All opinions expressed herein are my own and may not reflect the views of the US Government, the Department of Defense, the United States Army, the State of Minnesota, or the Minnesota Army National Guard.
Dear Hometowns,
Our ancestors fought for a better world for us, our families, and our future, and it is in peril right now.
Four years ago, I took an oath as an officer of the Minnesota Army National Guard to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. Every day for three months I recited the Soldier’s Creed, declaring that I will serve the people of the United States and protect the American way of life.
My first opportunities to live out my oath and creed came this past year. I operated a COVID 19 testing station in Duluth over Memorial Day. A week later I stood with law enforcement and emergency services in the Twin Cities to protect Minnesotan lives, property, and 1st Amendment rights from violent agitators of civil unrest. I saw the destruction wrought by anarchists and white supremacists first-hand.
I also heard the voices of the oppressed. Their outrage and their sorrow. I was there just as much to protect their rights to peaceful assembly and free speech as I was to restore order. I visited the memorial for George Floyd and the other people of color who have been wrongfully murdered. It was sobering to see the outpouring of grief and the celebration of the lives of these wronged souls. A powerful reminder that the “American way of life” is experienced very differently by many of our citizens. For many in our great nation, that way of life is a way of poverty, fear, discrimination, and prejudice. My oath and my creed is to protect a more perfect future for all Americans.
After the insurrection in our nation’s Capitol, I cannot be silent. I ask you to think hard about your values and the future you’d like to see for your children. I ask you to step back from blind, passionate ideologies and participate in empathetic conversations with your friends, neighbors, and families to find a way toward a better future for us all.
I am asking you to reconsider how a delusional New York City millionaire can speak for us, for farmers, truckers, waiters and waitresses, local government servants, factory workers and laborers, and small business owners. This is a man who’s never cleaned grease-stained hands or blood-soaked clothing, who’s never slipped and fallen on his ass chasing a sow through the feedlot, who’s never turned a wrench or lifted a shovel in his life. This is a man who has a track record of bankruptcy and corruption. This is a man who has incited an insurrection against the United States of America, a man who has attacked us all.
To become an officer of the Minnesota Army National Guard and the United States Army, I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. This oath is to the Constitution, not to the President. I stand with our elected officials that urged Vice President Pence to pursue the employment of the 25th Amendment and declare President Trump unfit for service. I stand with our elected officials who impeached President Trump for the second time, and with those who stand to convict him of his crimes. I urge you to do the same for a peaceful and decent future for all Americans.
For the future,
Aaron Goemann
ru-ban: center for rural and urban connections 