In this opinion essay for The New York Times, Elliot Ackerman examines the decision to award new ribbons to National Guard members deployed to Washington, D.C., after the January 6 riot.
Drawing on his own Marine Corps deployment to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, Ackerman explores the symbolic weight of military decorations and the risks of politicizing domestic military service.
Military Ribbons and Political Meaning
Ackerman explains that ribbons carry deep significance in military culture, and that decorating service members for politically charged domestic missions can create unintended consequences.
The National Guard and January 6
The essay considers the National Guard’s role at the U.S. Capitol, the shifting partisan narratives around domestic troop deployments, and the broader civil-military divide.
Keeping the Military Apolitical
At its center, the piece argues that America must preserve the military as one of the few institutions without overt political bias, especially during moments of domestic unrest.