Comments on "DEI is Crushing Military Recruitment"

The recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, “DEI is Crushing Military Recruitment” has gone viral because it has struck a nerve.

Below are some of the comments on the article, which provide insight into what is going on in the military and what veterans and military families are thinking. As STARRS Chairman Lt General Bishop says, “Listen to the people.”

“Relatives in the Armed Forces right now are counting down the days until they can escape. It is just oppressive.”

“I have plenty of friends who have left the military over the past 3 years because of its politicization.”

“The grandfather I’m named after KIA in France early 1945. His purple heart is prominently displayed on my mother’s living room mantle. My other grandfather flew the Hump during WWII. My father-27 year US Army vet with a tour in Vietnam. Me-41 years total service. Reported to bootcamp as an E-1 in 1983 and retired as an O-6 in 2024 after three command tours. My disillusionment began with the mandatory extremist training in March of 2021 during my second command tour. My Exec and I led the training because that’s what leaders do-lead from the front. My Exec, first generation Puerto Rican grew up in NYC project, a real tough as nails kind of guy. Loved America though for all the opportunities it has afforded his family. After we finished the training, he turned to me and said of the training: “Key take-away, whitey is a bad dude”. I have not recommended military service to a particular demographic since 🙁

“My college roommate, a retired 22 year Navy Captain tell me that DEI has changed the military to the point he would not recommend it as a career to anyone.”

“A colleague of mine, a West Point graduate who served as a captain in Iraq, recently resigned from the Army. The reason: he was assigned to teach at West Point and discovered that the black cadets routinely insulted/ignored officers and upper classmen because they knew that as black cadets there would not be any negative repercussions. My colleague understood that as far as future promotion was concerned, the DEI writing was on the wall and so he resigned.”

“I am one such veteran. My son just left a unit and ets’d due to this nonsense. I no longer advise young folks to enter, as much as that pains me. They are ruining the military with this nonsense. Perhaps that’s intentional.”

“When I was in the Navy in 2022/2023 during the BLM riots, the DoD made all military personnel recite the oath, as they told us white supremacists were rife in the armed forces and we needed to let them know we were still loyal. Nothing has made me hate the government more than when I had to do that, and the enlisted in charge told me it was the lowest point in their career having to carry out this insane task.”

“The majority of Veterans are older, but a survey of all Veterans would have included me shortly before my 19th birthday. I am a Millennial. Prior enlisted Marine and former Army officer. Iraq vet. I have not recommended the service to anyone since the pathetic and incompetent withdrawal from Afghanistan. It’s not just the old guys that have a problem with the DEI initiatives, and it is way bigger than just women and gays.”

“Many veterans today would be disgusted knowing what goes on in today’s military. My dad, husband, and eldest son all served. My youngest recently wanted to serve and was met by all with a hard “no, do not do it.” This country is in a world of a mess and anyone who is not a DEI hire working in the government knows exactly why.”

“I am a retired Naval Commander, and agree totally with this, I would never recommend family members to serve. I am active in many military functions and listen to many speeches of leading Admirals and Captains. It takes usually less than a few words before they start expressing their DEI accomplishments. It’s astonishing, how naive. I can’t say DEI is a Chinese plot to destroy our military, but if it wasn’t their doing, they at least appreciate the culprit.”

“When my son enlisted in the Navy, he envisioned being a “lifer”. But, after 15 years of service, he had enough. Even after taking the Petty Officer First Class exam several times–and getting excellent grades, he was told that there was a long list of people in front of him. Many of those people, it turned out, were DEI enlistees. The military has long used seniority over quality for advancement. Now, they are adding DEI to the mix. It’s no reason veterans have a negative view of the service. Our military needs to use merit over seniority and DEI so that we will truly have the best and the brightest defending our country. We don’t need a military that “looks like us” unless they are the best at killing people and breaking things.”

“I come from a military family. My father was Army for 31 years, I was Army for 14 years, and two of my sons are currently Navy. My sons are tired of the crap and talk about getting out. My wife’s family a lot of military too. Anyhow I don’t promote military service as much as I did in the past. And if we get involved in armed conflict , I pray we don’t lose a lot of our young men and women because of all this DEI and woke crap.”

“Next we’ll be spending millions on camouflage lipstick, …. but really I’m a 11B Vietnam vet, and crawling thru the jungles I didn’t care what color, race, language spoken, or anything else as long as that person I could trust with my life. To put people in positions just for diversity is senseless, it weakens our military and it’s happens just for politics, votes, and not for our country. It’s the downfall of our society, self-centered politics.”

“The woke & DEI pervasive military is gutting our military. As a veteran, son of a veteran, father of veteran sons, and with all of my brothers as veterans, we will no longer suggest that our family join the “woke military”. Political leaders espousing that we need more transsexuals to bolster our military is ridiculous. Telling all white recruits that they are racist and need to have their brains washed is tragic. Any wonder why white males (the vast majority of recruits) are declining to participate?”

“As someone who has spent the last 41 years in the military (27 years active duty, the rest as a DoD civilian), civilians like myself are retiring in droves because of the shift in DoD. Immediately after Biden took office, we were forced to go through extremist training because the current administration was convinced the ranks were full of right wing extremists. The administration directed a study be performed and then buried the results when the study showed that there were less extremists in the military than the general population. The Army I served in was nearly 50 percent minority, with black Soldiers accounting for three times the Army population than the general populace. The Army was a meritocracy where no one gave a crap what your race, creed, or color was. The only thing that mattered was performance. Not a shot in hell I would recommend joining this military, which I’ll soon be leaving for good.”

“West Point, class of 1968 here. Bingo! Right on target. And the Academies are no better.”

“My dad was a US Army veteran, I’m a US Army veteran, my son is a Marine Corps veteran. I can’t see a scenario where I’ll have a grandchild that is a veteran. That goes for all the veterans I know. It’s a sad state of affairs.”

“My son was so disappointed in his basic training experience 10 years ago because they had reduced the physical and phycology testing rigor to accommodate more female recruits. I expect with DEI that there is even more decline in that rigor only to be replaced by woke sensitivity training.”

“We live in a small Navy town in San Diego. There are 3 bases within our city limits. We have neighbors who have retired because the Navy no longer operates on merit or excellence, but on gender, sexual orientation, and skin color. Our retiring friends are frustrated by their commands who place more value on having a woman and/or a person of color in command rather than the best person for the job.”

“Those of us who have actually had their butts in a combat situation know damn well why having a DEI person next to us increases the likelihood of getting killed. no thanks.”

“I know a guy that was enlisted. He got his college degree at about the 10 year point. He applied for a commission. He was denied. A black female in his chain of command that only had a GED and joined on a waiver, applied too. She was approved and commissioned. You can guess his race and why he exited the service. When the cards are that stacked against you, why even try.”

“I witnessed first-hand the demise of the military’s meritocracy. My experience aligns with Mr. West’s. I’ve read the Air Force memorandum Mr. West references. Though one of my sons is a Marine, I am one of dozens of former military in my circle of friends who all advised our children to seek career options other than the military. Colonel, USAF (Ret)”

“Three generations of my family have served in the military; 3 of us are retirees. No one is encouraging any of the next generation to join.”

“The Left is the most racist group of people on the planet. When they look at a group of military members their brain automatically starts calculating the racial breakup of that group and then complain when there aren’t the proper percentages. I served 24 years and never saw racial issues. The best thing about back then was that if you saw someone in leadership, you knew they had earned it regardless of sex/color/creed. Today that is no longer true the higher up in rank you go.”

“Having served 31 years in the Army and Army Reserve, I was always impressed with how successful the Army had been in integrating black and white soldiers. Several times in my military career, I found myself reporting to black officers and NCOs. They were every bit as good as their white counterparts in their leadership skills. The only important color in the Army back then was green camouflage. Everyone wore it. It was a system and culture that did not need fixing. So, naturally, the ardent social engineers in the Pentagon today feel compelled to apply a “fix” — DEI — that will absolutely break the military for years to come. Today’s crop of young, white military age males aren’t likely to join an organization that stacks the deck so blatantly against them.”

“Especially in the officer and very senior enlisted ranks, you have to look at your odds of making those higher ranks (O-5 and above, E9). If you are a white male, you will be at a disadvantage and its well known. Because its well known, a lot of good officers and NCOs are gone after their first tour which is sad.”

“The author is spot on. I can only speak for myself but all I dreamed about as a young boy was to attend West Point and serve in the Army. I did so proudly for 30 years and one of my sons followed me to West Point and between us we served multiple tours in Iraq, Kosovo, and Afghanistan. Sadly at this point I cannot recommend military service to my grandchildren. It has been disheartening to see the military’s focus shift from warfighting to becoming a test lab for the country’s social experiments. I will never forget Mark Milley (national disgrace) thundering before Congress that “white nationalism” was the greatest threat facing the country just a month before the Afghanistan debacle when 13 service members were killed and dozens more wounded. I have lost faith in both our political leadership and general officer corps and I know many of my fellow veterans share those sentiments.”

“I’m a retired Air Force officer and I have indeed advised people not to join for the very reasons described above.”

“Also retired, I have help stop four young men and a women from going into the military. They are all now successful in other endeavors. Sad.”

“I retired after 27 years in the navy. I have three sons under the age of 21. THIS is why I haven’t pushed it and don’t care if any of them ever serve.”

“24 year veteran of the US Naval Submarine force who has deployed over 20 times, Honor, Courage and Commitment are the core values, not DEI. DEI will destroy the military and lead to increased casualties in battle.”

“Every male in my family up to the current generation has served proudly in the armed forces. No more. There are consequences to poor leadership, losing wars, and calling all straight white males deplorable white supremacists.”

“As a former Marine, I like many of the Marines I served with, would discourage my family members from joining any branch of the military. Part of it is the wholesale incompetence of the national command authority, with the military fighting wars under politically correct ROEs, and politicians losing the peace. However, the environment they are likely to encounter in the military today puts their lives at greater risk. 20 years ago the preferences being given to select demographics were annoying. Now they are potentially catastrophic. Selecting leaders to fulfill a DEI mandate will lead to more bad strategies and tactics, which will get people killed.’

“I’m a Veteran and there is no way I would recommend that my grandsons serve in the military. DEI policies and effectual leadership would get them killed.”

“My father is a devout Democrat & 40-years Army intelligence, my brother is a Republican & former Captain-Army 101st Airborne Ranger (Petraeus was his XO) and I’m former U.S. Coast Guard leaning Libertarian and we are all in agreement to not promote The Life to the kids and grandkids.”

“My son also served as an airborne infantryman in the 82nd Airborne. And my goddaughter is currently serving on active duty (Army). All that said, the current state of the woke/left Army leadership has resulted in poor morale, diminished lethality and a recruiting crisis. I now recommend against enlistment, which is a position I never thought I would hold.”

“In the 70’s I served with the 82nd Airborne. Most of my chain of command was Black from Corporal up to Captain (I have little knowledge of those above Captain….I was a private). They were at their rank and in their positions because of how good they were as soldiers and men, not because of the color of their skin. I respected them and had confidence in them. They did not need DEI programs to succeed.”

“I’m a female veteran of the US Army (JAG Corps). The mission of the military is to fight and win wars in defense of our nation. That’s it. What I most appreciated about being in the service was the meritocracy. If you wore an Airborne badge, it meant you had jumped out of the same airplane and at the same height as everyone else who wore that badge. You did not jump from an airplane designed for your gender or flown at a lower altitude to “compensate” for something unrelated to the mission. If you scored well in marksmanship, it meant you had aimed at the same target at the same distance as everyone else had, with the same weapon used. Your uniform was your resume. Implementing DEI policies negates the very raison d’être of the military, i.e., putting the mission first. We do that at our peril.”

“I’m a 3rd generation Marine. I would not want either of my sons to join the military under the current general officers who are worried about “white rage”, DEI and trans-recruitment. The focus of an effective military organization is being capable of making your enemies die for their country, not hookie leftie unicorn wimpy nonsense.”

“40 yrs in the AF – active duty + civilian. I feel like I wasted my life. Would never recommend or allow anybody I care about to get near the military now. Left 7 yr ago when it was all ‘diversity’; can’t imagine how much worse woke is.”

“I retired from the U.S. Navy after serving 37 years. Included were 3 combat tours, the first of which was the last war that the United States actually won (Desert Storm), the last being our most recent loss (Afghanistan). I have an 18 year old son set to graduate from high school at the end of this academic year and already committed to play a sport at college next year. Do you think I’m talking to him about joining the service? Any service? Absolutely not! If he expressed an interest in joining, I would attempt to dissuade him. We have abused the privilege presented by our all volunteer force. Time to reinstitute conscription (to include women) and force our feckless leaders to persuade the American people where our vital strategic interests lie and why they’re worth American blood and treasure.”

“I can only imagine the military leadership in China, North Korea, Iran and Russia unbelief that any military person would swallow the DEI line and fervently praying that we continue that insanity. We are losing the next war before it even begins.”

“This has been going on for quite a while – probably in higher gear in the past decade as the whole DEI movement gained momentum. In the late 80’s, I was at a training rotation in the Army (had the bad luck of reporting in early so I was assigned to be platoon leader.) The Army had just started experimenting with integrating females in combat oriented training and I had 3 in my platoon. I was called in a meeting with the Battalion Commander and his CSM – they explained that I’d have 3 females, what an honor it was, how important it was, etc. Then, to make sure I understood the situation, the BC said loudly “Russell, if they fail, you fail!” Nothing against females serving – maybe the vetting process is better these days for combat oriented training – these three were not ready or able. You can probably guess what I told my Platoon Sergeant and Squad Leaders – “If they fail, you fail!” The platoon got them through, at times literally carrying them or their gear They just were not ready, but they passed. Very bad for morale – everyone knew it would be a disaster to actually put these people in combat roles, and no one would be comfortable serving with them in that capacity. I’m convinced the experience set back future officers, who might otherwise have been more accepting of expanding service opportunities for females, as they went about their careers. Tough, fair standards motivate people. This practice was a demotivator. If DEI is emphasized over standards, it will too.”

“As an OEF vet- and I hate to say this- we’re going to have this nonsense continue until we get into a major conflict and lose substantial assets and lives. That is the only way Americans will finally wake up and demand a military that is laser-focused on its only true mission: Defending the country.”

“When I enlisted in 1975 the Army was the most racially diverse organization in the country. Great pride was taken in that fact and rightly so. My base commander was African American as were a healthy and representative amount of the NCO and Officer corps. I made my first black friends which greatly broadened my perspective. So what happened? Why fix what was not broken with these so-called DEI initiatives? I will say that what was most difficult for many of us, to be real, was when the first female troops joined us in our advanced training. Under those conditions of hardship and stress, to have a beautiful blond right next to you was very distracting. I don’t know how you manage the gender issue but it was a complication that made focusing on the mission difficult.”

“My wife and I both retired as Army colonels. I spent 30 years on active duty, and my wife spent 26. Then we both continued to work for the Army as federal senior civilians for another twelve years. We retired completely in 2018. All this DEI toxicity is just a continuation of the equal opportunity poison that started with Jimmy Carter and Clifford Alexander the SECARMY at the time. From the outset, it was just a quota-based scheme that doubled as an avenue for junior soldiers and civilian employees to bully the system into unearned promotions or to harass their bosses for money. By 2018, it was already unbearable. Our military culture is worse than toxic these days. We have actively discouraged any young people we care about to do any time whatsoever in the DoD. We knew a lot of these generals in positions of power or on TV as they were progressing through the ranks. Barry McCaffrey started the political weaponization of the GO/Flag ranks under Bill Clinton. Today, all Service GO/Flag Corps are totally weaponized with woke, Bolshevik social justice causes as they climb Jacob’s ladder after retirement to lucrative jobs pushing weapons system acquisition, HR, and — yes — DEI. Lloyd Austin has been a token since his appointment to USMA. It is so rotten the entire structure would need to be completely destroyed then rebuilt. Very sad for our nation and our national security.”

“Well, imaging a good kid from a good family being forced or “encouraged” by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to attend a transgender festival. And you wonder why veterans are saying not with my kid?”

“DEI is naked racial discrimination. Racial discrimination is evil, immoral, and in this country, illegal no matter who practices it. It always creates an innocent victim. It is never justified nor justifiable. It always creates resentment in its victim and in those who care about the victim. At war, an incompetent superior “who looks like me” can get you killed just as fast as an incompetent superior who does not “look like me.” Dead is dead. Everyone should advance in the military based solely on merit. Racial discrimination in advancements in the leadership and in the ranks destroys unit cohesion.”

“Amen. “Looks like us” to mean skin color is absolutely anti-American. The people who “look like me” are those who have similar values, character, decency, etc. I as a white man share very little with someone like Joe Biden, but I’m a kindred spirit with Lily Tang Williams and Xi Van Fleet, two Chinese women who understand and appreciate America and the threat it is under far more than most. DEI is absolutely foolish and destructive. Our leaders are destroying us with it. And for NO benefit even, it’s just because they’re too weak and wimpy to stand for anything. They’ll say whatever will keep them in good graces with the wokenuts in power.”

“I am an Army Veteran. I served from 1994 -2000 Active Duty, and then 3 more years in the Army National Guard. I am also a child of a Army Veteran, who served for over 20 years as well. Why bother stating any of that? I know that I have some inherent bias based on where I came from. But I can share that throughout my childhood, and my military career, that I didn’t really know much about color or gender. It was a merit based society based on the people who were competent continued to move upward in ranks. The Army (and I think most branches) were a melting pot of people, in many cases who had options, but choose the military due to financial needs, perception of the benefits, or desire to serve. The competent rose to the top, usually by the time they reached E-5 or O-4, most of the poor performers were filtered out. I worry that by mandating % ratio’s, the merit based leveling is thrown off, and introduces new ways for people to manipulate the system. Promotions should be based on merit, not just based on skin color, gender, or ethnicity. We should really try to avoid the idea of the best hispanic candidate, or we can’t promote Jim because we need another female. This will create a vicious cycle of disillusionment, while also potentially promoting someone other than the most qualified – adding more risk to an already dangerous profession.”

“The military’s job is to kill people and break things. I don’t want anyone I know to join a military where that is not their overriding principle. After watching Biden withdraw from Afghanistan, and men who think they are women military leaders being elevated and celebrated, I can’t recommend it in its current state. Good luck getting all of the pajama man-bun boys from NYC to defend you.”

“I want the baddest of the badasses defending us. Not a cross-section of the public.”

“You can get away somewhat with DEI in the workplace. The company may be less competitive and profitable but can still survive, function, and make money. Obviously, you can’t get away with DEI in sports, unless you don’t mind perennial losing teams. It should be even more obvious that DEI has NO place in the military where LIVES ARE AT STAKE.”

“Thank you for mentioning both the failed wars and DEI. Conservatives usually focus on DEI in this analysis, but during my time as an infantry officer (2010-2015) that stuff was pretty easy to ignore. I’m sure it’s much worse now. For me it was the realization that our cowardly political class, which had no skin in the game, had mired us in two unwinnable wars. I always tell young people that if there is a real war, a war for national survival, there will be plenty of opportunities to serve. Until then, don’t sign up for fight these wars of choice.”

“A draft will accelerate the degradation of the military’s capability to fight and win wars. There has been a degrading of the military’s combat capability as senior military and civilian leadership more focused on percentages than combat capability. DEI was just another distraction from combat capability. There is no longer a merit system for selection and promotion. Division Commanders use to select the Regimental and Battalion Commanders-they had first-hand knowledge of the leadership and combat capability of the Commander . Now a committee in Washington DC does-to ensure the percentages meet the goals-no concern for combat capability. The draft will only make it worse!”

“Majority of employees of any defense firm or majority in the military will tell you that DEI is out of hand, not some media creation. DEI is nothing but racism with a nice shiny coat over it.”

“It’s become bigger than DEI, as disgusting as that is. It’s disdain and outright contempt for our country. It’s complete lack of patriotism. I know several kids in their 20s, some excel, some don’t, all that. But it’s striking to me how little patriotism they collectively have. None care about the country much, only what they can get from it. Even those who are more with it. It just isn’t something they seem inclined to participate in. The Ivy League mentality has spread like a plague across many “normal” universities, too. The fact that antisemitic garbage at Columbia isn’t decried by this White House and the National Guard sent in is disgusting in its own right. The fact this White House supports it, though? You get where I’m going. This White House is a terrible example for all our kids on every level. Hopefully we turn it around. But it’s often hard to recapture the magic when nobody’s headed that direction. Or, it may take a serious event (attack on our country, et ) to bring people together. As it stands now, most kids don’t feel it’s worth fighting for. The leftist mindset has badly damaged an entire generation, even some of the more moderate ones.”

“I’d like to add why this DEI woke none sense is so dangerous. Its premise is that America is a racist nation that was established at the expense of innocent people. Its premise is that slavery existed and therefore all the good things America has brought to the world. Anyone who joins the military and wants to undertake a combat role, the tip of the spear if you will, has to be willing to die for country. If young men are told their country is not worth dying for, why put yourself in jeopardy. This is, in my opinion, the heart of the matter.”

“The sad thing is, until this started the military had been viewed as one of the most successful institutions in creating a race-blind meritocracy where there was also real diversity (not just race, but also class) in its senior ranks. It wasn’t perfect, but it was better than anyone else. It will be a shame if defective ideas from the civilian world permanently destroy that, as they seem to be on the path of doing.”

“I thought the statement about installing diversity officers throughout the ranks is interesting because it reminds me of how the old Soviet Government would install political commissars throughout the Red Army to maintain control.

Another point that the article does not touch on is the reaction of competent men and women who get passed over for promotion because of their gender, skin color, or political correctness. I spent most of my career in management and have observed that when you put a glass ceiling over the head of intelligent and ambitious people (the very kind that most organizations want to promote), they will quit and seek to move their careers forward elsewhere. So while the military is having trouble recruiting, I suspect that the overall quality of its officers is deteriorating.”

“As a former serviceman, I would not recommend serving as the ascending leadership is not worth you risking your life. Not to mention, what are you actually defending? A country that jails and/or terrorizes its political opponents, rigs elections, and suppresses free speech, I wouldn’t offer a drop of blood for that.”

“Why would anyone enlist in the army and potentially lose their life while illegals seep into the country and obtain benefits someone in the military can only dream of? It’s not worth it.”

“This is a feature not a bug of the progressive project to gut the military. It should surprise no one.”

“This article fails to mention another aspect of DEI in the military: you can be courtmartialed for non-compliance in DEI group think. Why would anyone with conservative values want to serve in an organization that can ruin your future or even put you in jail because you don’t agree with their social values? You can be coerced to violate your conscience in any number of ways–starting with something as simple as what pronouns you use.”

“Recruiting is one thing. Retention is another. Maybe start conducting serious exit interviews. Young soldiers and sailors don’t ask for much and they don’t get much. All they want is to be part of something bigger than themselves and do work they can be proud of. Slap that DEI on them and it’s four and out. Then you have to deal with the negative recruiter, speaking from experience, 24/7, don’t make the same mistake as me.”

“DEI is definitely undermining the military, especially the Academies. It’s obvious the Academies and services have race and sex quotas, which I thought was illegal and discriminative. The military and civilian leadership is obsessed with DEI and woke politics. Its no longer about war fighting but a social experiment.

“My son will graduate in 2026 and wants to be a pilot. This is one of our biggest concerns about the Academies.”

“The DEI purge through business and academia is deeply problematic. Excellent people have been fired, leaving their employers poorer and less competitive. A DEI purge through the military is worse: it’s lethal.”

“Destroying military recruiting is a feature, not a bug, of the left’s strategy for “re-inventing” America.”

“Unfortunately this article is correct. The military is not what it once was. I was a Warrant Officer in the late 60’s and early 70’s serving as a helicopter pilot in both Vietnam and Germany. I was proud to serve my country and for the most part had a good opinion of the military and its ability to protect our country. Those days are gone. I would never recommend military service to kids today. Too much woke nonsense. Leaders I have no confidence in and a commander in chief that is a sad joke.”

“Just imagine if we imposed DEI on professional sports teams. (ha)! Let’s not draft the best players, let’s balance the team based on skin color and gender, etc… Imagine how valuable the sports franchise would be then!”

“With political winds changing every four years, the military has attracted political chameleon generals who spend more time hiding under rocks than leading. They don’t inspire competence, and most of the young officer core can smell their career fear. I left after 26 years having been enlisted and later an officer.”

“Cold War Naval Officer here. The military (mirroring all of society) has done everything it can to exorcise the male warrior mentality in order to appease “modern” sensibilities. This started with the fall of the Berlin Wall and continues today. Can’t say I am surprised that young men have little interest in defending a society that frankly doesn’t like or respect them all that much.”

“Finally this story reports what I and others have been saying for a few years now. The Democrats are hell bent on destroying our country and destroying our military is a big part of that. I know several ‘kids’ who are or recently were in the military and I have to say, these experiences were not good. When an organization loses its focus, it falls apart. The military should be focused on protecting our nation and killing the enemy. Nothing else!”

“Navy vet here. I would never recommend my sons join up. Reasons 1) no faith in civilian leadership. Our political leaders at the highest level use the military as tool to implement their vision of the world, not to defend the nation. 2) DEI. The deck will be stacked against them because of their demographic profile. 3) no faith in the military leadership: Austin, Milley. Need I say more 4) Lack of commitment of nation to maintain a strong military. 5) Contempt of military demonstrated by certain politicians (and no, don’t say Trump. We all know that story was made up. 6) on a purely selfish level, why sign up for the benefits like GI bill when Biden is giving free college to EVERYONE. 7) Forever wars.”

“Retired Marine, OIF & OEF veteran here with four scholar-athlete sons who, on my recommendation, will not be joining the military–well, maybe the USCG, but only after they’ve completed their studies. I would not trust the current administration (or a continuation thereof) with the lives of my children. The ill-conceived and poorly executed pullout of Afghanistan affected me deeply.”

“Funny, but couldn’t find DEI theory in any of the of volumes written by Tzu, Clausewitz, Marshall, Rommel or others… The commanding heights must have a hidden work on the operational art that we are not aware of.”

“You haven’t read Clausewitz’s “On DEI?”

“There’s a new book by Joe Tzu based on the premise: ‘Surprise your enemy by retreating in the middle of the night while abandoning your arms, munitions, and equipment.’”

“DEI destroying the military is “a feature, not a glitch”. it operates the same in every institution that takes it in. more generally, the body of the republic is infiltrated by a terminal mind-virus. antibodies have finally awakened, but the patient remains in critical condition.”

“The vast majority of recruits volunteer to join the military out of duty to country. Or, as Ronald Reagan keenly observed, “‘Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don’t have that problem.””

“As a former airborne infantryman/Ranger/Green Beret, I can attest no one does it for the money.”

“I am a senior citizen and disabled veteran. Last week I was at a VA medical contractor for a physical exam where I was asked what pronouns they should use in addressing me!”

“As a veteran who is part of the family business model, all three of my kids are serving. That being said, the changes since 2021 have caused many folks to reconsider service. I have seen the army in good times and bad. We are in very bad times right now. However, I told my son, an infantry officer, that the Republic needs an army and anyone who sticks it out now is probably doing the most patriotic thing they will ever do in their life.”

“DEI has done more harm than good to the military. A refocus on war fighting will help restore the trust of our veterans.” Thank you for this article. With all the noise on abortion and threats to democracy, troop recruitment is not getting much attention. As a former Air Force Vet who served over 40 years ago, I can say DEI in the military is not needed. A long time ago nobody cared about your race, gender, where you were from, etc. If you wore the uniform you were respected and accepted. There were opportunities for all to succeed and achieve higher ranks, regardless of where you came from or what you looked like – and all people were able to succeed. The mission came first. I immensely enjoyed my time in the Air Force and it was instrumental to my future success in life. I still believe that the military is an excellent path for young people to commit to their country, learn a ton and serve a great cause. However, it should not be tainted by shallow DEI initiatives that cause more harm than good. We need to get the recruitment up and should focus on the greatness of our country as the core of the recruiting pitch. It is a noble cause.”

“As Sun Tzu wrote so many centuries ago- “The opportunity to defeat the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.” This preoccupation with DEI is providing that opportunity.”

“So . . . if you wanted to take down the United States . . . you’d kinda sorta want them to have a weak military . . . right? Makes you wonder whether China is helping fund organizations behind the DEI push.”

“Nobody ever mentions that the military was already plenty diverse before this DEI garbage was even a thing with minorities over represented all thru the ranks.”

“I am a veteran of two combat tours as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, and I cannot honestly counsel someone to join our DEI-focused military under the Biden/Obama (recall this is Obama’s third term) and Austin gang. We must focus on the mission, i.e., defeat of our enemies should war arise. At our local base, they even conducted DEI confession “struggles” mimicking a part of the Chinese Cultural Revolution until our local Congressman shut it down after a call from a constituent.”

“No military for my boys. Too much DEI. Breaking a family military tradition. Military is for fighting wars not social justice. I’m going to put them to work in my shop instead.”

“As a retired veteran of Cold War/Gulf War 1, I absolutely would not recommend any of my family to join the Military. We always had mandatory training on equality and race relations to put us all on equal footing. Now you can’t even get a promotion based on merit, only gender/color of your skin. I find it repulsive, and actually divisive. I visit my local Base for BX/Commissary privilege’s, and many people I see are physically unfit for conflict. I hope we don’t go to war, because I worry we have lost our edge.”

“A sliver of the American people have served or are serving in the US military and many of them come from families, like mine, where it is a tradition to serve – not for a career but for a season. I consider my fellow veterans of all branches to be my brothers and sisters in arms regardless of their politics, religion (or lack of), race, ethnicity, or even who they cheer for at a Football game. We all served and most of us volunteered to serve. I would not counsel a young adult to not join the military but would make sure they entered clear eyed. The politicians in Washington make the rules and appoint the leadership, and our country is well off course – and it shows. That means a newly minted Private or Lieutenant will have to navigate waters unfamiliar to previous generations of troops. Hopefully the DEI grifters will be driven out after this election, never to be seen again near the corridors of power. US Army 1982-1990”

“Who wants to salute a transgender–or indeed any person who wasn’t promoted solely based on merit?”

“I had two children looking to join the military, and I talked them out of it – specifically pointing to the DEI nonsense new recruits are subjected to during initial training and while serving.”

“Screwed up leadership yes, especially with field grade officers and above, partially due to DEI initiatives. Lowering of standards to accommodate DEI targets in various schools. Recruiting incentives targeting specific groups for no reason other than DEI.

The recruiting numbers speak for themselves and weren’t this bad even at the peak of the Iraq war when casualties were relatively high and the economy was decent (shortly before the crash). White conservative males, traditionally the largest pool from which the military draws, are not signing up as they once did. Until things change, I will continue to discourage those around me from serving. The country doesn’t deserve their sacrifice at this time.”:

“I was not in the military. Many of my friends were career military, now all retired. Nearly to a man they cite profound concern over the military having become a jobs program and social experiment laboratory. Merit is out the window, as is fitness. The common opinion is that DEI has ruined combat effectiveness and has seriously damaged competence within the ranks. One sent me an ad for the Coast Guard that said something to the effect of: “Think you’re too fat and old for the US Coast Guard? Think again!” Let’s please reinstate Powell’s colorblind policy and merit in general, and let’s eliminate DEI within the ranks today. And for the love of God, let’s pay them a living wage. Apparently, vast swaths of the enlisted ranks qualify for low income food assistance.”

“I am a retired veteran of 26 years who recently recommended to a nephew that he not join. It all comes down to trust in the citizens of the country and the people they elect, but specifically: below average national leadership (I served in Afghanistan multiple times and the way we left was a preventable stain on the entire nation – all for a 11 September 2021 photo op); former-general offices and senior cabinet members who now believe it is their duty to weigh-in on national political elections – Kelly is just the latest (this increases the likelihood that future GOs will be excluded from key decisions that future presidents make, increasing the chance that a bad decision will be made); and DEI – how can I tell my white nephew that he will have a successful career based on his hard work and dedication to the institution (“we all bleed red” isn’t applicable anymore). It hurt to make the recommendation I did, but his life is worth more than the almost half that country that put people we currently have in the highest levels of government. There is the potential that a draft may be necessary to counter the current state of the world, maybe that will wake us up.”

“DEI is absolutely crushing military recruitment. I have family who have chosen not to go into the military for identity politics reasons. Young white men see a country where every facet of government and pop culture labels them the oppressor – would you sign up to fight for that?”

“I believe that fewer young hard chargers want to join because of the woke nature of today’s armed forces. I base this on regular interactions with military age young people, especially the men. Our country needs some of our best and brightest to volunteer, and it breaks my heart that the overly political flag officers (e.g., the current CJCS)., the current SECDEF, and the current National Command Authority have make DEI and wokeness so important.”

“I’ve dissuaded about a dozen young men from joining today’s woke joke of a military. I don’t even really like to admit I served at this point.”

“Historian Will Durant got that one right… “A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself within.”

In case you need nearly 2000 more quotes to be convinced of the problem: