A Letter to My Son Upon His Departure for the Army
(This letter was prompted by my son’s impending departure for the Army. More precisely, he has been appointed to the United States Military Academy Class of 2028 and leaves next week for boot camp.)
Dear Son,
I struggle to find the words to convey how proud I am of you of this achievement (getting appointed to West Point) and your decision to take a path of service. Both speak volumes about your character. Moreover, this country has been exceptionally good to our family since we came here at the beginning of the last century. There’s a family legend that one reason why some of our ancestors fled their homes in the Russian Empire to evade being drafted into the Czar’s army, which, besides being tantamount to a death sentence, meant serving a government that terrorized us. America, in contrast, has been a blessing. America is worth protecting, and I’m pleased you understand that.
Soon. Very soon.
I’m not worried about how you will do at West Point. You have precisely what it takes: Fortitude, physical aptitude, and intelligence. I confess, however, to more than a little trepidation about you joining the Army because of the state of the world. Consider it a professional hazard. Thinking and worrying about the world is more or less what I do for a living.
I am worried primarily about three things.
The first consists of the growing political divisions in our country that have caused some to talk (too casually, I believe) about civil war. I can think of no greater danger to our Republic. You, as an Army officer, will be expected to remain aloof. You soon will swear an oath to protect our Constitution; much depends on how seriously you and your peers take that oath. However, I worry about how long the armed forces’ will be able to remain free of politicization. You perhaps can best serve this country by doing something I know you tend to do anyways, by building bridges with your fellow cadets and officers who have different backgrounds and different political views. I have been told that what matters most at West Point is commitment to the “mission,” and the fact that you’ve all made the same choice to be there, together. Such a perspective may save the Army and thus save us all.
The second is the growing specter of a major war. No, I don’t worry about the Middle East or Russia. I worry about China, and the near certainty I sometimes hear from some in D.C. that we are on a collision course with it, perhaps in the South China Sea or Taiwan. There is that awful date 2027 that Think Tankers like to evoke as they count new Chinese warships or watch China’s amphibious capabilities grow. I don’t know what to make of that date, but I refuse to believe war is inevitable. We and the Chinese can still make good choices. This is not the summer of 1914.
The problem is that if there was a war, it would be calamitous for our nation and for the world. I see no reason to think it would go well for us, and every reason to believe it would spell the end of American dominance, something I had hoped not to witness in my lifetime because of my fear of whatever may come next. I believe in the American Empire, which is part of the reason why I am pleased to see you serve it.
On a more personal level, I am afraid because a war with China would put you personally at much greater risk than has been the case for American soldiers for many decades, assuming you will be anywhere west of San Diego. For decades it has been the case that except for those individuals who chose to put themselves in harm's way, like Special Forces, the average Army soldier or officer has seldom been in physical danger. In fact, most in the Army probably have had a greater probability of getting hurt in training than as a result of any hostile action. But in a war with China, I doubt that any one will be safe regardless of one’s branch of service. You have spoken of perhaps going into medicine. Army doctors historically have been at a safe distance from any fighting. Now and in any future conflict, there may be no safe distance, at least while one is in the same theater. Americans will die in numbers we haven’t experienced in a very long time.
Don’t trust anyone who makes light of China’s ability to wage war. You’ll hear some say, for example, that China has no experience with war and hasn’t been in a fight since the 1970s, when Vietnam kicked its ass. But so what? When was the last time the U.S. got into a serious fight of the sort that’s at all relevant to what a war against China might be like? Korea, maybe. Worse, all our experience since then probably has taught us bad habits and might be more of an impediment than no experience whatsoever. When you receive your commission, and if there is a war, trust in your fellow officers and your soldiers. Do not trust the Pentagon, or men with stars on their shoulders. They cannot see past their PowerPoint decks, and too many American generals I have met are overly impressed with themselves and know only certainty, which begets hubris. Which begets tragedy.
The third thing that scares me is climate change. I don’t expect climate change to hurt the U.S. badly as a whole (although some areas of the country and some industries will be hit hard). But it will make large portions of the globe uninhabitable and spur massive human migration and intense competition for basic resources like water and arable land. Climate change is going to generate instability on a scale we have never seen before, and no one is preparing for it. What will that mean for you, as an Army officer? I have no idea. I just know that the 21st century will know dangers we presently cannot imagine, and you may well find yourself in the middle of it.
Climate change will be with us for the rest of your lifetime. As for the other two, the next four years, while you are still a cadet, will be critical. I’d like to think that by the time you graduate and are deployable, the world will be a safer place, but who knows?
For now, I can only urge you to stay true to yourself, and to keep thinking critically, and for yourself. Fortunately, being an American soldier is not synonymous with being mindless. I trust West Point to respect that.
I wish you luck. And a peaceful--and boring-- service.
And please come home.
I’m so proud of you.
Love,
Your father.