Hope Hodge Seck has written a long and excellent piece for MilitaryTimes.com, and I think you’ll want to make the time to read the whole thing. Here’s something to get you started:
The wars against America’s enemies gave troops like [Marine Sgt. Zack] Cantu a noble purpose. Their training had focus, their sacrifices were appreciated by a largely grateful nation. That gratitude was reflected from the White House to the citizen in the street, all of whom heaped praise upon military members for their service.
Congress lavished generous pay increases and expanded benefits on them while spending deeply to provide the gear and weapons they needed. Recruiters raced to grow the size of the services, and society vowed to never again undervalue the 1 percent of the country who stepped forward to keep them safe.
Today, however, that gratitude seems to be dwindling. The services have weathered several years of deep cuts in funding and tens of thousands of troops have been unceremoniously given the boot. Many still in uniform and seeking to retire from the military fear the same fate, as those cuts are not yet complete.
Meanwhile, tax revenue stands at a record this year, and the deficit is projected to come in at another half trillion dollars — still higher than Bush’s worst non-TARP year.
Where is the money going — because it certainly isn’t going to our military.
I’ll leave you with one final thought, courtesy of Will Collier.
Per this article, US military morale is down dramatically since 2009. Oddly, it only contains the word "Obama" once. http://t.co/T9PPJsY9my
— Will Collier (@willcollier) December 8, 2014
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