“As veterans, we have defended this nation with courage and honor; now we must defend it at the ballot box.”  Jose Vasquez, U.S. Army Veteran and Executive Director of Common Defense. 

No one and no organization speaks for all veterans. Those who have served in the military reflect a cross section of our society. Their social and political views are as diverse as any other sampling of citizens. We often stereotype veterans as being conservatives but this is not true. There are many veterans with liberal opinions on many issues. 

There are two nationwide veterans organizations who are actively involved in supporting progressive issues and candidates. Both are organizing veterans and producing videos  of political advertising featuring veterans. Both organizations are actively working to elect VP Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz in November.

Common Defense (commondefense.us) describes itself as a “grassroots membership organization of progressive veterans...standing for our communities against the rising tide of racism, hate, and violence... [we] champion an equitable and representative democracy, where ‘liberty and justice’ truly is for all... We vow to organize together against those who seek to divide us...”

Vote Vets (votevets.org ) was the first veteran’s organization with the specific goal of organizing veterans for progressive political action. They strive to elevate “the voices of veterans and military families through progressive legislative policies and electoral endorsements that impact the lives of active service members, veterans and the country.”

These veterans are motivated by a belief in civic duty. As part of military training they have been taught to value duty to country, personal values and standards of conduct. They were expected to be responsible, honest, trustworthy, disciplined and diligent in their duties. Teamwork, respect for others and working for the greater good are core military values. Some veterans carry these traits into civilian life.

In practice this concern for the troops, values and ethical conduct frequently falls short of the official policy statements. The U.S. military and our nation have frequently failed to live up to the stated ideals. The first casualty of war is the truth. The second is the war plan and close behind is the commitment to values, ethical behavior and the “laws” of war.

Similarly not all the troops take these values to heart. Military personnel have the same selfish motivations, character flaws and foibles as civilians. Some are competent, dedicated, public servants. Some are lazy, incompetent, dishonest and bigoted. They are all human.
The members of Common Defense and Vote Vets believe they have a duty to apply their military values to civilian political activities. As the quote above says, they now have a duty to defend the country at the “ballot box.” 
These patriotic veterans recognize that Trump exhibits none of the positive military values they were taught. They recognize that Trump is unfit to be Commander in Chief. They see the danger to our democracy and the destructive social, economic, political and environmental consequences from another Trump presidency. 

In response millions of progressive veterans (according to both organizations websites) are working to elect Kamala Harris and other Democrats at all levels.
Common Defense supports the Harris ticket for many reasons. Most importantly they say, “Harris’s dedication to public service mirrors our own. She’s spent her career fighting for the underdog and standing up to powerful interests.” 
They also say, ”We need a unity leader like Kamala Harris who can bring us together to defeat Trump.” 
Another reason is they believe, “Kamala Harris is a fierce protector of our freedoms, including a woman’s right to choose. She will fight back against the extremist Supreme Court which threatens not just women’s autonomy but the health of families across the nation...Harris is uniquely equipped to hold Trump accountable for his criminality and corruption, and her strength and grace under pressure will draw a sharp contrast with Trump’s chaotic and reckless style.”

Vote Vets has issued this statement opposing Trump’s election, “The Veterans of the Greatest Generation and those who came after didn’t fight for this country to turn it over to this wannabe dictator. We didn’t swear an oath to defend the Constitution so this traitor can rip it to shreds. We didn’t [oppose him] back in 2020 just to let him march right back to the White House. Not on our watch.“ 

There are huge differences between the backgrounds of the candidates on their service to the country and record of civic duty. Both Harris and Walz have long histories of pubic service. Both Trump and Vance have a history of self promotion and seeking personal gain.  

Trump’s history of unethical business practices, constant glorification of himself and reprehensible personal behavior and frequent lying has been well documented by many sources. He is the only twice impeached and convicted felon to ever run for president. 

Vance’s history is a story of an ambitious young man on the make and striving to get ahead by any means possible (read the details in Wikipedia). He has a questionable record of many short-term jobs mostly in political and shady venture capital endeavors. He did write a book about his upbringing (Hillbilly Elegy) that was made into a 

movie. He did mange to get elected to the U.S Senate in 2021 with the financial support of tech industry billionaire Peter Thiel.
 

In short, he has no significant experience or qualifications to be vice-president. Vance is another example of Trump’s frequent appointing of unqualified people to high positions.
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n sharp contrast Harris has an extensive history of being a public prosecutor, District Attorney for San Francisco and Attorney General of California. She served as a U.S. Senator for four years and as the first woman Vice President.

Walz has a very long and diverse record of public service. His entire life has been devoted to serving others, his community and the country as a teacher, coach, National Guard veteran, Congressman and governor of Minnesota. Even in his “off duty” time he worked to organize nonprofit, educational trips to China for high school students. And he is personally a very decent man. 

Voters need to heed the warnings of the veterans in Common Defense and Vote Vets. Clearly the differences between another Trump fiasco and a Harris administration will be important for all of us. Clearly the Harris-Walz team is the only choice for the country.