To the relief of all Americans, Senate Democrats finally voted to end the longest federal government shutdown in history. For some Americans, the silly shutdown eventually created certain inconveniences as food stamp benefits ran out, federal employees were not being paid, and air travel became precarious with cancelled flights and overworked air traffic controllers, but for most Americans the protracted government shutdown was just aggravating and annoying. Particularly irritating was how our military was manipulated and misused for apparently political purposes.

No matter which political stripe, Americans expect some degree of Kabuki Theater in Washington as both sides endlessly posture for partisan advantage. It’s hackneyed and tedious, but it’s sport in Washington. Americans don’t like it, but we are resigned to the political process. However, Americans resent being drawn into their shenanigans with petty policies to exacerbate the situation, and it’s even more infuriating when we see the Armed Forces get jerked around.

Thousands of government workers were furloughed, and government agencies could not spend money on any new initiatives, but essential services did not cease. Law enforcement continued, most air traffic controllers stayed at their stations, and the armed forces still stood ready to defend our interests around the globe. Ships stayed at sea and troops didn’t come home. Everyone knew that despite Congressional turmoil, they had jobs to do and they did them. Well, most of them.

Many government functions were certainly put on hold, but all knew their missions didn’t go away, and they would get done now or when the nonsense would eventually end. Sadly, the 250th birthdays of the Navy and Marine Corps and Veterans Day got caught up in the shifting political winds. Hundreds of Navy and Marine Corps birthday celebrations and Veterans Day events around the nation were negatively impacted by political indecision and plain poor leadership.

Oddly, official events in Washington were sanctioned and allowed to proceed, but everywhere else military units were plagued with inconsistent and often changing guidance. Americans around the country celebrate their military and Veterans every year for decades with all manner of ceremonies, parades, and lunches, but this year the active-duty component was largely absent. Americans were deprived the opportunity to appreciate and honor our Armed Forces.

It was understandable that perhaps the military could not expend fuel resources for a parade during a government shutdown, but many service members were willing to join their fellow citizens on their own time to celebrate our rich military heritage. That would have been fine as our military determined to adapt and overcome, but various admirals and generals would quash even those good faith efforts. Nameless flag officers up the change of command directed their troops not to participate in any public events in uniform even on their own time.

WHY?! The weak reason most often offered was it would be “poor optics.” What does that mean? Poor optics for whom? Poor optics because the military as we expected still carried out important missions? Poor optics for Washington politicians trying to punish Americans to gain leverage with the other party? If our military leadership was trying to help politicians make a point with the stupid shutdown, that’s a problem.

Our military takes an oath to defend and uphold the Constitution of the United States, not the political agenda of any party. Congress may dither and they often do, but the military has a higher calling to the American people. Consider if these feckless admirals and generals directing their troops to not participate in any birthday or Veterans Day observances had been in charge of the Continental Army when they were not being funded or paid by the Continental Congress! We would have lost the Revolutionary War and would have nothing to celebrate today.

This failure of military leadership is unconscionable. These flag officers should be called out to explain their guidance. Were they playing partisan politics? Were they trying to exacerbate the situation to the benefit of either party? Were they trying to undermine either party? Any of these reasons is absolutely unacceptable. Our military’s apolitical integrity must be safeguarded.

There were rumors that the inconsistent and unreasonable guidance came directly from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Despite each service having differing directives, it was repeated that Hegseth directed that no service members participate in any community relations events in uniform. First, Hegseth failed because each service had a different story, but if true, Hegseth should perhaps reread his book.

Hegseth is rightly on a mission to restore the warrior ethos in our military which is badly needed, but if he directed the petty policies to punish patriotic communities across the country and thereby jerk around military units trying to accomplish their missions, he has in this instance succumbed to partisan politics which in no way should ever be the province of the U.S. military.

If Secretary of War Hegseth indeed gave those partisan vindicative orders, he should reconsider and apologize to the American public and the troops. If he did not, he should root out the dissension and gain control of his flag officers. Either situation does not reflect well on his tenure.

Overall, Hegseth is on a crucial crusade to restore the warrior spirit to our military and deserves our support; he must succeed for America to continue our military supremacy. However, like General George Washington, he must remain above the fray and not be distracted or seduced by partisan politics. America and our troops deserve better.

“Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out” (Proverbs 10:9).

Pete Riehm is a Navy Veteran, conservative activist, and columnist in south Alabama. Email him at peteriehm@bellsouth.net or read all his columns at http://www.renewamerica.com/.