‘America First’ means evaluating real cost of our wars — and who pays the ultimate price

There are far too many people of power and influence in our nation who have never met a war they did not love, profit from in some way, or both. The vast majority of these people have never served in the military, never walked point in combat, never supported special operations, never worked in country undercover — nor have any of their family members.

Since the draft ended back in 1973, not serving in or around the military has become the norm for the vast majority of Americans. We must never forget the Americans who have continually enlisted in the military or honorably worked in the intelligence community since the end of the draft, stepping into harm’s way for the good of the nation.

These patriotic young men and women are not meaningless statistics or cheap disposable pawns. They are human beings who hope and pray to have full lives of their own. They are sons, daughters, brothers, sisters and grandchildren. And should they be killed or wounded in combat, those who will grieve for them will forever be broken.

In a very real way, the young men and women who serve our nation in combat or in our various three-letter agencies are our most valuable commodity. They stand watch on a wall most shun. They are our protectors. The neocons, politicians and pundits aching to send them into danger, often living in bubbles of entitlement and luxury thousands of miles from the battlefield, must never forget that.

Nor should they forget that when the “winds of war” are fanned, the ripples soon spread like a toxic poison, which can stay in the global system for years.

Back in March of 2003, the “nation-building” neoconservatives got their way with Iraq. Hundreds of thousands of men, women and children were killed or wounded as those ripples spread across that land — a land that, ironically, stood as a natural buffer to Iran.

Today, we are at war with Iran. Some truly believe it is for vital reasons — mainly, to ensure that the maniacal leadership of Iran never builds a nuclear weapon. Others in and out of our government truly believe that we never should have attacked Iran, that the strategy we had in place was working and that, if we did attack, multiple negative consequences would be created with no viable off-ramps.

As our leaders contemplate sending our protectors into combat, one question should be uppermost in everyone’s mind: Is it vital to the security of the U.S., or are these men and women potentially being sacrificed in the name of political and personal ambition, as a favor to another world leader, or for outright profiteering?

And , as we ponder those critically important questions, another must be asked: Are some of the “ripples of war” now washing over, say, the citizens of Iran turning more and more of them against the people of the U.S.? These innocent men, women and children, it must never be forgotten, are victims of the brutal regime in Iran. What are the long-term implications of that unintended consequence?

Is war sometimes necessary? Of course. But some would convincingly argue that every war since the conclusion of WWII has been a war of choice. Whose choice is it? Who has benefited from that choice, and who has paid the highest and most devastating of prices?

Our Founding Fathers were the originators of the “America First” ideal. They were indeed wise men who strongly believed in the separation of church and state, and understood that for our nation to survive and flourish, no faith nor any other nation must come before it. I authored a book on the Founding Fathers, titled “The 56.” I truly believe that men like Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin would understand that the working class and disenfranchised of each country on earth are all in this together, against the all-powerful and often faceless elites.

“America First” must ensure that the innocent, powerless civilians of any and every nation on earth, be it Iran, Israel, China, Russia, Ukraine, Venezuela, Cuba or even Canada, understand that the people of the United States are not their enemy. That, truly, is “America First.”

Douglas MacKinnon is a former White House and Pentagon official.