Russ Duerstine is a veteran who spends a lot of time feeling lucky to be American. He has felt this way since long before he joined the armed forces. It was simply how he was raised. 

“The first thing that jumps in my mind [when I think of America] is my father,” he said. Duerstine’s father served in World War II. Duerstine’s grandfather served in World War I, and Duerstine’s great-grandfather served in the Civil War. 

“I lost my mom at a young age,” Duerstine said. “As a kid, you have a tendency to feel sorry for yourself. … [But] my dad talked about how much we have as Americans beyond the material things. You live in a country where the individual has rights and powers not granted to them by their government, but recognized by the government, and how special that is.” 

It can be easy to imagine the founding principles of the United States — equal rights, liberty, freedom — as lofty ideals lying forgotten in a historical document. Duerstine thinks differently. For him, these principles are alive, active, and crucial to pursuing equality and opportunity for everyone. In America, we can pursue the lives we want for ourselves and others. It sets us apart from many countries where people have few opportunities to change their economic or social standing. 

America continues to be one of the best places to pursue change and impact — and to realize our full human potential as we help each other. Duerstine sees this in his opportunities to advocate for better health care, education, and quality of life in grassroots politics. 

Although freedom and equality have not always been realized in America’s history and despite present gaps between these ideals and the reality of people’s lives, we have reason to hope. “America’s ideals are worth fighting for,” Duerstine said. “It’s something that most people don’t have. It led me down a path of serving a higher purpose than myself.” 

As we looked forward to celebrating Independence Day this week, Duerstine opened up about his experiences, how they’ve informed his views about America, and why he believes in continuing to strive for equality, freedom, and liberty — so we can better tackle the challenges facing our country this year and beyond. 

The promise of a better America

“The foundation of America was an ideal and a promise — not a description of the situation that was about to happen immediately,” said John Byrnes, strategic director of Concerned Veterans for America. 

It’s no secret that equality, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness have not been historically available to every American citizen. Even now, it’s true that not everyone has access to the same pursuits. However, America is a country founded on hope, said Duerstine. What makes America special, he explained, is the focus on a mission higher than ourselves, one that helps us all work toward hope and becoming something better.   

He has his family to thank for keeping him focused on these ideals. “Everybody has to look out for themselves,” he said. “That’s human nature. But the idea that serving something greater than yourself is not only good for you but good for others — that came from my dad.”

Growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, Duerstine was inspired as he watched Martin Luther King Jr.’s activism and the unfolding of the Civil Rights Movement. Even as a boy, he saw a direct link between the American ideals his father had praised and this fight for racial equality. These ideals, alongside his desire to advance human progress in America, influenced Duerstine to join the Air Force. 

After six years of service, he returned home to Texas and began a consulting business supporting state Senate and gubernatorial campaigns. He became passionate about grassroots politics and was elected to the Texas Republican Party’s executive committee. In 2014, when a coworker introduced him to Concerned Veterans for America, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to continue to champion freedom and independence for all. “It was not about veterans asking for help from the government. It was about getting them to engage in the fight for freedom again, this time through policy and grassroots politics,” he said. “It’s the most fulfilling job I’ve ever had in my entire life.” 

As executive director of Concerned Veterans for America, Duerstine works on many issues that he said all boil down to preserving the promise of individual rights. “Our founding principles are stated in the Declaration of Independence,” he said. “We have to have a government that recognizes individual freedom and that those rights can’t be taken from us. That’s been my North Star.” 

As an example, Duerstine cited expanding quality and access to veteran health care. His work has focused on elevating the needs of veterans and preserving their right to make decisions about their own health and well-being. 

He described his work on foreign policy, education, and many other topics in the context of America’s foundational principles of freedom, equality, and liberty. In foreign policy, for example, he has advocated for a philosophy of realism and restraint in which the American military prioritizes defending vital U.S. interests and reducing threats. 

Duerstine also believes there should be more congressional accountability and oversight regarding how American tax dollars are spent on foreign policy. In education, he has advocated for improving quality and increasing resources, as well as greater choice that allows Americans to decide what, how, and why they learn.   

Duerstine’s work isn’t just about improving the quality of life for veterans. He believes it’s about setting a standard of liberty and independence that ultimately benefits every person in the country. 

“We want to do things that are good for all Americans, which includes veterans and their families,” Duerstine said. This means ensuring civic institutions serve and respond to Americans’ needs — not the other way around. 

New generation. New issues. Same principles.

Duerstine understands that some Americans get discouraged when they think of the many people still struggling to access the liberties and happiness promised by the Declaration of Independence. For his part, he finds hope in a younger generation that continues to close the gap between America’s promise and reality. Young Americans are joining the armed forces, running for office, starting grassroots activism campaigns, and working every day to create better conditions for all of us. 

“Most of us have no idea what it’s like to live in a country where individual rights and freedoms are not even considered,” he said. “I don’t think, as Americans, we fully grasp how blessed we are to live in a nonchaotic world where it’s a given that your rights are expected to be maintained. Do we have failures? Absolutely, but it’s a lot better than to live in a society where that’s not even considered.”

Duerstine finds particular hope in his own son, who has served in the armed forces — first in the Marines and then the Army — since 2001. 

“When I have hope for the future of the country, I often find it in [people] that are still serving or getting ready to join,” he said. “They have that glimmer in their eye that there’s something special happening. When I look at the hope that we have in the country, and I see people like my son, it’s like, ‘Okay. Not all is lost.’”

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Part of the Stand Together community, Concerned Veterans for America advocates for the freedom and prosperity that veterans and their families fought to defend.

Learn more about Stand Together’s efforts to defend America’s constitutionally limited government and explore ways you can partner with us.