Dispatches
A column from our military veterans
Hatred of America by her supposed citizens, especially those in academia, is nothing new. During the war in Vietnam, Harvard students rioted and threatened widespread arson and destruction of property, leading to the abolition of Harvard’s Army ROTC program in 1969. ROTC has never returned. On the other hand, their chaotic spirit has never left. It has, instead, been twisted into something far more sinister. That same destructive specter haunts the myriad of anti-Jewish demonstrations that now plague our campus.
Some argue that college is a time for young adults to experiment with different ideas and that this is the reason for such widespread ‘activism’ on college campuses. Those who advance this argument often suggest that students are too young to be held accountable for their actions. Such infantilization ignores the truth of the matter. At eighteen years old, when most begin college, a citizen may freely enlist in the US military. That is exactly what I did. When I swore an oath to protect and defend this nation and her Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic, I did not do so with an escape clause. The ‘but they’re just kids’ defense so often applied to college students is not available to those fighting our nation’s wars.
The majority of the soldiers I served with were between the ages of seventeen and twenty-three. At Harvard, students who call for the destruction of Israel may have former high school classmates who are currently serving in uniform. These two prototypical individuals, the Harvard protester and the enlisted soldier, are not as different as either imagines. Both are declaring their allegiance to a cause outside their self-interest. To excuse students from the consequences of the beliefs that they hold—from the banners they hold up on the steps of Widener Library—is to say that all Harvard students are merely children.
Harvard’s protesters are merely the infantile puppets of terrorists.
Harvard administrators may look kindly on these ‘activists’ because they remember fondly their own experiences railing against the war in Vietnam. Vietnam-era protesters, however, demanded that the United States cease its involvement in an ongoing war. While we might not condone their actions, their desire to save lives was admirable. They protested with America’s best interests at heart. Today’s protesters deserve no such admiration. They call for nothing short of the obliteration of a sovereign state and people. They shout “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” This is not the call for freedom that it masquerades as. It is a call for murder. Unlike Vietnam, these protests are diametrically opposed to America’s interests.
Hatred of America is nothing new. Hatred of Jews is nothing new. Genocide is nothing new. Failure to understand the link between these things proves that Harvard’s protesters are merely the infantile puppets of terrorists. Such things are old and horrible and Harvard students must be held accountable for them. When men and women join our military, they do so understanding that they will be held accountable for everything that they do and that they fail to do. Why should our classmates be any different?
IGNATIUS
A version of this article originally appeared in A Modest Proposal, the December 2023 print issue of the Salient.
The administrators now are too young to have protested over Vietnam. That would have been their parents or grandparents. This group likely demonstrated against nuclear proliferation or the first Gulf War. Some are young enough to have opposed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the thread is the same - whatever the U.S. is for they are against because in their view, America is always wrong.
My husband graduated from Harvard in the early 1970's. He photographed the riots and protests for The Boston Globe, photos which we still have. Harvard used to produce a 'red book' of alums which were a compilation of recollections of their time at the school. Decades ago, as a newly-wed, I picked up his red-book and read through it and read about a very sad and disillusioned and undirected student body. It was very depressing reading - many folks remained unfocussed and drifting years out after graduation. The protests and political situation clearly weighed heavily on people. Getting into Harvard can be in honor but it doesn't guarantee anything at all. My daughter also attended Harvard (about a dozen years ago) - she said one of the most impressive students in her house was a soldier who had returned from doing service in the Middle East. He was interesting, positive, knew why he was at Harvard and what he wanted to get out of the experience. No 'social justice warrior' today, especially those calling for Jewish genocide can hold a candle to such patriots.