"I have not yet begun to fight!"

Winning a war isn't a straight line

A history lesson

When I returned home from Iraq after my second tour there I had some time on my hands. The 101st Airborne division at Fort Campbell, where I was assigned at the time, had deployed while I was serving on a higher headquarters staff in Baghdad so I didn’t really have a job although I was technically the Deputy Public Affairs Officer for the post.

The garrison public affairs officer was a retired Lieutenant Colonel who had been there since Christ was a Corporal. George was a salty old guy with a big heart. I came home and being the good soldier immediately reported to my office.

George walked in and swiftly kicked me out. “Fred you’ve been deployed for two out of the last three years. Go home to your family and if someone comes looking for you I’ll call you.” I lived literally half a mile away. I took his orders.

No one ever came looking for me.

It gave me time to do some research and I discovered that my family line went all the way back to 1640 in Massachusetts. Our military service started during the French-Indian War and continued all the way to now. One of my great grandfather’s was actually a Minuteman with the Mansfield Militia and had answered the Lexington Alarm before being integrated into the Colonial Army where he served most of the war.

That war lasted over 7 years. It did not go well for most of it.

Why we must learn from history

I think of this because we just lost a battle. It was actually closer than we thought at first but a defeat nonetheless. If you’ve read the book ‘1776’ by David McCullough, you will know how badly that year went for the Americans. Saved only on Christmas eve with Washington’s daring raid on Trenton with whom my great grandfather fought that cold night.

But it was a long road to Yorktown. The tide of war ebbed and flowed back and forth numerous times. In the end the alliance with France saved the day and allowed the American Army to go on the offensive and drive out the British forces.

It’s easy to forget how long it took. We are in a war for the heart of our nation. We’ve been in it for a long time. Nine years and counting now we’ve had to push back against the MAGA movement. We thought we had it in 2020 but it only regrouped and came back for another victory.

But we aren’t done yet. We have work to do. This is a setback for sure but like any great battle, we will suffer setbacks but we must regroup and carry on. In August of 1779 the Battle of Flamborough Head unfolded off the coast of England. Commanding the U.S.S. Bonhomme Richard was Captain John Paul Jones.

As the winds faded and the battle heated up its reported that the Captain of the HMS Serapis demanded his surrender to which myth tells us Jones replied, “I have not yet begun to fight!”

He did prevail with the help of allies and sister ships and is now known as the Father of the U.S. Navy. Sadly the Naval Academy’s football team will once again lose to the Army next week…but for today we will recognize their illustrious history.

We have just begun to fight

I get the feeling of defeat at the moment but it’s time to take stock, count our assets, and get back in the fight soon. I’ve had so many people ask me how they can do something.

A lot of us us are looking for ways we can participate in turning the tide. Tuesday night I sat down and created a list of many of the things I’ve been telling folks they can do in various forums and posted them to my Bluesky account. I believe we have to start local and in our communities. Here are some highlights.

1) 31 states have local/state elections starting in February. Get involved or even run.

2) Join a special issue group like ones that support civil rights, LGTBQ, abortion, gun safety, veterans, or immigrant rights. All of these issues are going to be in the crosshairs and will need allies and supporters to battle back.

3) Join a local civic group to fight locally like your local Democratic clubs or committees. There is never enough volunteers for local party work.

4) If you’re a member of a union find a way to get involved in lobbying or advocacy.

5) Write and call your Senator and demand hearings and that they properly vet Trump’s outrageous picks for his Cabinet and other appointments.

6) Write letters to the editor and OpEds for your local and regional papers. Public pressure works even with an authoritarian leaning leader like Trump.

7) Support alternative media groups and creators like me through paid subscriptions, following them, and subscribing on their channels. We need to have voices beyond the mainstream media and for them to do it takes money and support.

8) Don’t give in to despair and surrender. That’s what MAGA wants. Authoritarians want you scared and broken. Resolve and joy is light in the dark.

9) Demand answers and accountability from our side too. We must address where we fell short. It’s not disloyal to question your own side’s missteps. We have to figure it out if we hope to turn the tide.

10) Don’t be silent. Don’t obey in advance. Use your voices.

11) Form coalitions. We all know that the left is no monolith. Even in special issues there are differences in approaches. We can disagree on details but stopping fascism matters now.

12) VOTE! It still matters. I know many are scared we won’t have any more elections. I do not share that fear. This is still the United States and there are lines even Trump can’t cross.

An example for us all

As I was thinking of a guest to have this holiday week I was reminded of my friend Patrick Murphy. Patrick served with the 82nd Airborne in Iraq and when he left the Army ran for Congress in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and became the first Post-9/11 veteran to serve. After two terms he left and was later named the Under Secretary of the Army under President Obama.

In between he started his own nonprofit and a political action committee to elect more veterans to office. Had a show on MSNBC called ‘Taking the Hill’ and got involved in supporting the Chamber of Commerces incredibly successful ‘Hiring our Heroes’ effort. He also teaches at the Wharton Business School.

He has never stopped trying to find new and original ways to help his fellow veterans and Americans. Now he is launching a new podcast with Yahoo Finance to help veterans and servicemembers better manage their funds. He is also a leader with ‘Face the Fight’ an effort to end veteran suicide on top of Ballot PA, an effort to allow registered independents vote in a party primary of their choice.

So…yeah…my friend Patrick truly epitomizes what I am saying we must do in this moment. He has found issues he cares about and volunteered. He has joined veterans groups to fight for their benefits and rights. He is involved in shaping our democracy.

I was happy to catch up with him again for this week’s show.

You can also find all of this amazing work at his website here:

https://www.patrickjmurphy.com/

The show

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