the experienced, the seasoned, were generally more valuable and useful than those held by mere mob sloganeering. By know nothings who spouted the latest peer group mantras.
I was defending the long haul. A positive arc. Progress that saw my grandmother and her cohort benefit from Social Security. Without realizing it, I was helping to sustain the Food and Drug Administration -- uncontaminated food and water. The Public Health Service - I knew some kids with polio and felt the enthusiasm and relief of the community, of the entire country, when the vaccines were administered.
As a child our family regularly traveled south from New York into overt segregation. The separate bathrooms and water fountains in railroad stations that mandated color conscious waiting areas. The failures and successes of the NAACP, CORE, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. The marches, the riots. The Kennedy assignation and the orderly transfer of power. All of this was part of contemporary history when I walked into the recruiting center and signed up for military service.
Resistance and progress; the opening up of society. An array of life styles and cultures. The energized and more accepting patchwork of neighborhoods and individuals expanding over time.
I recall that Times Square was more than the heart of Broadway. I'd regularly passed demonstrations against nuclear weapons testing. Later saw test bands enacted. The country looked and felt as if it was becoming a safer place. Back then. When I put on the uniform.
The individuals who protested weapons of destruction were part of a group calling itself The Committee for a SANE Nuclear Policy (SANE). They wanted what we all seemed to want, a safer, saner world. That was then. Now feels like an unraveling. A miscalculation.
I just sent in my ballot so I guess a glimmer of hope remains deep within. Feels kind of lonely.
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Charles is the author of Baffled Again and Again. He was awarded the Bronze Star.
