I am at heart and in practice a gentle person. My Quaker beliefs color my thoughts about force – military and otherwise. So, it may come as a surprise that as I think about health care and see the contentious and combative stances that so many individuals have taken on this explosive issue, my mind should turn so easily to war.
As I wander through the minefields of social media I have decided to take a page from a group of hardcore warriors, part of the United States Air Force special operations group. I’m talking about Pararescuemen. These tenacious soldiers are trained in a fashion similar to that of Navy Seals with only about 20% making it through the grueling program.
The Pararescue Creed states that, "It is my duty as a Pararescueman to save life and to aid the injured. I will be prepared at all times to perform my assigned duties quickly and efficiently, placing these duties before personal desires and comforts. These things we (I) do, that others may live." When a pilot is shot down, when there are people in dangerous combat situations that need to be pulled out, these are the people that get there and make sure no one gets left behind.
Make no mistake, they are not pacifists. They are special forces operators. They know that there is a good possibility that they will come under fire from opposing forces that are actively trying to kill them. They are prepared to engage that enemy on the same terms. They are clear on who the enemy is in that sense, but they also know that the real enemy they combat is death, as it comes for their brothers- and sisters-in-arms.
When I think about health care I see clearly that I and my fellow Americans are at war. We are at war with disease. We are at war with viruses and accidents and environmental factors that impact our health negatively. We cannot be at war with each other. We must reframe the conversation and realize that in this life and death battle we are all brothers- and sisters-in-arms. As I look at the AHCA and how it will leave millions of Americans behind, left in the trenches to fend for themselves, hurting and afraid knowing that no one is coming for them, it breaks my heart because that is not who we are. We leave no one behind. We would never say that a wounded soldier deserved their injures, or that child struck in a cross-walk deserved to be hit, or that a woman who’d been raped deserved it. So, why is it acceptable when Congressmen say that the sick and infirm somehow deserve it?
I think it is time to reframe the conversation in terms that are not divisive and accurately reflect the reality of the importance of health care in everyone's daily life. This must become a non-partisan issue. We must be allies against the common enemy. We must view each other as individuals and not as abstractions. We must learn from the example of these guardian angels who put others ahead of themselves, risking their lives in the process. They don’t judge whether the wounded have lived “good lives.” They simply act with bravery and compassion. We should do the same.
Mark Bertolini, the CEO of Aetna, recently said, “Single-payer, I think we should have that debate as a nation.” I couldn’t agree more. We owe it to our families, to our neighbors, to the children that are born every day in this country with pre-existing conditions through no fault of their own. We owe it to ourselves to come together in a healthy and respectful debate that addresses the reality of the enormous impact that health care has on all of us. That is something we should all agree on.
So, while we watch the Republicans work tirelessly to take away our health care, take a moment to remember the nickname of the Pararescuemen, the PJs who are fierce warriors but also fiercely compassionate, never forgetting their mission – that others may live.
My name is Darlene McDonald and I’m running as the democratic challenger for Utah’s U.S Congressional District 4. For more information about my campaign, how to donate, and opportunities to volunteer, please go to www.darlenemcdonald.com.