Monday begins a three-post series by former Marine – yes, we know there is no such thing – William Treseder on American blood and treasure.
He’s one of those strange hybrids: a Marine sergeant who ended up as one of a handful of combat troops (he served in both Afghanistan and Iraq) to find himself attending Stanford University.
There was a bit of a disconnect, as he confided to the Los Angeles Times‘ Tony Perry two years ago:
On his first day as a student at Stanford University after serving as an enlisted Marine in Iraq, William Treseder rushed to get to the dining hall by 6 a.m. Stanford dining halls, it turned out, open in the morning at the same time that Marine chow halls close: 8 a.m.
He remains concerned by the gap between those fighting America’s wars and her citizenry:
I grew up in liberal Northern California suburb, one of two people to join the military out of a 500-person high school class. The shock of boot camp was just the beginning of a years-long exploration of the vast cultural difference between these worlds. Jumping between a Bay Area college and the military five times in as many years forced me to constantly confront the misunderstandings and biases on both sides. Unfortunately, I see further disassociation as the wars wind down, with little hope for reconciliation on the social and political fronts. Simply put, the economics of war are widening internal fissures. Correcting these warped incentives is the logical first step to heal our nation.
His is a voice we need to hear more often. Yes, we can write all we want about An Army Apart, but it means more coming from someone who did the fighting, and now has a chance to ponder how he, and the country, reacted in 9/11’s wake, and what it bodes for the American future.