For nearly four years, the conventional wisdom has told us that the war against terrorism is a “different” kind of war. When it comes to a sense of sacrifice, that’s absolutely true.
The Bush administration’s rallying call that America is a nation at war is increasingly ringing hollow to men and women in uniform, who argue in frustration that America is not a nation at war, but a nation with only its military at war.
From bases in Iraq and across the United States to the Pentagon and the military’s war colleges, officers and enlisted personnel quietly raise a question for political leaders: if America is truly on a war footing, why is so little sacrifice asked of the nation at large?
It’s hardly a surprise that the troops would be the ones to notice most, and their complaints deserve to be heard. Their lives are on the line, they are losing fellow soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, and when they return home, they find that Americans are essentially being told a simple message during this time of war: keep shopping.
This is, after all, the first war in American history to be waged entirely on credit. Bush can’t even bring himself to ask millionaires to sacrifice some of their lavish tax cuts to help finance a costly conflict ($5 billion a month in costs from Iraq, Afghanistan and new counterterrorism missions). Instead, this is the first administration to ever cut taxes during a time of war, essentially asking future generations to pay for the current generation’s security.
But it’s more than that. Our leaders have done nothing to urge the electorate to forgo anything. There’s no talk of conserving energy or buying bonds — efforts that helped Americans unite towards a common goal in the past — or even volunteering for service. Indeed, despite the fact that military recruitment is down and consistently falling short of monthly goals, the president has barely made any effort to encourage Americans to sign up for military duty.
Not surprisingly, the only ones who are doing the sacrificing don’t like it.
“Nobody in America is asked to sacrifice, except us,” said one officer just back from a yearlong tour in Iraq, voicing a frustration now drawing the attention of academic specialists in military sociology.
Members of the military who discussed their sense of frustration did so only when promised anonymity, as comments viewed as critical of the civilian leadership could end their careers. The sentiments were expressed in more than two dozen interviews and casual conversations with enlisted personnel, noncommissioned officers, midlevel officers, and general or flag officers in Iraq and in the United States.
Charles Moskos, a professor emeritus at Northwestern University specializing in military sociology, said: “My terminology for it is ‘patriotism lite,’ and that’s what we’re experiencing now in both political parties. The political leaders are afraid to ask the public for any real sacrifice, which doesn’t speak too highly of the citizenry.”
Maybe, or perhaps it says even less about the citizens’ leaders. In the aftermath of 9/11, Americans were ready to do something, but their president told them not to worry. As long as they kept going to the mall, and didn’t mind waiting a little longer at the airport, there was simply no need for anyone to ask what they could do for their country.
It’s a failure of presidential leadership — and a missed opportunity.