One of my favorite quotes from my days as a cadet at the Air Force Academy was this one by John Stuart Mill, which we memorized and recited:
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things: the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth a war, is much worse. A man who has nothing which he is willing to fight for, nothing which he cares more about than he does about his personal safety, is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
Tomorrow is Veterans Day, and I've been thinking about Mill's words in light of two recent conversations that left me shaking my head.
The Disconnect
In the first conversation, a colleague expressed alarm that President Trump recently renamed the Department of Defense back to the Department of War. Their concern? That this meant we'd just want to go around starting wars everywhere.
Let me be clear: that's absurd. The rename isn't a policy shift toward warmongering. It's honesty. It's clarity about what that department actually does. It's a direct message to our adversaries: we are prepared to wage war when necessary to protect this nation and her allies. And that strength, that willingness to drop our enemies to their knees if they threaten us—that's precisely what prevents war.
The second conversation was at a dinner with friends. One person couldn't understand why we even need guns and weapons. They're so bad and evil, this person insisted.
I didn't say what I was thinking, but I'll say it now: Weapons aren't evil. Evil is evil. Weapons are the tools we use to combat evil. They always have been, and they always will be, as long as evil exists in this world.
Why Preparedness for War Prevents War
Some people are alarmed by military strength. They think preparedness is aggression. But the opposite is true. Weakness invites aggression. Always has. Always will.
As long as there are warmongering nations and individuals, we'd better be ready to knock them back to the Stone Age. Not because we love war, but because we love what war threatens to destroy: freedom, justice, the ability to live without tyranny.
That's why the Department of War rename matters. It sends a clear signal: we're not playing games. We're not pretending. This is what we do, and we're prepared to do it exceptionally well.
The Uncomfortable Truth
And here's the reality some people seem to forget: evil does exist. It always has. Want proof? Read the Old Testament. It's full of war and rumors of wars, of peoples and nations seeking to conquer and destroy. From the first written records of human history to this morning's headlines, there have always been those who would take, dominate, and destroy if given the chance.
Never forget: in order to be mighty, you have to be smitey.
I wish that weren't true. I really do. But wishing doesn't make it so.
As someone who wore the uniform, I understand what Mill was saying in a way that comfortable civilians often don't. The question isn't whether we like this reality. The question is: what are we going to do about it?
Mill understood something profound: the decay isn't in the soldier who stands ready to fight. The decay is in the soul that thinks nothing is worth fighting for.
The Personal Question
Let me make this personal. Would you lay down your life for your spouse? Your children? Your parents? If you answered yes, then you understand exactly what drives someone to serve their country. That instinct—that willingness to sacrifice for what you love—is the same instinct that compels young men and women to raise their right hands and swear an oath.
Because here's the thing: if you have nothing you're willing to die for, you have nothing truly worth living for either.
The veteran understands this. They've asked themselves the hard question: "What's worth protecting?" And they've answered it with years of their lives, with separation from family, sometimes with their bodies, and occasionally with everything they have.
Still Stepping Forward
Here's what fills me with gratitude on this Veterans Day: despite all the noise, despite all the criticism and denigration of this great nation, despite those who seem to think America is more problem than promise, young men and women are still stepping forward. They're still enlisting. They're still saying, "I will serve. I will protect. I will stand in the gap."
Thank God for them.
Veterans Day isn't Memorial Day. We're not just honoring those who died. We're honoring everyone who served, everyone who looked at Mill's question and answered it with action. Everyone who decided that yes, there are things worth fighting for. Freedom is one of them. Justice is another. The right of people to live without fear of conquest or oppression is worth the cost.
My Deepest Thanks
Mill's quote ends with a sobering thought: those who won't fight for anything "have no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
When I depart this earth, my fondest thanks will be to the men and women I served with in uniform. They are those "better men and women" Mill described. They carried the weight so others could live light. They understood what was worth fighting for when others didn't.
To my brothers and sisters in arms, and to every veteran reading this: You are not miserable creatures. You are the opposite. You are the proof that there are still those who understand that some things are worth more than personal safety. And because you understood that, the rest of us get to be free.
Happy Veterans Day.
Dr. Tracey Jones is President of Tremendous Leadership and a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. She teaches leadership through the Certified Professional Business Leader program and collaborates with organizations to develop leaders who are worth following.
