Our Military. This Saturday. Honor Them.

Christine Merser, June 10, 2025

“Many a would be dictator has been brought down because the military he counted on refused to attack their neighbors.” - Christine Merser

Heather Cox Richardson said something interesting yesterday. We talk like the military, ICE, and immigration agents have lost their minds, crossed to the dark side. That they are part of his posse. But the truth is, morale is low in those sectors. Really low.

There’s a long tradition in our military of honoring the oath to the Constitution, not the person in power. Turning on peaceful protestors walking down a street in Los Angeles? That’s not something they had on their bingo card when they signed up. Those are the people they signed up to protect, not to attack. Those are their neighbors and families.

A lot of people who joined immigration enforcement believed they’d be going after the bad guys. Raiding an elementary school graduation and tearing away screaming children? That’s not the mission they envisioned. Many of them are sick over it.

I opened a Reddit account last month just to track conversations. They’re on there. They’re upset.

Remember, MAGA at best is maybe a third of this country. You and I are another third. And the last third? They’re the passive ones, the ones who don’t vote but still enjoy the rights we’re out here trying to protect. But that’s a story for another day.

Let’s go back to the day Trump spoke at the Naval Academy. He joked about trophy wives and left without shaking a single hand, rushed off to play golf. Meanwhile, the feeble President Biden stood for hours shaking hands. Fifteen hundred hands. Think those graduates didn’t notice?

Trump also claimed no one signs up for the armed forces under Biden. But that graduating class? They did. They signed up four years earlier, under Biden’s presidency.

This is a doorway for us. And it is wide open. We should not ghost these people. They are our posse.

"You sent your troops here without fuel, food, water, or a place to sleep. Here they are- being forced to sleep on the floor, piled on top of one another. -Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles, June 9, 2025

If you know someone in the National Guard, write them a letter. A real letter. Tell them you’re grateful for their service. Tell them you’re sorry they’re being asked to do something that’s not only illegal, but not in the best interest of their country. Tell them you’ll be there if they ever need support. Not because you expect anything, but because you know this moment is hard.

If you don’t know anyone in the military, reach out to someone who does. Ask if you can write to their loved one. Tell them the same thing. Don’t demand anything. Just remind them of what they already know, that they swore to uphold the Constitution. That you trust them. That you are with them.

They’re bringing in the National Guard for the protesters, and this is a dress rehearsal for what he plans to do across the country. We have to let these people know that we support them, and that they don’t have to do what they’re told if it goes against the oath they took. We have to make sure they know we know they are not our enemy.

We have to break it down now. One thing a day. Every day.

And, this weekend, we have to remember that our armed forces are being asked to do something many of them do not want to do.

This weekend, they will march. In full uniform, in formation, down the streets of Washington, D.C. But they won’t be marching to honor the Constitution. For the first time in our history, they’ll be marching in celebration of a man. While we are busy organizing counter-protests, while we’re shouting about fascism and injustice, we may be missing something critical, the quiet humiliation of those in uniform.

Imagine what it feels like to be a soldier or Guard member who swore to defend the Constitution and serve the people. Imagine being ordered to march not in service to that sacred duty, but as a backdrop to a man who has mocked your sacrifice, ignored your needs, and used your presence for power. Imagine having to walk in formation while the world watches, and knowing that the one thing everyone is talking about is him.

Let’s be clear. Our protests this Saturday are not aimed at the people in uniform. We are not standing against them. In fact, we are standing for them. They should know that we will be watching them with pride, not anger. We know that this is not what they signed up for. We know that many of them are uncomfortable, even ashamed, of what they’re being asked to do. And we want them to know we are protesting for them, not against them.

Let’s flood social media. Let’s send letters. Let’s talk to neighbors. Let’s forward this message. Let’s do everything we can to remind them that they are not alone, that we see them, and that we are with them.

Let them know we are watching. Let them know we are proud. Let them know we are not protesting them, we are holding the line beside them.

God bless America. And God bless everyone who serves her.