The following article by Philip Bump was posted on the Washington Post website August 21, 2017:
President Trump addressed U.S. troops and the nation from Fort Myer in Arlington, Va., on Aug. 21 to announce his plan going forward in Afghanistan. (The Washington Post)
President Trump’s first prime-time address to the nation from Fort Myer in Arlington, Va., was meant to outline his strategy for resolving (or at least addressing) the interminable conflict in Afghanistan. In the wake of the civil unrest in Charlottesville and broad critique over his response to it, he took time at the beginning of his speech to pointedly champion the diversity of America’s armed forces.
“The men and women of our military operate as one team, with one shared mission and one shared sense of purpose,” Trump said. “They transcend every line of race, ethnicity, creed, and color to serve together and sacrifice together in absolutely perfect cohesion. That is because all servicemembers are brothers and sisters. They’re all part of the same family. It’s called the American family. They take the same oath, fight for the same flag and live according to the same law.”
He went on, revisiting his post-Charlottesville refrain that the country — instead of being riven between those who support Nazism and those who oppose it — should be united.
“When we open our hearts to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice, no place for bigotry and no tolerance for hate,” he said. “The young men and women we send to fight our wars abroad deserve to return to a country that is not at war with itself at home. We cannot remain a force for peace in the world if we are not at peace with each other.”
“As we send our bravest to defeat our enemies overseas — and we will always win — let us find the courage to heal our divisions within,” Trump said. “Let us make a simple promise to the men and women we ask to fight in our name, that when they return home from battle, they will find a country that has renewed the sacred bonds of love and loyalty that unite us together as one.”
It’s certainly true that, in many regards, the racial integration of the military has been successful. Some 10 to 15 percent of officers in the Army are black, a higher percentage than one might expect based on national demographics. In April, Pew Research released a report noting that the diversity of the armed forces had increased along with the population of the country.
Trump clearly hopes that the military will serve as a concrete example of the exhortation he offered on Monday of last week, in the prepared remarks that were his main condemnation of the racists who were marching in Charlottesville.
“We must love each other, show affection for each other, and unite together in condemnation of hatred, bigotry and violence,” he said then. “We must discover the bonds of love and loyalty that bring us together as Americans.”
Standing in front of an audience of members of the military, he cited their service as exemplary in that regard.
It was hard, though, to ignore an asterisk that seemed to be lingering over Trump’s words: His tweets last month about his plan to ban transgender troops from serving.
After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow……
….Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming…..
….victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you
We noted then that Trump’s arguments against allowing transgender individuals to serve mirrored the arguments that had been offered against integrating the armed forces in other ways. When President Harry S. Truman proposed integrating the armed forces racially, opponents worried that it would harm unit cohesion. When women were considered for combat positions, the same concern was raised — as it was during the debate over the service of gay soldiers.
Trump’s own words last month undercut his broader point on Monday: That shared patriotism and common desire to defend the country would unite soldiers, sailors and airmen in a way that we might all emulate. His point in those tweets was specifically that some participants in the military would harm that cohesion and put military effectiveness at risk. That it was insufficient for a transgender servicemember to be committed to the ideals of patriotism and flag simply because of who they were.
This, of course, is why leaders of the branches of the armed forces were quick in the wake of his Charlottesville fumbling to make the unifying comments about race that seemed more difficult for the president. It was not a love of country that unified black and white soldiers in the 1950s; it was a concerted effort to ensure that cohesion from generals and admirals. Unity, like military conflicts, must be won.
It’s understandable that Trump would see in the military an example of how America can unite around a common cause. But, as is so often the case, his invocation of that example was marred by his own prior missteps and misunderstandings.
His attempt to point to the military as an example of the best of America instead served as a reminder that, even there, he can’t help but foster division.
View the post here.