My father and my uncles returned from WWII just before I was born. Although we had no choice but to defend our nation, the aftermath of the war was devastating. Not only did we have hundreds of thousands of men returning from the battlefield with no immediate hope of employment, they came home experiencing the stress of battle and received little or no counseling about how to cope with PTSD; it wasn’t even talked about in the late 40’s and early 50’s.

Many of our soldiers, who fought bravely to keep our nation safe, began to suffer from alcoholism, and others from drug use. As they experienced their difficulties, their families shared the grief. The number of divorces grew, and domestic violence was far too commonplace.

Patriotism was still high when our government decided to become involved in the Korean conflict. The accomplishment was lost lives and the expenditure of billions of dollars. Our military experienced its first major loss in military conflict.

When unnecessary wars were waged in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, the problems in our nation began to grow to new and devastating levels.

Americans were asking ‘why.’ Why had our government engaged in these wars, and why did we lose them? We have no answers today, as many of our political candidates are considering another involvement in the Middle East, and another unwinnable war.

Only one major candidate opposes military action in our nation’s future; Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

Sanders has continuously remarked on the futility of constant warfare. He rightfully states that the war against ISIS is not America’s war. While all of the other leading candidates advocate ‘boots on the ground,’ Senator Sanders wishes to enlighten the American people who are affected by the fear tactics of others.

Sanders states “I’ll be damned if kids in the state of Vermont — or taxpayers in the state of Vermont — have to defend the royal Saudi family, which is worth hundreds of billions of dollars.”

Fear is a weakness, but at the proper moment can save lives. Fear of ISIS is a mistake. Our nation faces far more problems internally which should be the concern of the American people. We have had more mass shootings than days on the calendar in 2015, and it will not diminish in 2016. Innocent men, women and children are far less likely to be murdered by a terrorist than a deranged citizen wielding a lethal weapon. In support of the NRA gun lobby, we have politicians who refuse to prohibit the sale of assault rifles to suspected terrorists living within our shores. Income inequality is widening. Millions of American families are one paycheck away from sliding into the poverty level. The middle class is disappearing. Our roads and bridges are deteriorating because Congress refuses to appropriate funding to make them safe once again, while continuing to give tax incentives to corporations and the wealthy. Congress passed a tax and spending bill which awarded the Pentagon $650 billion to waste on their toys which fail to meet production standards. The United States is 14^th in education within developed nations. Our younger citizens are losing hope for their future.

These are the issues which must be of concern for 90 percent of our nation’s people. War destroys, it is never constructive. While many politicians are eager to send our nation’s military to their death once again, Senator Sanders rejects the idea of placing our finest young men and women in harm’s way. The children of the wealthy and our politicians do not fight wars; battles are fought by the middle class and poor.

If you are an informed voter, you will quickly realize that Senator Sanders is the only realistic choice for the vast number of our nation’s people in 2016. He is 100 percent correct when he states that our nation must return to a country which addresses the needs of the many, the working class, instead of special interests. Only then can our nation once again hope to be called ‘great.’

Op-Ed

By James Turnage

Source

Photo Courtesy of Gage Skidmore

Read ‘James Turnage’ on the free Kindle App