Veterans News

Memorial Day 2025

By Michael Schlesinger

Taps means a lot to us since we all know soldiers who were killed in Vietnam. I knew three, two brothers with whom I grew up, Jon Shine and Anthony Shine. Jon, a graduate of West Point, fell on a grenade to save his troops, Anthony, an Air Force Academy graduate, was shot down in the last couple of weeks of the Vietnam war. Tragically, his wife was pregnant with his daughter and he never met her. The third was Richie Marks, the brother of my high school girlfriend.  More

Military Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

By Michaelo Schlesinger

To date, President Trump has not offered a detailed definition of what D.E.I. means. However, the Heritage Foundation published on July 19, 2024 an  article entitled “DEI Is Distracting Our Military From Its Primary Task.” This article cited examples of D.E.I. in the military, namely Secretary of Defense Mark Esper’s 2020 memo which ordered a redesign of military education to teach service members about “implicit bias.” Defense Secretary Mark Esper stated that the military must strive to “achieve a more diverse force at the senior grades” by developing a strategy to “achieve a talent pipeline that reflects … U.S. Census projections.”

Where do we stand with respect to D.E.I. under President Trump’s administration?  Notwithstanding that the United States Supreme Court left in place that the United States military academies could discriminate in admission of individuals, President Trump recently eliminated this provision. Within days of his inauguration, President Trump fired Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, possibly on orders from the White House, fired Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield Adm and Lisa Franchetti, the Navy's top military officer. In February, President Donald Trump abruptly fired Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr. as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday, sidelining a history-making fighter pilot and respected officer as part of a campaign to rid the military of leaders who support diversity and equity in the ranks.

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The tragic history of discrimination in the United States Military 

By Michael Schlesinger

 The U.S. military has a long history of discrimination against people of color, women, and LGBTQ+ people. This discrimination has included segregation, unfair treatment, and restrictions on service.

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Prior Posts in Veterans News

Lt. Cmdr. Alison Hoyt (ret) More

Richard J. O’Neill, USN More

Veterans Day in the United States More

Anthony Buffalo Tabbytite Code Talker More

Patriot Day & POW?MIA Recognition Day More

Veterans History Project More

Purple Heart Day More

Major Megan McClung More

Normandy American Cemetary Visit More

Vietnam Veterans Day More

Mission Viejo Military Academy Twins Read Full Article

Military Veteran Presidents More

William “Bill” Stephenson More

Mike Wolff, A Success Story of an Immigrant More