OPINION:
Every Nov. 10, Marines past and present celebrate the founding of the U.S. Marine Corps. It is a time to reflect on our service, to remember our fallen brothers and sisters, and to celebrate being a part of an incredible legacy. This year, with myriad challenges facing our nation from a global pandemic to racial tension to a contentious election, I have thought deeply about my own service.
My reflection begins a few months after being commissioned, when nearly 3,000 innocents were killed by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001. That fateful morning, as several of my fellow neophyte officers and I watched the horror live on television, a Marine major said to us, “Fellas, we’re going to combat.”
As we processed the horror and magnitude of the day’s events, I could not have imagined the experiences I would have over the ensuing two decades. While there has been hardship, and at times immense grief and loss, I have been supremely blessed to serve with this country’s finest men and women, warriors and patriots from every corner of America and walk of life. Beside them for 20 years, I have been proud to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States” as I affirmed to God in my oath, and I continue to dedicate myself to serving America because it is the most righteous nation on Earth.
When my father was a boy, my grandparents left Cuba, seeking opportunities that only come with freedom. Growing up, when I spent time in my grandfather and father’s small office in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood, I was taught lessons about loving my country. Immigrants who have fled oppression, injustice and the ubiquitous control of government are often the most ardent American patriots. Those denied freedom tend to appreciate it most, and the lessons of my grandfather, father and others ring as true today as ever.
America’s foundational values and constitutional framework have led to one of the most prosperous, just, fair societies in the history of the world. America’s diversity is exceptional, worthy of celebration, and a testament to her greatness as Americans from all walks of life freely pursue happiness and seek the American dream. America is not perfect, nor will it ever be because people aren’t perfect. Our inner cities continue to struggle through vicious cycles of inequities in education, poverty and crime, and it is well past time for this to be rectified.
Racism does exist in America, and is abhorrent. However, America’s constitutional framework is designed to counter racism and injustice, and eradicate it from our institutions, workplaces, etc. The framers demonstrated brilliant foresight by including mechanisms for change in the Constitution. It was the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the change mechanisms contained within the U.S. Constitution that led to the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments.
Furthermore, these very ideals and mechanisms were championed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement, culminating with the civil rights legislation of the 1960s and spurring what former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice refers to as “America’s second founding” (“Democracy: Stories from the Long Road to Freedom,” 2017, page 60).
King implored and persuaded America to live up to the promise of its ideals and the equal justice for all espoused by its Constitution. He used America’s very system to change it from within, strengthening it and making it more just. He demonstrated that human imperfection does not negate the truth of the principles upon which America was founded or the fairness of its Constitution.
The American people’s belief in our founding ideals and the justice of our Constitution has been our national source of strength. Most Americans share a fundamental belief in our founding principles and constitutional system, regardless of political persuasion. This unifying belief must remain the source of our strength as a country, or our strategic “Center of Gravity” (COG) in language used by the military and national security cohorts. In war, commanders at all levels (strategic, operational, tactical) vigorously protect their own COG while seeking pathways to attack and erode the enemy’s as a course to victory.
We are doing the work of our enemies at a time when we face unprecedented threats to our national security. Undermining our democratic institutions, resorting to street violence instead of adhering to the rule of law, and stifling debate due to vitriolic hatred of fellow citizens for their political beliefs are but a few ways we are dividing ourselves and eroding our COG. Meanwhile, there are no shortage of adversaries who seek to weaken America, and who are reveling in our internal fraying. Our national security requires we, the American people, vigorously protect our strategic Center of Gravity.
Marines have proven themselves in battle since 1775. However, neither the Marine Corps nor all of America’s military can protect us from ourselves. Only our people can put an end to the fratricide that is weakening us as a nation with no shortage of enemies who are ready, willing and increasingly able to exploit our self-inflected wounds.
As we celebrate our nation’s military veterans, let us honor the service of those who’ve enabled this phenomenal nation to flourish. Today, and indeed every day, fly the American flag, our symbol of unity, as a proclamation of our unwavering belief in our values and the never-ending fight to achieve the vision enshrined in our founding documents.
Let us teach our children about the cause of liberty America has championed for 244 years, and have the courage to proclaim the greatness of America — even with all its flaws — and its value to free-loving people around the globe. Let us celebrate our diversity, reflect on our past and focus on America’s long list of remarkable accomplishments and progress.
Let us debate vigorously as we address problems we face today and those fast approaching. However, let us do so united in our founding ideals and Constitution, moving our nation collectively another step forward toward achieving its unquestionably righteous vision.
• Kenneth del Mazo, a U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant colonel, is a national security affairs fellow at the Stanford University Hoover Institution. The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the U.S. Marine Corps, Department of the Navy, U.S. Department of Defense or the U.S. government.
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