De-Republicanizing the Ranks

Over a span of about thirty years, the officer corps took on a decidedly Republican flavor. I know. I was there. It was lonely duty, but I never felt like my patriotism was questioned, and my husband was the foremost Constitutional expert in his (non JAG) squadrons. He was always quick to point out that his oath was to the Constitution of this country not to a political party, and he made opportunities to bring up the Constitution and discuss it with Airmen in his command.

He wanted them to understand the document they pledged to uphold. Command was (is) a sacred trust with him. He wanted to leave them better than he found them. That involved deepening their understanding of the mission. Not just the immediate one, but the overarching mission that supersedes all others: America.

We held fast as about 70% of the officer corps identified as Republican. As I said, it was lonely duty. Now the tide appears to be turning. The bloom appears to be off the Republican rose as far as the officer corps is concerned. Buried in the Military Times poll is this little nugget: Officers self-identifying as Republican is down to 46% - the lowest level since the early 1980's, when the Republican upswing happened all around me.

That Republicanization can be explained, actually, as more of a Southernization than a Republicanization. First, the Northeast has lost a lot of military installations and ROTC programs as bases in the south have seen missions enhanced and added. Although the south as a region only produces 30% of the nations college students, they have 40% of the ROTC programs. Recruitment efforts gradually focused more on southern regions. Couple that social dynamic with the reality that only 12 of the last 38 years have seen a Democrat as the Commander in Chief, the rightward shift becomes understandable. Obvious, even. As the meme was propagated that Republicans were stalwarts and the Democrats were "soft" on defense, the shift continued unchecked.

Until a Republican president came along and violated their trust and destroyed what took men like my husband and brother thirty years to build. Now their political affiliations are shifting, and the shift is dramatic. Remember, the biggest Democratic upset in the country (KS-02) was delivered by two military installations when they didn't turn out for Jim Ryun. Remember all those "Fighting Dems" who ran for office. The day of peddling the meme that the military is Republican out of self interest is mercifully fading, and not a moment too soon.

Once more, when you consider who answered the questions, the answers take on a new significance.