While 9/11 was one of the single most horrific tragedies our nation has ever faced, the aftermath was perhaps one of the single greatest examples of American greatness. Amid devastation, loss, and fear, Americans from every tax bracket, political ideology, race, religion, and creed came together to support each other and our great nation. People from all walks of life sacrificed time and resources, and stores sold out of American flags as citizen were moved to a public display of patriotism.
When patriots swarmed military recruiting stations and our brave servicemembers took a stand to defend our nation, they felt the immense support and gratitude of their fellow Americans, who displayed yellow ribbons on trees, bumper stickers, pins, and banners. For twenty years, our brave men and women in the military have lived and died sacrificing for American values.
Unfortunately, that immense support and gratitude faded somewhere along the way. As the nation again felt safe, many Americans seemed to forget that others were still deployed far away, fighting the war on terror, sacrificing on their behalf so they could feel that way. Despite the lessening support, America’s warriors have continued to serve and sacrifice knowing that at least they were doing so for a nation of equality, prosperity, freedom, and greatness. Devastatingly, even that seems to be less and less true.
In stark contrast to the unified post-9/11 America, we now see unprecedented division, contention, and hostility. Ribbons, bumper stickers, pins, and banners are everywhere, but they no longer unify. Rather, they divide everyone into factions which are seemingly pitted against each other. And flags are proudly flown, but they often do not represent our great, unified nation or our hard-won freedoms which afford equal opportunity to all. Instead, these flags likewise represent small factions which divide and even vilify others.
As a veteran, my heart aches to see the nation I served become so polarized. The American flag that I proudly saluted in uniform, and still hold sacred, represents principles and values of freedom and opportunity for all, including everyone in these divided factions of American society. Yet many now decried it as a symbol of hate and oppression. I and so many others offered blood, sweat, tears, and years of our lives to defend the rights, liberties, and opportunities of everyone who now uses them to fight others who may hold a different social or political opinion. Everything has become political and divisive, even fundamental human morality, with everyone herded into one ideological camp or the other, leaving little room for anything in between. Freedom lovers, especially those who have literally fought for it, are demoralized.
In fact, morale is systemically the lowest I have seen in my 30 years around our military. The military community feels the impact of this unprecedented division and hostility all around them, leading many to wonder if their sacrifices have been worth anything at all, with this sentiment intensifying significantly in the wake of the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal. Decades of service suddenly felt rather meaningless as the nation so many fought to help was surrendered to the enemy. And there was no respite found in our own hostile and polarized nation, which looks less and less like the land of the free they signed up to serve.
The divisiveness is felt even within the military’s own ranks as leadership embraces polarizing ideology, often forcing it on troops. Our nation’s top military commanders, and even the Commander in Chief, perpetually undermine the fundamental values of American freedom and prosperity while vilifying the values and principles which drew many to serve, further ostracizing them. This polarization and the overall negative attitude towards service has led to record numbers of experienced and quality service members leaving, while recruiting is the lowest since Vietnam. This is not only a personnel issue, but a national security issue.
The veteran community continues to experience an epidemic of suicide and depression, and our nation’s so-called leaders in Washington DC have largely abandoned their responsibility to care for struggling veterans and military service members. Far from offering solutions, most only offer medication or commentary, if they acknowledge the problem at all. So, in 2011, I followed a burden I believe God put on my heart to create the Mighty Oaks Foundation to bridge that devastating gap. It was a gap with which I had personal experience, as I once found myself demoralized and desperate for meaning and purpose. My community, church, and family came together to support me, and I found myself in a position to pay it forward and offer that support to others.
Through four distinct programs—resiliency, recovery, policy advocacy, and international programs—the Mighty Oaks Foundation has served over 500,000 in the military community. We are uniquely able to address struggles with suicide, PTSD, divorce, anxiety, and loss of purpose using faith-based and community efforts that foster renewed meaning and purpose.
Alumni of our resiliency and recovery programs are encouraged to pay it forward, this time as mentors in those programs. Our policy advocacy program engages the public and our nation’s leaders to address the issues directly impacting the military community. And many veterans find renewed purpose in using their experience to enrich communities around the globe, as with our group currently training chaplains in Ukraine.
While it’s easy to overlook sacrifices which are largely separate from daily American life, I urge everyone to consider why so many have so willing sacrificed so much for this great nation. As we remember the immense tragedy of 9/11, I hope we can likewise reflect on what lessons we should learn about true American greatness, and not let it slip away.
Chad Robichaux is a former Force Recon Marine and an Afghanistan veteran. Founder of the Mighty Oaks Foundation, he is the bestselling author of "Saving Aziz" and hosts the "Stay Dangerous" podcast.