This year, as on all years since Memorial Day became an official holiday, we honor all veterans of wars fought in the name of freedom.

We recognize, though, that not all people make it to the military via the same route, and that military recruiting practices differ based on a community’s socioeconomic and racial composition. We also recognize that once people enlist, a number of factors can profoundly impact the treatment they receive while serving, with race and gender among the most influential factors.

We tend to forget, however, that the military’s prejudicial and hypocritical practices continue even beyond our own species.

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