Without a doubt, the COVID-19 pandemic is testing the United States’ resolve. UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated recently that the coronavirus outbreak is the “biggest challenge for the world since World War Two.” There are many parallels of the current crisis to the global confrontation during the middle of the last century.

This song is a follow on from my poem Stolen Honor, it imagines a fictional soldier — Johnny Ayers — who was part of 1st Platoon and the impact the President’s unjustified actions had on him.

The poem is inspired by the true story of First Platoon and the Court Martial and subsequent pardoning of First Lieutenant Clint Lorance by President Trump. Their story can be found here.

“Those who contemplate their aging, vulnerability and mortality often live better lives and experience better deaths than those who don’t.”

Though some like to argue about the “War on Christmas”, the fact is that it was not a widely celebrated holiday prior to the mid 19th century. The early American progeny of today’s most conservative Christians actually forbid the celebration of the holiday.

As a veteran I have been troubled by this idea that as a group we have the moral authority to claim our country’s iconography as righteously ours.  That perceived disrespect towards our nation’s symbols is also a direct affront to those who have served in the military.