Ball Park Patriotism versus Battlefield Patriotism
Ted Beal, M.D.
Americans are currently learning there is a lot we do not understand about one another and a lot we can learn from one another. Among our many divisions one manifests itself in the difference between patriotism shown in the ballpark and patriotism in our battlefields. How did this division develop and what can we do about it?
During the American Revolution a large segment of the population, those who became citizens, were involved in our common defense. While there was no standing army, citizens were authorized to own arms and be called out in militias to establish and protect our inalienable rights. This tradition which later became a military draft during world wars and the Vietnam war persisted until 1973.
When a large segment of society protested the unjust and poorly conceived Vietnam war, President Nixon by use of a commission eliminated the draft. Thereafter, only those citizens who volunteered or were recruited became service men and women. Almost unnoticed from 1975-2001 our military- industrial complex became a significant part of our foreign policy.
Following 9/11 this volunteer yet mostly recruited force became our major relationship to the rest of the world. Young men and women motivated both by their patriotism and their dedication to one another went to Afghanistan to avenge 9/11 and then later to Iraq to establish democracy.
Most of us were not involved, were pleased we and our children did not have to go, were happy we did not have to pay higher taxes to finance the war but began to feel a little guilty as we observed the coffins returning to Dover DE and the soldiers with amputations on our streets.
The invisible wounds of PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury came later. As the deaths mounted, the injuries increased and the goals of the war became more murky, our society's response became increasingly more difficult. We did not know what to think about the wars or what to say to the returnees.
Not knowing what to do somehow the 99% of us who were not involved, decided to invite the service men and women to athletic events.
Between specific innings in a baseball game or the half time of a football game, the public announcer would ask us to remove our hats, stand and cheer. The service men and women, happy to have a free ticket, uncomfortable being treated as heroes for doing the job for which they volunteered, would awkwardly stand as we awkwardly greeted them. This ballpark patriotism is a long way from the patriotism expressed on the battlefield.
Edward W. Beal, MD, Psychiatrist, Dept. of the Army, Dept. of Tele-Health, U. S. Army
Medical Department Activity,
Fort Meade
