I am a second-generation military servicemember. I served with honor; not just for myself, but for my branch, my family and my country.
We are the 1% who choose to serve so the other 99% can live freely. Our mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters-in-arms, take an oath to defend this nation.
Today, the presidential administration is failing them.
As someone who wore the uniform, I have always understood the military’s role: defend this country from foreign and domestic threats.
United States Armed Forces oath of enlistment is a solemn promise required by 10 U.S.C. §502 for all incoming service members to support and defend the U.S. Constitution “against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and to obey the orders of the President and superior officers according to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).”
This oath is uniform across all branches and is usually taken at a Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) when people are recruited as servicemembers. The current administration has already begun erasing minority military history. Then, last summer, Trump made an unprecedented push to deploy Marines and National Guard convoys into Los Angeles and Washington D.C. in support of ICE operations and to keep civilian protesters at bay.
On Jan. 13, 2026, U.S. Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient William Vermie, said that he was tackled and arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minneapolis as part of Operation Metro Surge, even though he showed identification of his citizenship.
Brian C. McGinnis, a Marine Corps veteran and Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate in North Carolina, was forcibly removed from a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on March 4, 2026, after interrupting the proceedings with a protest over U.S. policy in the Middle East.
During the hearing, McGinnis stood in his Marine Corps dress uniform and began shouting objections to what he characterized as the country’s movement toward war with Iran in support of Israel. Despite acting on his First Amendment right, he was injured while being removed and detained for protest.
At this point, it’s real simple: are we going to allow this to continue, especially after troops were deployed to Venezuela and may soon be deployed to Iran?
Please understand that those who are willing to give the ultimate sacrifice and probably have lost part of themselves in doing so are being exploited by our government. Do we let this continue, or do we all come together to stand tall for all those who have served, the way they have stood for us?
“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country,” President John F. Kennedy said in his inaugural address in January 1961.
The question here is, what can you do to support veterans and active duty military personnel?
Here are some organizations that seek to support military and veteran families:
- Wounded Warrior Project (WWP)
- Military Support Organizations from the U.S. Department of War
- Military Family Foundation
- Military OneSource
Let’s come together and stop the misuse of our Armed Forces and the abuse of our veterans.
