The following letter was submitted to Little Village by a service member who wishes to remain anonymous. Their identity has been verified by LV editors.
As a service member with nearly 20 years of service, I have watched the U.S. military drift into dangerous political territory. The military’s power has never come from partisanship or personality; it comes from trust. That trust is built through camaraderie, the bond that turns strangers into a team willing to risk their lives for one another. When politics infect that bond, everything begins to crumble.
The commander-in-chief has repeatedly blurred the line between service and spectacle, staging rallies posed as televised speeches flanked by hand-picked troops in uniform to project unanimous support. It is a false image. The same range of ideologies found in civilian life exists within the ranks, and every service member has a duty to keep those views private while wearing the uniform. Turning our presence into political theater endangers the credibility of the entire force.
Policy decisions have followed the same divisive path. A prime example is shaving exemptions, a long-standing medical protection most often afforded to Black males with ingrown hair, now restricted to a single year. This policy will force out those who cannot fix this chronic condition within that time frame, no matter how well they perform otherwise. Likewise, rhetoric questioning women’s readiness or standards undermines years of progress and alienates service members who have proven their worth in every combat role available to them.
This administration’s removal of top Judge Advocate General officers has stripped away vital legal oversight, leaving room for unlawful or unethical orders. When legal ambiguity replaces accountability, discipline collapses. Troops who feel trapped when they are unsure about the legality of orders often resort to malicious compliance or intentional sabotage.
Even state sovereignty is being dismissed. Overriding governors, the constitutional commanders of their National Guards, contradicts the ideals of federal balance the president’s own party once championed. It signals a willingness to consolidate power at the expense of trust, tradition, and local authority.
Despite all of this, the greatest threat is not procedural, it is personal. Service members now look at one another and wonder who stands for principle and who stands for politics. That hesitation fractures the brotherhood and sisterhood that define military life. Without that shared belief in one another, rank means little, orders carry less weight, and the will to serve dies.
Camaraderie is what makes us strong. Politics is tearing it apart. If this continues, the military will not fall from outside attack; it will collapse from within, hollowed out by mistrust and division. Our country is at grave risk under a commander-in-chief and defense secretary who sow division within the ranks. Our citizens, the world, and the next generation of service members deserves better.
