1. Yesterday I received an unexpected phone call from an old Army buddy. He was really nervous at first and kept apologizing for reaching out. We covered old ground- reminiscing about people, places, and experiences long ago when the world was simpler, kinder, and brighter...

2. Then we compared notes. He had retired at the beginning of the year, right before the pandemic changed everything. He had been saving for years leading up to his retirement so that he could finally spend some time with his wife and see the world...

3. He had a promising job lined up following his ETS and had been accepted into a Masters program in Education. Aside from being a soldier, my friend had always wanted to be a history teacher. You see, he had grown up in the rural Midwest...

4. In a dysfunctional single-parent household riddled with meth addiction. He bounced around between family members for years and in and out of foster care, until he finally landed in the home of an aunt and uncle who adopted him and gave him a fresh start...

5. During this time he was mentored by a kindhearted history teacher who believed in him, helped him overcome a learning disability, and instilled a passion for learning and education. My friend always dreamed of doing that for someone else...

6. So after multiple deployments and an impressive service record, my friend finally retired in early 2020, only to see his prospects for employment completely dry up and his post-retirement travel plans cancelled (non-refundable)-

7. All under a draconian lockdown that made him feel like a prisoner (he lives in the PNW). This was hard, and the summer riots only added salt to the wound, as he watched firsthand mobs of radicals destroy his city, including several local businesses belonging to friends...

8. He started his Master’s program shortly thereafter, and became quickly disillusioned by the unabashed anti-Americanism of his professors and peers, as well as their obsessive focus on Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Social Justice...

9. He told me that in the time he has been studying, he has learned absolutely nothing about teaching students, but has instead, studied countless books and treatises about white privilege and systemic racism...

10. One of his assignments required him to analyze his white privilege. Another required him write a paper about how Donald Trump harms “people of color” and other “marginalized communities.” This all left him thoroughly disillusioned and he now plans to drop out...

11. After discussing this for over an hour, he revealed to me that he was deeply depressed and that his wife had begged him to contact his “old Army friends.” I now suspect he may be or have been, suicidal...

12. This conversation was deeply upsetting to me and demonstrated to me how isolated, lonely, and discouraged many Americans are right now thanks to the lockdowns, the unrest, and the pernicious influence that toxic ideas like CRT are having on our society...

13. My buddy is now planning on moving across the country to a rural community where he can escape the lockdowns, riots, the indoctrination, and find out a new career path.

I can’t help but wonder how many other Americans are now doing the same.