Throughout world history, great powers rise and fall at the hands of either external or internal enemies. They fall when the institutions that hold the society together are destroyed or people lose faith in them. Presently, the woke left, or dissenters from the “idea of America” within the US are perpetuating an ideological attack on TRUSTED American institutions like the police and church. They say these institutions are racist, harmful, or not “anti-racist” enough. They manipulate statistics and enlist media allies to shine a light ONLY on the examples that reinforce THEIR argument.
A decline in trust can lead to less compliance with rules and regulations. When institutions cease to function or lose the confidence of those they serve, civil unrest can follow. An implosion of trust would destroy a country.
What institutions do Americans trust?
Gallup polling has measured the trust Americans place in their institutions for almost fifty years. Some institutions like the Media and Congress have ridiculously low ratings, 18% and 13% apiece. The 2020 results also recorded a worrying decline of trust in schools down at 41%, the Church at 42%, and the police at 48%. The top two remained the Military and small businesses at 72% and 75% respectively. But in an attempt to erode some of this trust, and knock down its high public esteem, a New York Times article titled “The Few, the Proud, the White” raged that Marines, at least in the leadership ranks, are akin to white overlords, and need to be more “anti-racist” in their policies and promotions. The subtitle ran “The Marine Corps Balks at promoting Generals of Color.”
The New York Times goes after Marines
The article stated:
“Marines have a singular race problem that critics say is rooted in decades of resistance to change... the Marines — who have long cultivated a reputation as the United States’ strongest fighting force — remain an institution where a handful of white men rule over 185,000 white, African-American, Hispanic and Asian men, and women”.
The substance of the article discusses a Black Colonel, Col. Anthony Henderson, who has been passed over three times, for promotion to Brigadier General, a position in the top tier of Marine Corps leadership. He is being considered again in the current round of promotions. Yet, without interviewing either Colonel Henderson or those on the panel that governs promotion decisions, and without substantial consideration to the many criteria used in these decisions, the author concluded that the lack of promotion is due to the color of his skin.
This type of reporting and ideological activism jeopardizes the trust in such a storied institution whose entire mantra refutes such low blows at its integrity. First, America, for the most part, operates as a meritocracy: who is the best determines who advances to the top. When you consult a dental surgeon, for example, you want one with the top qualifications, not the best diversity or intersectionality criteria checked.
This principle of merit guides the marines too. As does the concept that color is irrelevant. They have a saying, “We see no color but Green.” (Green because that is the color of their combat uniform).
When enemies are rushing towards you in the theater of war and you are depending on your fellow marine are you really noticing the color of their skin? Marines become thick friends during boot camp, which is characterized as an environment of racial harmony where proficiency as a war-fighter is what marks you out from the crowd. Or in the words of Lieutenant Colonel Joseph “Joe Marine” Shusko, “when you’re pukin’ out there, brush it off and move on. Think about your brothers, they’ll pull you through and you’ll pull them through”.
The findings of a detailed study of marine behaviors and training techniques confirm these traits. In training programs, like the MCMAP, MACE, and MAIT programs, Lt. Col. Shusko trains Marines to express the prized values of the Corps and to refuse to focus on their own pain and discomfort. This is done by using familial or kinship terminology that indexes unwavering commitment to other Marines. 
For example, the use of the term “brother” as opposed to individual names that are more likely to provoke a more individual/emotional driven reaction. There is an upshot to this kind of discourse; a Marine who chooses to monitor his or her own conduct works to make it habit. Their thinking and actions puts other Marines first.
Lieutenants use the battlefield actions of World War II-era Marines as an example for present trainees, and the connection between past, present, and future. That act of remembering, and remembering together in the context of training, is an important way that the Marines generate their tradition. “Marines have a tradition to uphold” is a phrase heard repeatedly. These tie-ins show the choice Marines make to commit themselves totally in their character, their minds, and their bodies to the values of the Corps.
For Marines, physical training underpins the mental and character training they must do, too. Colonel Bryan P. McCoy notes that among other things, physical fatigue, stress, loss of sleep, and heavy soldier load are critical factors that detract from a soldier’s will to fight. 
So, these are precisely the factors that can be, and are, replicated in training; hence the basis of the Marine Corps mantra to “train like they fight and fight like they train.” In fact, combat veterans say the way they are taught to move in a training environment is replicated on a battlefield. This is evident when they use phrases like "then the training takes over,” when discussing danger and having to face fear.
Consider the comments of U.S. Marine and 2008 Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Hershel Williams who operated a flamethrower during the Battle of Iwo Jima (now called by the original name of Iwo To) during World War II. Williams was asked if he was scared after he recounted crawling through machine-gun fire that bounced off the tanks of fuel on his back in order to destroy multiple Japanese bunkers. He replied “Absolutely I was scared. That’s where the training comes in. You don’t think, you respond…I was doing the job I was trained to do” 
Likewise, Sergeant Desamours noted how character, physical strength, and mental discipline reinforce each other to determine a marine’s action when on patrol duty in places like Iraq: “There are 194 people out there looking to kill you, so you have to be ready, or I’m going to get shot or my Marines are going to get shot”. For combat veterans like Sgt Jesse Kelly, the US Marine Corps is “the only place I’ve ever been that truly didn’t care about race”.
Additionally, and conspicuously absent from the New York Times article, is any mention of General Peterson, a Black General from the 1950s who was inspired by the first Navy Black pilot Jesse Brown, to become the Marine Corps first Black aviator, and that he did.
Later he became a General, and all this in an era when blacks in America were still regarded as second-class citizens. An era where Democrat leaders presided over policies that discriminated against Blacks gaining access to skilled employment and education.
General Peterson is now honored with a top-spec US Destroyer named in his honor – the USS Peterson DDG 121.
Trump Disavows Critical Race Training
In a sudden drop of good news, on September 4th, the Trump Office of Budget and Management announced the first successful counterattack against critical race theory, and “anti-racism” training which left activists want in institutions like the US Marines. It read:
“It has come to the President's attention that Executive Branch agencies have spent millions of taxpayer dollars to date "training" government workers to believe divisive, anti-American propaganda. For example, according to press reports, employees across the Executive Branch have been required to attend training where they are told that "virtually all white people contribute to racism" or where they are required to say that they "benefit from racism."
It continued,
“According to press reports, in some cases, these trainings have further claimed that there is racism embedded in the belief that America is the land of opportunity or the belief that the most qualified person should receive a job. These types of "trainings" not only run counter to the fundamental beliefs for which our Nation has stood since its inception, but they also engender division and resentment within the Federal workforce. We can be proud that as an employer, the Federal government has employees of all races, ethnicity, and religions.”
“The President has directed me to ensure that Federal agencies cease and desist from using taxpayer dollars to fund these divisive, un-American propaganda training sessions...
... all agencies are directed to begin to identify all contracts or other agency spending related to any training on "critical race theory/ "white privilege," or any other training or propaganda effort that teaches or suggests either (1) that the United States is an inherently racist or evil country or (2) that any race or ethnicity is inherently racist or evil. In addition, all agencies should begin to identify all available avenues within the law to cancel any such contracts and/or to divert Federal dollars away from these un-American propaganda training sessions.”
To finish, it said,
“The President, and his Administration, intends to continue to support all Americans, regardless of race, religion, or creed.”
This is exactly the type of measure needed to combat an ideology which is packaged in such a way that it looks harmless and even helpful, before turning into a program teaching Americans that they are inherently bad because of their culture and race in a demeaning way. And this ideology is spreading everywhere right now.
On another positive note, several INFLUENTIAL liberal thinkers, Eric Weinstein, Bret Weinstein, James Lindsay, and Benjamin Boyce have commended President Trump for this move, and say they are eager to hear from the Biden campaign, and whether it would uphold this order.
But in the words of Benjamin, “I have a feeling that Biden will do whatever his handlers tell him to do, and his handlers are on board with critical race theory training.” Biden indeed appears to confirm this in a June 20th interview here. It may turn out that many Democrat supporters who abhor a leftist ideology that has gone too far, switch their vote this November due to this issue alone.
Carol King received a first-class BA (honors) in History and Politics from Stirling University, along with an exceptional commendation for a study on US public opinion and Foreign Policy. She also completed a year of study at the University of London before taking up a Graduate Proctor Fellowship at Princeton University. She further completed an MPhil in American Politics at Dundee University. Aspiring to be a writer/commentator on American politics, she now writes for UncoverDC.
Twitter: @CarolKing561
