Waves of emotion are crashing over our active and former military members with President Trump in office for his second term. With opinions and feelings at polar opposite ends of the spectrum, ranging from deep disdain to most patriotic love, there is now thick tension around the world and in our military.
With our military being objectively one of the most diverse of any in the world, that means that there are more and more marginalized groups of people who could be affected by not necessarily Trump and his policies, but by his supporters. Many of the president’s supporters are in the military. I was in the military from 2019-23 and worked alongside many of his supporters. During that service, I also encountered some of the people who don’t support him. Part of that lack of support was linked to policies regarding inclusivity.
One the biggest and most recent changes Trump has made is the revocation of the of the available policies for transgender people to join and serve the military with Executive Order 14148. This removes all protections and amenities for people in the service who are transgender. After speaking with two former college students who are still in the service today – one of them identifying as conservative and the other as liberal – I was met with two very different responses. Both of them held strong feelings towards their political party and their feelings were made very clear.
Erin Stephenson, a former Aviation Machinist Mate 2nd Class, explained her feelings on these newly implemented polices, and she responded with statements saying that she feels “outraged” and “truly scared.” She also stated that with these new polices, his overall election, and the direction he wants the country to go, “this country is turning into something I wouldn’t want fight for.”
She also fears for people in the LGBTQ+ community who are actively in the service are going to be even further marginalized and discriminated against. In her words, President Trump is a symbol of hate and a safe space for hate to grow, live and even lash out.
On the other end of the spectrum, is a former Master at Arms 3rd Class Petty Officer, who preferred to not be identified by name. He feels very neutral about the policies that the president is implementing. While he is a self-proclaimed overall accepting person, he feels the ban on transgender service members should go through.
“There are physical and medical requirements the military needs,” he said. “If people are transitioning sexes, they are going to need long recovery times and accommodations that could interfere with deployments and overall mission readiness.”
“I don’t feel that it’s about discrimination or hate, but it’s from a place of service members being fully capable 100% of the time being mission ready at all times,” he said.
The feelings that these two people have are just two across thousands of different values and sets of morals. The Trump administration has clearly targeted the DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives. The executive order removes any DEI references in military handbooks, and study guides.
According to Expressnews.com, these revocations led to delays in promotional exams for the Air Force. This affected thousands on knowing if they would be getting a promotion. While the future for the United States military may seem bleak for some and for others it seems hopeful, there is an undeniable tension that plagues our service members all through the ranks. It is important to hold some sort of compassion, respect, and empathy for others regardless of your political affiliation. While the mission is always the priority, the people upholding that mission matter just as much because without the people, the mission has no chance.
The United States Army has a warriors ethos that all soldiers follow. According to the United States Army website, the first point on that ethos is “I will always place the mission first.” Along with the Army, the Navy has an ethos as well. Navsea Norfolk website highlights that mission accomplishment is paramount. As important as the mission is, the acceptance of people who hold the mission up is key because at the end of the day, the people serving are the mission. The debates between service members, leadership, and the politicians making these policies will shape the future of the armed forces and the United States as we know it.
