On this 80th Anniversary of D-Day, it is easy and appropriate to honor American troops who fought to protect Europe from Nazi Germany. But patriotism is complicated.
Less than 30 years after D-Day, our country became involved in an unjustified war in Vietnam, based on irrational decisions and a great deal of misinformation. That war divided our country, demonstrating the risks of politically motivated conflict. The tragedy of 9-11 reunited our Nation until the Iraq War, again fueled by misinformation, opened the wounds once again.
Today, we appropriately (in my opinion) support Ukraine as it resists Russian aggression but have modified our support for Israel, a close ally, as they engage in the wholesale destruction of Gaza. War, though sometimes justified, must be avoided when possible and patriotism is not always defined by our support for military action.
