The United States is protected by the most elite military on the face of the planet. The men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces are the embodiment of courage, discipline, and true patriotism. These men and women are the best of our nation, yet the military is shrinking in size.
Only two branches, the Marine Corps and Space Force, met their recruiting goals for fiscal 2023. Last year, our nation was said to have faced the “worst recruiting outcome since 1999.” What is it about culture today that makes young men and women scowl at the idea of serving their country? Despite the various social and economic contributors that fuel the recruiting crisis, I believe there to be one major cause, one so damaging that it threatens the future of our democracy and our traditional American lifestyle: the lack of patriotism among our youth.
Our country is in dire need of people who want to join the fight for liberty. Yet the one key characteristic missing from many millennials and members of Generation Z is patriotism. A 2023 Gallup poll showed that just 18% of those aged 18-34 said they were extremely proud to be American.
The Left condemns being unapologetically American. It weaponizes the media to influence young people, brainwashing them into believing that we are homophobic, racist, and xenophobic.
Leftists attempt to indoctrinate students in academic institutions, beginning in elementary school and continuing into higher education. They have succeeded in the manipulation of young minds. The Left claims that there is no “American dream” worth fighting for, and that people from every corner of this country are wrong to exercise their God-given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Democrats call for kneeling during the national anthem and applaud the burning of the American flag.
The Left’s cultivation of a mindset of disgust toward this country and its history prevents the next generation from wanting to preserve the America for which our Founding Fathers always hoped. What young person wants to risk their life for a country they have been taught to hate?
Men used to lie about their age so they could enlist and fight for their country and freedom. Recruitment rates skyrocketed after the Japanese military bombed Pearl Harbor and al Qaeda’s attack on Sept. 11, 2001. These men and women recognized how the U.S. is different from every other country in the world. They believed in the ideas on which America was founded and knew that freedom was worth fighting for. Where has this love of country gone in 2024?
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A study found that 85% of millennials showed no interest in serving in the military, and only half of millennials described themselves as patriotic. For further perspective, the Stream reports that “a young man who was born in 1963 was 11 times likelier to have served than a Millennial man is today.”
The American lifestyle cannot survive without protection from those who understand the freedom and opportunities we are afforded here. Our military is the patriotic fire that fuels the strength and success of our nation. More young people must recognize and honor the call to serve.
Emily Johnson is a student at Xavier University and a participant in the Network of enlightened Women’s 2023 Opportunity Feminism course.
