Tilling Honor in a Political Landscape Barren of It

Mr. Bruni is a contributing Opinion writer who was on the staff of The Times for more than 25 years.

With JD Vance as vice president and Pete Hegseth as defense secretary, now probably isn’t the best time to argue for more veterans in public service.

But Rye Barcott wants to make the case anyway. It’s a persuasive one.

He points out that as a general rule, Americans who’ve served in the military have forged bonds with and learned to respect people from diverse backgrounds and different places. The uniform can unite those who wear it as much as anything else divides........

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