U.S. military veterans listen as Vice President Kamala Harris gives remarks at a Veterans Day ceremony in the amphitheater of Arlington National Cemetery on Nov. 11, 2022, in Arlington, Virginia. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Veterans Day this year came just days after my 20th reunion with my West Point classmates. I spent the weekend reconnecting with friends — some still in uniform, others like me long since transitioned to civilian life — and was reminded of the shared values that first brought us together.
I graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 2005 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army Corps of Engineers. My final assignment was at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where I served as a civil affairs officer from 2011 to 2014. Over nine years on active duty, I was humbled by the people who volunteered to serve our country — bound by shared values and a steadfast commitment to the oath we all took to support and defend the Constitution…