“There are certain birthdays that make you reevaluate your life.”
－ Tina Turner, American singer
Hello Downriver,
It was just my birthday.
And although I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned it in these pages, in this case it’s different: I’m now the same age my father was when he died.
This moment had been on my mind for some time, right up until this day itself. I wondered if my fate was tied to his and if I would make it to the next time.
I know it sounds morbid or fatalistic, but it actually gave me a different perspective on life; one that made me want to be a little freer, a little more aggressive, a little more…
Me.
Because although I have written nearly 2,000 columns over the past 44 years—my first for the old Mellus was sometime in 1980, two years after I started as a reporter—I have generally taken a pedagogical approach to writing.
For the most part, I’ve tried to structure my columns like the old classroom essays: introduction, main body of argument, and conclusion.
Or, in most cases, an introductory hypothesis, a support for my hypothesis, followed by a reiteration of the hypothesis.
My goal was to inform and educate, to support my point of view with facts rather than just personal opinions, and to avoid sounding like a parent: “Because I say so.”
So what does this have to do with this week and this birthday?
Well, I’m kind of tired of being so nice and informative.
I’m a smart guy. I served in the Army, went to college as a young man and then again, was a reporter and later managing editor of a major Michigan weekly newspaper, relaunched campus newspapers at a Michigan college and then a university, ran my own communications company, taught high school sociology and American literature, and was a voracious reader.
I study history and politics and know how to make connections between otherwise separate events, people and ideas – and I believe I have succeeded in doing so in these pages over the years.
But I’m tired of always feeling like I have to back up my arguments with facts. Others don’t feel that inclination.
That is, it may have been a mistake on my part to wear gloves covered with a confession of truth.
Maybe I should have just shouted as loudly or louder than the others (for example, those who sent me emails to criticize my words).
Maybe I should have focused less on information and education and instead on persuasion at all costs.
Of course, rethinking my approach to words on paper (or in the ether) is not the only impact this birthday has had on me; the most obvious impact is health-related.
But since my words have been an extension of my life for 50 years (including my first job as a reporter), this is the aspect of that life that I can most easily analyze.
So, with these current findings in mind, allow me to share these thoughts on a dog-day afternoon.
First, I never intended to comment on JD Vance’s military service. I believe that just getting involved is enough.
Of course, that has never stopped Republicans from attacking their opponents for their military service.
I still remember George W. Bush’s attacks on John Kerry for his service in Vietnam; those attacks were blatantly wrong, malicious and unpatriotic.
To this day, such attacks are referred to as “Swift Boating.”
But George W., who never saw combat in this war, got a free ticket.
This also applies to Donald Trump, who was given several consecutive school deferments before being excluded from military service with the presumably incorrect diagnosis of “bone spurs.”
Let’s call him what he is: a conscientious objector, OK?
And yet he was the man (I use that term carefully) who criticized John McCain by saying the infamous line, “He’s not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”
He then criticized a Gold Star family that had the audacity to criticize his policies.
He once told his chief of staff, John Kelly, a former Marine Corps general: “Look, I don’t want any wounded (veterans) in the parade. That doesn’t look good to me.”
During a visit to an American military cemetery in France in 2018, Trump called American soldiers killed in World War I “losers” and “morons.”
There’s more, but you get what I mean.
In this year’s election, Trump has – so far – said nothing along these lines, but his running mate has.
And I didn’t plan on going there until JD Vance did, when he attacked Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz for his rank and service in the Army National Guard – something JD called “stolen heroism.”
A 21st century version of Swift Boating – and just as despicable.
Most of you know by now that Walz enlisted at age 17 and served for 24 years, reaching the rank of Command Sergeant Major—the highest noncommissioned officer rank in the Army.
After September 11, he served in the artillery of the European Security Force Overseas as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
However, because he failed to complete some courses towards the end of his career, Walz retired one rank lower than Master Sergeant.
All I can tell you is that a person does not attain the rank of Command Sergeant Major – not even for a moment – unless he has accomplished something extraordinary during his service.
I met such a person once – when I was doing a temporary job in the Army (while waiting for a transfer) I had to “weed out” Vietnam veterans – and I was overwhelmed by this man’s self-assurance, his calm demeanor, and his deeply philosophical views on life.
Since Tim Walz has reached this rank, I am sure he has similar qualities.
And his achievements do not deserve to be questioned.
But what about JD?
Well, he served four years (not 24) in the Marine Corps, spending most of that time as a “combat correspondent” – yes, a reporter, like me – in a non-combat capacity.
He rose to the rank of corporal—a full seven ranks below Walz—and went to Iraq, but worked as a public affairs reporter.
Both were honorably discharged; both were able to complete their studies thanks to the GI Bill (as was I).
So does rank matter, does MOS matter; does any of this prove who is the “better” veteran?
Wrong question.
Both men are veterans who volunteered to serve our country – and both deserve recognition for that.
The only question is, what did you do with your life after your military service?
Walz appears to have spent the next nearly four decades in public service, as a teacher, football coach, and in 1999, he took on the role of faculty adviser to his school’s first gay-straight alliance.
He was subsequently elected to Congress six times and was elected Governor of Minnesota in 2018.
Vance wrote a book and worked as a venture capitalist before being elected U.S. Senator a year ago.
There are many criteria by which one can judge these two men, but their honorable military service is not one of them.
So shut up, JD; you’re sullying your own uniform by criticizing someone else’s service.
On the other hand, should I have expected anything better from Trump’s vice presidential candidate?
No.
The second thing that came to mind was Joe Biden’s negotiations with Russia for a prisoner exchange of 24 people. This would not have been possible without the President’s partnership with more than six other countries.
This resulted in one of the largest prisoner exchanges since the end of the Cold War: 16 were released to the USA and Germany and eight to Russia.
While Trump has released prisoners during his time in office (usually one at a time), he insisted that only he, not Biden, would ever be able to negotiate the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.
Evan is now home, as are 16 other hostages (or people wrongfully held). The other eight went to Russia as part of the exchange.
What I am saying is that you cannot conduct a mass prisoner exchange of two dozen people from several countries if you do not have a solid reputation on the world stage.
And that is exactly what Biden has done during his career in the Senate and the White House.
It is easy to forget how hard Barack Obama worked to restore America’s reputation in the world after a series of catastrophic (to say the least) mistakes under the George W. administration after 9/11: waterboarding, secret blackout prisons, Guantanamo Bay, the Green Zone in Baghdad, Black Water excesses.
So, as Yogi Berra once said, it was déjà vu all over again: Biden has restored the world’s faith in America’s ability to lead after an equally disastrous Trump administration.
Is it any wonder that world leaders are looking at the upcoming election with great concern?
Trump’s return to the White House would be a step back into an era of mistrust fueled by arrogance.
Looking ahead, I can only imagine Kamala Harris using Biden’s international goodwill to deepen relations around the globe.
The alternative is too terrible to contemplate.
And finally, speaking of Trump: Oh, how low the old man has fallen (and HE is the old man).
His place is now completely dark, littered with horror visions, punctuated by insults straight from the playground.
Fortunately, we no longer have a Hobson’s choice between old and older.
We have something better.
How refreshing is that; it’s like receiving a birthday present.
Craig Farrand is former editor-in-chief of The News-Herald. He can be reached at [email protected].
