Comedian Bill Burr has a bit in which he highlights how the Allies had to at times commit war crimes to in the end defeat Nazi Germany. The VA was formed in 1930, Hitler fell in 1945. Sure times have changed and maybe in recent decades the work of the military has shifted or been less urgent. But I expect more of highly educated professionals in a profession that was built around human empathy to recognize that most of our history, jobs, careers, education, practice might not have existed without the US military's actions over the course of many decades. Let's not forget most people who serve in the military are recognizing they may lose a lot and/or life to protect our ability to do what we do and simply our ability to , well pending the outcome of the recent attacks on our democracy and separations of power, continue to live our lives and do what we do. I was never in the military, and seems like the military has it's flaws, but let's not forget that what they do presents possibilities of things we never have to face or do. Sure idealistically we should, as a civilization, perhaps be past using physical war and violence to settle things and create relative stability and solve it in more nuanced ways but as it stands we aren't there yet. Let's also not forget that some politicians use military veterans as political fodder which is both insulting to the military veterans and to the general public's intelligence. To
@docloufan's comment especially, whose perpetuating the notion because shouldn't we all (veterans and civilians) deserve for cost or no cost quality healthcare? (spoiler: it's those seeking to divide not unite that use military veterans as political pawns for gain).
I’m not saying the system is perfect and certainly we should be working towards a world where we don’t need militaries and infighting among humans but let’s be real; if things in many military battles had gone the other way well it’s not certain that we’d be having the luxury of having our careers, profession, or internet discourse. Even this very forum is based on norms and standards made possible by the outcomes of military successes and the subsequent stability and security it provided. But I digress.