Many Veterans See America as Greatest Country on Earth, Others Wary of Materialism

While important to Americans regardless of veteran status, veterans feel especially connected to their personal identity as Americans (85% very important) and feel particularly proud and hopeful about being an American.

Many of the veterans in our focus group shared the sentiment that America is “the greatest country in the world” and expressed gratitude to be a citizen. They described experiences abroad seeing people with far fewer rights, freedoms and opportunity as a point of comparison to the United States and a reminder of all many Americans do have. Others lamented heightened values of materialism at home and a focus on what benefits a person can provide for another rather than a genuine desire to help. 

Additionally, an overwhelming majority of veterans (73%) feel strongly that as an American you can question America’s leaders and still love your country with many pointing out America isn’t perfect but has made important progress.  

• “As a retired military member, I’m flushed with patriotism. So when I hear being American, it’s almost like I’m a part of the winning team. I’m on the right side….To me, it’s the greatest country in the world and I am so grateful to be a part of it.” – TX man, white veteran strong Democrat

• “I served in the military and I have a lot of patriotism. I’ve been a lot of places around the world and if I ever hear people complain about America, I tell them, ‘go to some of the countries that I’ve been to. You’d be clamoring to get here.’ We’re not perfect, but we’re head over heels above most every other country in the world, at least the ones I’ve been to.” – PA man, Black veteran strong Democrat

• “We’re the greatest country in the world….We’re not perfect but I just think we’re a melting pot for everybody….There’s so much beauty in this country.” – TX woman, white veteran weak Republican

• “I don’t see it as the greatest country in the world and that’s okay. I think there is opportunity when you look at other countries and comparing with us. I think there’s definitely more opportunities, but that’s all I see. I think our values for America is so capitalistic that I don’t even know if you can recognize the values because it’s all about money and what you could do for me.” – GA woman, Black veteran strong Democrat

Some See Troubling Signs of Civic and Moral Decline 

Several veterans in our focus group described themselves as people of faith and expressed a desire for the country to be “based on Christian values” while sharing concerns that for many Americans, “their morals and their values are not there like it used to be.” Some pointed to civic and community organizations as teaching important values while seeing America today as corporations “just bending over backwards to try to please everybody.” 

• “Our country was founded on Christian values, but we’ve become a melting pot for so many other religions that it’s not necessarily that way anymore. I would like to see it still based on Christian values, but yet a lot of what the country has done in our history was not Christian at all, not God’s will at all. But I’d like to get back to where it would be based on Christian values.” – TX woman, white veteran weak Republican

• “I grew up reading the Bible and following these values. And I feel like today there’s a lot of Americans are just not… Just their morals and their values are not there like it used to be. I still have my Christian values because of my dad, because him instilling those into me and getting me in church at an early age.” – TX man, Hispanic veteran strong Democrat

• “I can remember where it’s like growing up, being a Boy Scout, there was Girl Scouts, there were civic organizations that brought or taught being civil minded, community minded…Everything grew up on schoolhouse rock cartoons. So everything like that is like, to me, that was what America is. And now it seems like America is just mostly the corporations are just bending over backwards to try to please everybody.” – GA man, white veteran independent lean Republican 

Some Disillusioned By Military Service, But Nearly All Credit with Improving Their Lives

Many veterans described their time in the military as formative to who they are today. One participant said, “I went kicking and screaming, but it made me who I am.” Another participant described being disillusioned by their service in Afghanistan: “Defending freedom was not something that I did. What I did is I guarded roadways in Afghanistan to make sure that the corrupt colonel that I was working with could skim most of his troop’s money off for himself.” But even that same participant felt he would not be as successful as he is today without having joined the military. 

• “Military was huge for me. It gave me the opportunity that I wouldn’t be where I am without having joined the Army. I am not entirely comfortable with how we target dumb 18-year-olds to go risk their lives and break their knees, but it worked out for me. I got four years of education that got me a computer science degree. I would not own a house without the GI bill or the home loans. And I don’t know if I would’ve had the same chance to broaden my point of view without the military.” – MI man, white veteran strong Democrat

• “I was raised conservative. I was homeschooled. I was a good Christian kid, didn’t even swear before I joined the military. And I went to Afghanistan. I went to Turkey. I was stationed in Vilseck. I also saw that there are people out there with a lot less than us. And I also saw that what I was told I was going to do as a soldier and what I actually did were very different.”  –  MI man, white veteran strong Democrat

• “I don’t have anything negative about my military service. It’s all positive. It’s [a] great time.” – GA man, white veteran independent lean Republican 

Help for Veterans At Home

Several participants felt like there was not enough support for veterans once they return home, especially for those who are struggling. One participant shared a deeply personal story of experiencing multiple sexual assaults during her military service and dealing with PTSD. Another shared that members of the military need more than “thank you for your service” once returning home. 

• I do feel like when you go to places and people will say you’re at a sporting event or whatever, and they’ll say, “Thank you for your service.” You see people say that all the time, but it’s like they’re just saying it to be saying it because veterans are really struggling out here. We need more than thank you for your service.” – GA woman, Black veteran strong Democrat

• “When you see a woman veteran, there’s a high, high, high percentage of women veterans who have been sexually assaulted and you won’t even know about it. You’ll never hear about it, but there’s a lot of them out there.”  – TX woman, white veteran weak Republican

• “Homeless veterans need to be taken care of instead of sending billions overseas….We have one in particular. She’s missing a leg, so I’m guessing she really might have been military, but if she can’t afford a house, she has to be panhandling. I think that’s a crime.” – OH man, white veteran strong Republican

Celebrating America and Feelings About the Flag

Nearly all veterans in our focus group expressed excitement about celebrating the 4th of July and many feel a sense of pride when seeing the flag.

• “For me, the flag is tied up in what we want to be. And I think that Americans want to be kind. We want to be generous. We want to be neighborly. We want to get along with each other and we want a fair shake at providing for ourselves and our families.” – MI man, white veteran strong Democrat