“Thank you for your service.” Those of us who served in the armed forces of the United States, post Vietnam, hear that expression of gratitude all the time. We get discounts from retailers. We get preferred parking at the big box home improvement center. We are invited to board airline flights before anyone else. Americans are generally quite aware of and very grateful for the sacrifices and hardships the military men and women of our armed forces have endured for our nation. And we veterans are appreciative of the recognition Americans show us.
As a nation we did not treat returning heroes from the Vietnam War with the same gratitude. That we failed to do so is an everlasting burden of shame our nation must bear.
The gratitude shown to veterans comes from the knowledge that America can sleep well tonight. There are dedicated men and women on watch at their stations, alert, armed and trained to guard our nation from those who would do us harm. You are safe tonight because there is a soldier, a marine, a sailor and an airman who have sworn an oath to serve and stand in harm’s way for you.
The other group of men and women who stand in harm’s way for us are the uniformed police officers of our cities and towns. These men and women are the peacekeepers.
They too have sworn an oath. Every day they put on the badge, and strap on a sidearm to serve and protect the citizens of their communities. The focus of their training is crime prevention and public safety. They are called peace officers for a reason.
The president of the United States is now putting armed combat soldiers on the streets of America. I can think of no worse idea. Soldiers are trained to seek out, engage and destroy the enemy. They are not peacekeepers. They are warfighters. They wield the unimaginable violence at their command to vanquish the enemies of the United States.
Noisy American citizens are not the enemies of the United States.
The president should not squander the good reputation that our servicemembers have earned by turning them into his private gestapo. He disrespects the training and professionalism of our police officers by assigning their peacekeeping duties to soldiers who fight our wars.
Keith D. Poe, Salt Lake City
Donate to the newsroom now. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax deductible