CU Boulder’s Joint ROTC Color Guard represents the four divisions of the program available at the university. (Gray Bender/CU Independent)
In a recent article at the Brown University’s Daily Herald entitled “ROTC: Return of the criminals,” Brown student and opinion columnist Peter Makhlouf expressed his disdain for the ROTC program.
Currently, Brown does not have an ROTC program on campus, and Makhlouf would like to keep it that way. In a very sarcastic and egregious tone, he rips apart the military as a whole. Makhlouf claims that “military science” should be seen as a pursuit that is beneath the intellectual potential of any Ivy League student. He goes on to say that it’s not a science at all, but the “art of killing and torturing.”
Makhlouf ‘s take on the ROTC is erroneous and shockingly un-liberal. The idea that students should not even be presented with the idea of joining the military is very closed-minded. He boasts that Brown has a long and proud history of anti-military and anti-war sentiment. It is your right not to support a war, or even not to support the troops, but to firmly believe that the ROTC program is military propaganda or even “criminal” is nonsense.
He claims to be concerned that Brown is not as liberal as it used to be, but since when is lumping an entire group of people into one category and banning them from an institution liberal? Makhlouf could learn a thing or two about sacrifice and discipline from ROTC students. Military servicemen and women and their families make sacrifices that are unfathomable to most of the population, and to disparage them with such a broad brush is just as ignorant as the notion of labeling all Muslims terrorists.
It is true that the military wants the best and brightest in their ranks, which includes Ivy League students, but why is that such a horrible thing? Students that get degrees from Brown could potentially get any job they want, and the students who wish to dedicate their lives and expertise to serving their country are far from criminals. If anything, they are selflessly dedicated to service and will move on to fruitful careers that will strengthen the infrastructure of our great country.
Makhlouf states that the thought of “extending the poisonous branches of the armed forces to our campus should be wholly denounced.” He claims that he and a few other “true” leftist activists are upholding what he deems to be true liberalism. The majority of veterans would hear something like that and laugh at how naïve and uninformed that ideologue mentality is. It is because of the military and all of its deplorable technology that Makhlouf is able to freely trash talk them from a computer. It is the technology and personnel that keep the wolves away.
Makhlouf’s article was a reactionary piece following an article written by Brown student Natalie Fondriest entitled “Serving Silently: Military culture on a civilian campus.” Fondriest’s article argues that the very few student veterans on campus often feel alienated by the aggressively liberal culture at Brown, and have a hard time relating to many of the students.
As a student veteran myself, I can absolutely attest to the notion that it is sometimes difficult to relate to other students. However, CU’s campus has a much larger student veteran population, and every Thursday, all students in the ROTC program walk around campus proudly in their uniforms. I don’t see criminals; I see respectable young men and women who have chosen to give back to their country while earning a degree. Even though the population of Boulder is incredibly liberal, CU students seem to embrace the ROTC community with open arms, and the Veterans Affairs department here has always been incredibly welcoming and helpful.
Makhlouf claims that the military is plagued with sexual assault, hatred of the LGBT community, and is somehow constantly engaged in war crimes. In my four years of service, I never witnessed any rampant hatred of any kind. Of course, there are always a few bad apples, and sexual assault is a major problem in the military. However, sexual assault is a major issue everywhere, including Brown University and other Ivy League schools.
As for the hatred of gay and transgender servicemen and women, that claim is erroneous. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was repealed while I was in the Navy, and two female sailors celebrated by sharing a very public kiss at the Joint Expeditionary Base in Virginia Beach.
The Armed Forces vastly embraced this long overdue freedom. Even before DADT was repealed, there were always openly gay service members wherever I was stationed, and no one ever cared about their sexual orientation. As for war crimes, the military has been responsible for some horrible and unethical acts. However, atrocities like Abu Ghraib are in no way condoned by the military as a whole, and an entire community should not be shunned due to the horrendous acts of a few.
Most service members are patriotic, hard working, and respectful individuals. As a true liberal, you should be open minded enough to understand that. Prejudice is not limited to ethnic groups, sexual orientation, or religion. Any person who harbors irrational disdain for a group of people based on preconceived notions, which hold no merit, is prejudice, and therefore, not truly a “liberal.” Peter Makhlouf should sit down with a veteran and hold an actual conversation. Who knows, he might actually learn something.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Drew Chowbay at drew.chowbay@colorado.edu
