Why Wokism Is Causing Decay in America's Defenses

Recently I (John Lovell) had an opportunity to speak alongside other Special Operations guys at Turning Point's America Fest 2021 on Dec. 21. You can pick up pieces of it at Fox News or on the Turning Point YouTube channel.

This gathering has important implications for the future of our country, and the many people who attended or watched the livestream can attest to just how encouraging this event is to those of us who love this country.

I was invited to speak on a panel alongside some true American heroes–former Navy SEAL Chad Wright and former Army Ranger sniper Ryan Cleckner–and this gave us an opportunity to address the dangerous effect of wokeness on military and first responders and on the safety and security of our people.

Wokeness Erodes Confidence in What We're Defending

Woke ideology is devastating in numerous ways. First of all, I think it steals the hearts of soldiers.

Soldiers are supposed to be ready to die in defense of their country, but if pervasive woke ideology claims that our country is evil–that we're all white supremacist, xenophobic land-stealing fascists–why in the world would a soldier want to defend that?

And leftist ideology gets people killed, as we see from the shameful retreat from Afghanistan. It's costing people's lives and also signals to the rest of the world that America is weak and vulnerable. Meanwhile, Russia is gearing up. China is gearing up.

They're not playing woke gender games. They're getting ready to take over and dominate. This is going to literally get people killed. It already is. And it's eviscerating the military with a mass evacuation of the Special Operations community. The author G.K. Chesterton said "The true soldier fights not because he hates what's in front of him but because he loves what's behind him."

Often we're debilitated by fear, but when we think about the people we love and the country we love, that love casts out fear and gives us courage. Unfortunately, the woke movement is causing serious doubt about whether there's anything important left to defend.

Wokeness Produces Weak Sheep Leadership

While the U.S. has the most elite fighting force in the world ready to live and die defending our freedom, weak leadership will make that amount to no real advantage.

Alexander the Great said he "didn't fear an army of lions led by a sheep, but he did fear an army of sheep led by a lion." Everything rises and falls on leadership.

Weak leaders like we have today will allow the greatest military force in history to weaken, decay and get killed as a result of decisions that bow to the opinions of weaker countries.

They did it with the Afghanistan withdrawal and they'll do it again in dozens of small and significant ways until there's no strength left.

This is why it's important that we vote for and demand strong leadership that has our country's best intentions in mind with policy decisions.

We cannot survive it and we cannot change it until we demand better leaders. America deserves it and freedom necessitates it.

Wokeness Demands Courage and Action

It's easy to allow wokeness to persist at the personal level of friends and family because you want to avoid the fight or the awkward conversation.

But bravery at this level is the most essential venue for the war of ideas. Obviously, respect is of primary importance since destroying relationships is not an ideal outcome.

But gently defending your points with gentleness and respect can sometimes change the trajectory of a life. And when you consider what's at stake, the awkward conversation seems worth it.

Train Hard. Train Smart. Be Brave and Kind Against Wokeness.