Hillary Clinton’s Selfless and True Leadership
By Blake Hansen
Sometimes, in just the right light, the cragged peaks of Afghanistan look a lot like the mountains of my adopted home state of Colorado. But on the Fourth of July, 2012, my first day as a Platoon Commander on my first Marine patrol, with insurgents shooting at me from those mountains, they seemed anything but welcoming.
During my deployment to Helmand Province, Afghanistan, the Taliban attacked the British side of our joint coalition base, killing the Marine squadron commander and destroying seven of eight aircraft. A corpsman in my platoon lost his life, killed when an insurgent remotely detonated an IED. As a Marine in Helmand Province, in the most dangerous part of Afghanistan and under hostile fire, I saw real leadership in action. I learned that a leader doesn’t need to be popular. In fact, the best leaders rarely are. A leader needs to be smart, capable, and someone you can trust to make the right decision in a crisis.
The role of overseeing and directing our nation’s armed forces as Commander-in-Chief is a sacred and solemn responsibility, because the lives of so many people are at stake. During her four years as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton tirelessly traveled the world, engaging with allies and foes alike, to advance our nation’s interests. Even as she advocated for and oversaw the operation that brought Osama bin Laden to justice, she never lost sight of the fact that war is the failure of diplomacy. Meanwhile, I fear that Donald Trump–a man who evaded military service in Vietnam and denigrated a Gold Star Family–sees war as the first choice and diplomacy as the last.
As I’ve watched this campaign unfold, I’ve often measured both candidates against Dr. Dale, a former Green Beret I met while volunteering for AmeriCorps in post-Katrina New Orleans. When disaster hit, Dr. Dale quietly ran a free medical clinic treating people who had lost everything. Unlike so many others who used Katrina to promote themselves or to exploit the desperate, Dr. Dale cared nothing for glory or politics or press. He didn’t crave popularity, and he didn’t posture or preen. He just buckled down and did the work. Donald Trump is the opposite of Dr. Dale in every way imaginable. Mr. Trump is a man who craves attention, repudiates the idea of earning through real action, and thinks of himself first and foremost.
By contrast, after 9/11, rather than seeking the limelight and making a show of her efforts, Hillary Clinton got to work. She became a tireless advocate for our nation’s first responders. Through her efforts in the Senate, trusts have been established to provide and care for those who became ill as a result of their time spent at Ground Zero. In line with the compassion Secretary Clinton showed to 9/11 first responders, she has also been a relentless champion for global human rights. Mr. Trump, in contrast, took advantage of federal funds that were set aside to help small businesses recover from the tragedy.
When the men and women who make up our military choose to enlist, they do so for a variety of reasons, but there is one common denominator: a desire to protect and defend the United States of America and her citizens. They are willing to sacrifice everything for the greatness of our nation and for what we all hold sacred.
Since concluding my active duty service in the military, I’ve had many people thank me for my service. While I sincerely appreciate the gesture, if people really want to show their appreciation for the military, they should go vote in the coming election. Voting is the most meaningful action citizens can undertake–it honors the service of our nation’s veterans, and without it there is no democracy.
When I go into the voting booth in November, I’ll be thinking about the young men and women who are still standing watch and patrolling distant battlefields, risking everything for an idea they believe in. I’ll remember the sacrifice of the Marines I served with and honor several Gold Star Families. I’ll remember Dr. Dale, and how he led by example.
And I’ll vote for Hillary Clinton, because I know that she is a real leader who will make the right decisions, and I know she’ll do the work.
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Denver resident Blake Hansen is a combat veteran who served in the Marine Corps from 2011 to 2015 as an infantry officer. A graduate of the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, he now consults as an attorney and works in business operations.
