Veterans are vital to helping the nation select its elected officials at every level

Veterans across the nation offer a unique set of perspectives on the elections at all levels of government and it is time that veterans are seen as a diverse community of people with different professional experiences and voices that our leaders must hear especially as it relates to use of our great military forces. 

Decisions formulated by national leaders today at the national level are largely made by people who have little or no military experience, even in senior security positions.

American Veterans Vote is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping veterans to understand how they can continue their service but adding their voices to the election season for candidates and other fellow citizens alike.

We can look to our nation’s potential roles of American military forces in Ukraine or Taiwan and ask ourselves if we are getting the most effective leadership we can from elected officials who occupy key roles in legislative and executive branches.

This is not a liberal vs. conservative issue. It is competency that is in question.

Veterans’ voices can add to the conversation in a nation that has few veterans throughout the branches of government and by getting veterans to vote in larger numbers. Holding elective office or providing informational support to those who hold office is something a veteran’s organization contribute to our nation’s national defense.

Nationally, veterans’ views on employment of military forces in combat, non-combatant operations as well civilian support operations at home are a vital component of decision making. Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines are people we know, we have served alongside. We want more input from them and their activism with promote understanding of the role of the military in American life.

State and local elections are also vital to veterans. It’s up to veterans to question candidates’ understanding of issues that affect veterans directly or legislation that could impact future generations of active duty or reserve forces. Veterans can help discern the noise from the substance. 

As an individual veteran alone, or as part of an organization, engaging candidates and fellow veterans and citizens during an election cycle has some benefits. 

— Questioning candidates (respectfully) makes them state their positions on issues affecting veterans and active forces.  Where possible, pursue constructive support and positive advocacy to win where it matters most – in elections for state offices that empower our Constitutional republic.

— Educating candidates helps shape their thinking and actions win or lose. Few candidates have fixed positions about our military forces or veterans going into an election cycle. Veterans can provide context and thought.  Most candidates want to positively impact veterans.

Military forces have been used in multiple operations for a full generation and despite pulling out of Afghanistan last year, many members of the military are deployed worldwide, training foreign militaries, or providing support to non-combatant operations. 

For example, Virginia’s National Guard just completed a deployment to Kosovo.  It is likely many citizens were not aware of that fact. Veterans can help understanding the rationale for operations without agreeing or disagreeing with the guiding policy. 

It is vital that the nation comes to fully understand not only the contributions veterans have made, but the resource they provide for our fellow citizens and our state and national leaders as they make decisions about deploying them to missions at home and abroad.

As a veteran, you can educate and advocate for the accurate and balanced understanding of our nation’s history and civic life, our obligation to pursue a more perfect union, and our responsibility to defend liberty and freedom from harmful neglect.

Veterans can make a powerful contribution beyond their actual military service. They have trained and were disciplined for combat. They have proven their love of country and share a bond of faithful service. Tapping into that reservoir will help our nation heal whatever divides us and shows that people from various backgrounds can work together in common cause.

Visit the American Veterans Vote website for information and to subscribe to its free newsletter, volunteer or donate.

https://www.americanveteransvote.com/

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James Hutton is a member of American Veterans Vote. He is also a former assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and is a retired colonel in the U.S. Army. Follow him on Twitter @jehutton, GETTR @jehutton, and Truth Social @jehutton