Veterans’ Voices Must Be in Policy Debates

Many of our nation's greatest presidents have been veterans of war: George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower. Military service is not necessary for a successful tenure in the White House, but it brings a deep understanding of war, in all its difficult dimensions, that every president must possess. The next commander in chief, like every one since 1941, will have to make difficult decisions about deploying American forces into deadly circumstances abroad and managing the consequences for communities at home. The great presidents who did not serve in the military - John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Woodrow Wilson - had close advisers who brought that experience to their deliberations. They relied on former soldiers for guidance on how to judge adversaries, how to prepare American forces, where to deploy them and, most important, when to show restraint. Military experience has always tempered the most aggressive urges of ambitious political commanders. The domestic side of military experience has proved even more important for presidents.