By Paul S. Gardiner

America’s military veterans can no longer sit on the sidelines when there is a well-funded, ongoing cultural and political war being waged to turn America into a Marxist, communist, totalitarian state. It truly is time for America’s 20 million-plus veterans and numerous veterans organizations to become actively engaged in this war and help to defeat the “forces of darkness” fighting against America.

It is time for veterans organizations such as the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Vietnam Veterans of America, and numerous others to actively take part in the war being waged against practically every strata of American society. Most of these organizations have state and local chapters where members and other patriotic Americans can join together to combat radical, far-left programs at the local level. These efforts could include, for example, appearances before county/city school boards of education to strongly speak against the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT).

In simplest terms, CRT is nothing more than a derivation of Marxist ideology in which a person’s race, rather than a person’s class, is the basis for struggle and conflict. Rather than unite Americans of all races into a strong, vibrant nation, CRT strives to divide Americans and keep them divided into different racial groups in conflict with one another.

One of the most onerous situations today involves substantial numbers of America’s elementary/secondary school children and university students. These young people are being fed a steady diet of what amounts to communist propaganda and ideology couched in terms of CRT, cancel culture, and other anti-American ideologies. Teachers refusing to teach these “doctrines” to school children frequently lose their jobs or otherwise suffer some kind of retribution.

CRT recently infiltrated America’s military forces and service academies. Moreover, this ideology, where practically every matter is viewed through the lens of race and white supremacy, has permeated many other institutions and organizations throughout America including major corporations, universities, news media, the entertainment industry, and public schools. There is little doubt that the Chinese Communist Party is a major sponsor and proponent of the divisive teachings of CRT.

Given all the above, how can veterans and veterans organizations significantly contribute to defeating the forces of darkness desiring to have America’s constitutional republic and cherished individual freedoms go down the tubes? Some suggested actions are as follows:

1) Contact and support the newly formed veterans organization Standing Together Against Racism and Radicalization in the Services (https://www.STARRS.us), headed by retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Rod Bishop. To date, 13 additional retired general officers are involved with STARRS along with over 70 additional veterans throughout the U.S. The primary mission of STARRS is to “educate military leaders, the men and women that serve, and most importantly, the American people, of the dangers of neo-Marxism and Critical Race Theory ideology.”

2) Contact organizations that are actively fighting the teaching of CRT to American youth in public schools and universities. Arrange to appear with them as a group of concerned veterans at important school board meetings and other venues where testimony is offered against CRT. Explain why CRT teachings are detrimental to students, especially young students, and how CRT indoctrination eventually will negatively affect the national defense of the nation (less people willing to serve a racist country, etc).

Organizations to contact are: Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism (fairforall.org); Parents Defending Education (defendinged.org); No Left Turn in Education (noleftturn.us); Undoctrinate (Undoctrinate.org); What Are They Learning (WhatAreTheyLearning.com); Heritage Action for America (https://heritageaction.com/toolkit/rejectcrt); and 1776 Project (https://1776projectpac.com/).

(3) Contact and support the Alliance Defending Freedom (https://adflegal.org/), which is an alliance of lawyers throughout the U.S. that defends the rights of people refusing to teach or bow down to radical, far-left policies and anti-American programs, including CRT.

America’s military veterans are needed now to become actively engaged in the war against radical, far-left teachings and programs such as CRT. America needs its veterans to step up and uphold their lifelong oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

Paul S. Gardiner is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, Vietnam veteran, and American Legion member. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Alabama, and the U.S. Army War College.