The meritocracy that defined America’s strength and excellence for almost 250 years may be breathing its last. This meritocracy is the US military, and its undoing is coming from within as leaders embrace wokeness at the highest levels.

Long before Gen. Mark Milley defended himself and other military leaders from being called ‘woke, the force he would someday come to lead was the standard of the very thing the woke crowd decries: a meritocracy. This is a rare place where nationality, skin color and even gender are secondary to one thing: An ability to perform at an exceptionally high level in environments where safe spaces don’t exist.

I was honored to be able to see this performance first hand as a Marine Corps combat correspondent, attached to units across all branches of the US military through multiple combat tours. Despite what politicians and some senior leaders would have us believe; skin color becomes irrelevant when rounds are coming in. In combat, the only thing that mattered for us was the ability to execute our duties and count on teammates to execute theirs. Our performance, and not our diversity, is what got us promoted, accomplished our missions and kept folks alive.

Make no mistake, the troops I served alongside were diverse enough to please the wokest folks on the planet. They were black, white, Hispanic, and Asian. They were heterosexual, gay, and bisexual. However, their shared mission overshadowed any differences or history of discrimination. As our military becomes caught up in the same arguments facing the society they protect and defend, there is a group of people who are watching gleefully as we place our focus on whether critical race theory should even be on military reading lists, and those folks are America’s enemies.

Having met and interviewed many of them myself, I can attest that our adversaries are not concerned with diversity. They’re concerned with winning at all costs through the focused application of destruction and violence. We shouldn’t forget why our military exists. It’s not to eventually evolve into the utopia many in our country are trying to reshape our nation into. Rather, our military exists to prevent anyone from imposing their vision of utopia on American citizens or its allies. The meritocracy our troops come from could teach all of us about accepting diversity as they continue to put their differences aside to accomplish a greater goal. Meritocracy still has a place in America and her defense, and those who wield it best are the very same people who have to look past race, ethnicity and every other ‘ism’ in order to come together – a lesson every company could benefit from. The men and women I served beside faced adversity together not because they were trying to undo past wrongs, but because they love what America stands for and the promises she holds for each of us.

Shawn Rhodes is a disabled combat veteran, former sergeant in the US MarineCorps, TEDx speaker and CEO of Bulletproof Selling. He can be reached at [email protected]

PolitiCrossing founder Chris Widener interviews SC Congressional candidate Graham Allen. See more about Graham Allen after the video!

You can donate to Graham here.

From Graham’s site, here is a little about him:

Graham Allen is an accomplished entrepreneur, author, media personality, and combat veteran. He served in the United States Army for over twelve years, including two tours during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and completed his service as an Army Staff Sergeant (E-6).

Graham started his family and found his permanent home in South Carolina after finishing his military service while stationed in Anderson, SC.

Through his rural upbringing and service, Graham developed a profound appreciation for America and an unwavering belief in our founding principles. After leaving active duty, Graham launched social media-based radio and television programs to advocate for conservative principles and common sense.

Graham’s audience rapidly grew alongside President Trump’s America First movement; his channels have amassed over five million followers and four billion video views to date. He is a contributor to Turning Point U.S.A., the author of America 3:16, and the host of Dear America Podcast, one of the fastest-growing podcasts in the country.

Graham and his wife, Ellisa, are the proud parents of three children. Together, they founded the Dear America Foundation, a charity whose mission is to “serve those that serve” by providing financial support to the families of veterans, law enforcement officers, and first responders undergoing hardship.