Chris Talgo: Yes, We Can Still Count on the Young to Defend America
As we honor this Memorial Day the hundreds of thousands of young, brave Americans who have lost their lives in defense of the U.S., one can’t help but wonder if today’s youth would answer the call to duty as eagerly as their parents and grandparents did during times of crisis.
We’ve been told today’s youth are soft. They’re snowflakes. They’re addicted to social media, couldn’t care less about freedom, and are incapable of the discipline and sacrifices demanded by military service.
While some, if not most, of that is true, there are also several reasons to be highly optimistic that if they are needed, America’s young would rally to the cause.
Starting with the most basic and relevant statistic, military recruitment data, the numbers show a strong surge since President Trump’s victory in the 2024 election. This year, the U.S. Army has met its recruit and re-enlistment goals, well before the September 30 deadline. The Space Force and Air Force are also receiving strong recruitment bumps. So is the Navy.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attributes the rise in recruitment to Trump ordering the military to get back to basics, cut the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion nonsense, and refocus on combat readiness. When the military carries out its core mission and doesn’t waste time and resources on DEI training seminars, more recruits want to enlist. Go figure.
Not that long ago, I was a public high school teacher. One thing I will never forget is the dedication and integrity of so many young men and women in the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC). Although they weren’t perfect, they were leaders in and out of the classroom. Many were first-generation immigrants who were proud to be American citizens.
Believe it or not, large numbers of high schoolers, especially in semi-suburban and rural towns in the South, are patriotic and would fight for this country if they were called to do so.
Things look bright for the future. While many Americans of current service age are less than ideal, considering their physical abilities coupled with their lack of mental toughness, the Make America Healthy Again movement seems to be gaining momentum.
The MAHA movement seeks to make children physically healthier by reducing their vast intake of highly processed junk food while advocating for more outdoor activity. The MAHA movement recognizes that a generation of young people has been sickened by ultra-processed foods and poisoned by doom-scrolling on social media. They’ve seen the damage of digital obsession and want to ensure their children aren’t overexposed to screens and social media.
The movement, although not politically aligned, espouses a patriotic message, which resonates with many mothers who voted for Trump in 2024. This bodes well for the future of America’s defense prowess, knowing that a generation of physically and mentally capable youth is waiting in the wings.
Last, it would be a mistake to underestimate the rush of patriotism that would almost inevitably occur if the United States were attacked and provoked into a war. We saw a classic case of this in the hours, days and weeks after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, when hundreds of thousands of teenagers enlisted.
A similar patriotic phenomenon occurred in the days, weeks and months after September 11, 2001. At that time, I had just graduated from high school and begun my freshman year in college. When I heard that a few of my high school friends had joined the military after the attack, I was shocked. In all honesty, I never, ever thought any of them would wind up in the military.
If the U.S. is ever attacked, as it was on Dec. 7, 1941, or Sept. 11, 2001, I have no concern that America’s young and brave will do everything they can to protect their families and defend the homeland.
However, if China were to invade Taiwan, I doubt there would be mass support among young Americans to fight. Young Americans don’t want to be the world police, and they should not be used as such.
Editor’s note: Chris Talgo is editorial director at The Heartland Institute. He wrote this for InsideSources.com. Please send your comments to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.
