Vaccines: A shot in the arm as an act of patriotism

Calling all patriots! A year of pandemic has been likened to fighting a war with a horrible death count. With multiple vaccines at the ready, however, we can fight back against the enemy. Take that, COVID!

For many Americans, vaccination isn’t a big deal; they’ve been getting annual inoculations to fight the flu and the ravages of winter illness. It’s an annual reminder that we are vulnerable to some nasty diseases. These folks are eager to be vaccinated.

Unfortunately, not everyone is so enthusiastic. Recent polls reveal a sizable number of individuals adamantly refuse to get a COVID shot. That’s frustrating because full protection of the nation can only be achieved if a substantial majority of the population is vaccinated. So how do we convince these skeptics to get vaccinated? Appeal to love of country.

Frankly, vaccination is a fundamental act of American patriotism. It might surprise many Americans that George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were among the most ardent advocates of vaccination. They understood that immunization would protect citizen soldiers against unseen enemies.

In Washington’s case, the scourge was smallpox. He understood that a communicable virus would decimate his troops. Based on personal experience, he knew that smallpox would be a more challenging foe than the enemy on the field of battle. For that reason, he ordered the vaccination of every soldier in the Continental Army who had never had smallpox. This was one of many strokes of genius from the father of our country.

For Thomas Jefferson, vaccination was a matter of public health. Jefferson recognized that the safe delivery of vaccines was critical to potency. In fact, he was so committed to protecting the nation that he designed a container to effectively transport vaccines from state to state. One historian credits this action with maintaining public confidence and faith in the use of vaccines.

Following the examples of Washington and Jefferson, other presidents committed their administrations to good science and public health.

Of special note was the work that Franklin D. Roosevelt did in the search for a polio vaccine. And let’s not overlook Donald Trump, who’s been vaccinated and encouraged others to do likewise.

Maybe we should give him back his Twitter privileges if he agrees to promote vaccination!

Will an appeal to patriotism work? I think so because many of these vaccine rebels are very patriotic. They have served their country in the military and many remain active in the National Guard. Others are members of volunteer fire departments and other civic organizations. When someone in their community needs help, these good souls are eager to lift a hand.

The credo of the nation is to protect life, extend liberty and pursue happiness. Vaccines help us to preserve all three. We need to convince our skeptical neighbors to embrace their inner patriotism. We need them to be like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and a legion of other patriots and get vaccinated.

Timothy Walch is director emeritus of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library in West Branch and a member of the Iowa Historical Records Advisory Board. Comments: Twalch47@gmail.com.