Is This What Patriotism Looks Like?

"In the early-morning hours of January 5, 2021, Thomas Webster, a former U.S. Marine and retired police officer, drove south on Interstate 95 toward Washington, D.C. Webster, who was then 54, had been conflicted about whether to attend the "Save America" rally, but Donald Trump had used the word patriot. Webster had joined the military at 19, taken his first plane ride to boot camp in South Carolina, gotten his first taste of lobster tail on a ship in the Mediterranean."

"Webster, who'd retired from the New York City Police Department, where he'd been a street cop, a firearms instructor, and part of the Gracie Mansion security detail, lived in Goshen, New York, with his wife, Michelle, an Ivy League graduate who worked in biotech sales, and their three teenagers, one of whom had recently joined the Marines. He ran a small business, Semper Fi Landscaping, cutting grass and clearing snow during winter."

"In the early days of the pandemic, Webster had masked in public, disinfected his groceries, and slept in the basement if he had the slightest sniffle. At first he thought keeping his kids home from school made sense. But as the months stretched on, he worried about his two younger teenagers, who didn't seem to be socializing or learning much over Zoom."

Thomas Webster enlisted in the Marines at 19 and treasured the oath to support and defend the Constitution. He later served with the New York City Police Department in multiple roles and ran a small landscaping business while living in Goshen with his wife and three teenagers. During the pandemic he followed precautions but grew anxious as protests and media coverage prompted distrust. He became concerned about his children's social and educational decline during remote learning. In early January 2021, he drove toward Washington, D.C., conflicted but influenced by the invocation of "patriot."

Read at The Atlantic