Terminal Lance, the no-holds-barred comic strip created by Marine veteran Max Uriarte, posted a status on his official Facebook page today that perfectly captures the outlook of many young veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Here’s the quote: “It’s the 4-8 year enlistment combat veterans that get out and change the world, not the 20 year lifers that chewed you out every day.”
What’s great about Terminal Lance is that it gives voice to lower-ranking enlisted Marines who, while they’re in uniform, at least, cannot always speak their minds.
And while this may seem as another complaint from a disgruntled group of enlisted men and women who are tired of being treated as inferiors to those who spend a career in uniform, Uriarte touches on something great here.
While I don’t agree that the next chapter of American history cannot be written by veterans who served more than 20 years, Uriarte is right that this is our generation, our time. The military wasn’t a career for us; it was a crucible, a chance to develop some incredible skills that we now get to use in the American civilian sector.