The US Military Is Far More Than A "Killing" Force

On a recent CNN segment discussing the NFL protest, actor Jesse Williams of ABC'S Grey's Anatomy offered this startling take. "This national anthem thing is a scam. It has nothing to do with NFL or American pastime or tradition. This is to get boys and girls to go overseas and go kill people". Mr. Williams surely isn't the only person to share this grotesquely superficial observation of our armed forces. His opinion is also absent of any semblance of perspective. The men and woman of the US armed services save more lives and provide more assistance than any fighting force in the world. The US military's role in world stability is severely understated at best. For instance, the US Navy is solely responsible for securing the world's shipping lanes which allows global trade to flow freely.

There are 40,000 US troops currently stationed along the demilitarized zone on the Korean peninsula which has prevented North Korea from annexing the South for over 60 years-saving untold numbers of lives. From early 1991 to 2003 the US along with the UK and French forces instituted no fly zones in northern and southern Iraq in order to protect Iraqi Kurds and Shiite's respectively from Genocide at the hands of Saddam Hussein. Some human rights groups estimate that as many as 182,000 Kurds were slaughtered by Saddam. The no fly zones prevented these defenseless populations from certain decimation. The 4.6 million residents of Kabul Afghanistan are undoubtedly appreciative of  the 15,000 troops that protect them from a certain massacre by Taliban fighters who still control large swaths of the country.

The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami affected 14 nations and killed an estimated 230,000-280,000. The US military launched Operation Unified Assistance whereby more than 12,600 department of defense personnel were involved in the relief effort. US aircraft were involved in search and rescue, transporting of supplies, and evacuations of over 6,500 victims. US armed forces have intervened several times in Haiti to save lives and prevent bloodshed. A civil war was averted in 2004 when then President George W. Bush dispatched US Marines to remove corrupt dictator Jean Bertrand Aristead after armed insurgents marched on the capital. During its massive earthquake of 2010, the US dispatched more than 22,000 troops and hundreds of aircraft to Haiti to deliver food, water, medical aid, and lead evacuation efforts.

During the west African Ebola outbreak of 2015, once again our men and woman in uniform sprung into action with its 'Operation Unified Assistance' program. 4,000 troops were sent to Liberia to assist with stemming the epidemic. Over 400 troops from the engineering battalion were deployed to the capital city of Liberia to build facilities-including a 25 bed hospital for health workers. Eventually American forces would go on to construct 10 treatment centers with 50 beds each which were instrumental in stopping the epidemic. Mr. Williams' narrow view of our military is more disturbing in that he is an American citizen who has reduced he fellow American citizens to nothing more than trained killers; The same Americans who protect him and hundreds of millions around the world. He should speak to residents from the dozens of  nations who are alive today due to the sacrifice and compassion of the United States military.