I was given the privilege of teaching classes in behavioral science for the FBI’s National Academy this week.  I arrived a day early, where my family and I visited the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Virginia.

It had a powerful effect upon us.

The museum is a testament to the American spirit of self-sacrifice and a reminder that freedom must be fought for.  I spoke with people from around the country as well as from China, the Philippines, Central America, and Europe as we moved through the chronology of Marine bravery, skillfully told in imagery, film, and music.

As we went from war to war, my wife, Heather, was unable to hold back the tears.  I noticed that others, particularly those of middle age or order, struggled with the same, either tearing up or choking back the tears.

The staff is used to this, and one question is the single most commonly asked of them.  It is not about a location of a specific exhibit, nor where the restroom or cafeteria is located.  The most common question they hear is: “What happened to our country?”

At the museum, for the first time in years, I felt proud of my country.  For the past eight years, I have been told by the political elite, the media, and the nonsense that children are taught in school that I should feel ashamed of being American, and I should be apologetic for being male.  I have been told that law enforcement is the enemy and that success comes only from the benevolence of government.

The museum is a testament to the American dream of freedom being worth defending, even dying for.  

After eight years of lies, propaganda, and the self-loathing of Marxist ideology, I felt restored, rejuvenated, and inspired, and I did not want to surrender this recovered sense of nationalism.

The next day, I taught at the FBI’s Academy, where the proverbial “hallowed halls of learning” did not disappoint.  Dedicated men and women from around the nation as well as Europe and Australia came to our FBI because they wish to learn from America’s wealth of knowledge in protecting and maintaining the distinctly American way of life.  

These eager law enforcement professionals walk with dignity, served by dedicated instructors and support who work long hours, well beyond the workday, because they believe in and love what they do.

They love their country still.

These professionals have been vilified and held responsible for the failures of the policies of the political elite for the past eight years.  By observing their attitude toward work, you’d never know it.  Their morale has been hit hard, but not their gratitude or even their marvel, as they feel, as I do, privileged to be in a place of such great learning.

The National Museum of the Marine Corps is free of charge and something every lover of America should visit.

The FBI Academy is where the best and brightest of law enforcement receive the training and knowledge on keeping America safe – a place of the rule of law with equal justice.

A visit to the museum or a tour of the FBI Academy may have the medicinal effect upon you that it did upon us.