The veterans saved us when the federal government collapsed.  Some politicians tried to use private armies they had spent decades recruiting to hold onto their power.  Some even attempted election fraud.  In the end, the veterans stood up and just said they wouldn’t accept that.  Some shots were fired.  Some buildings and vehicles burned.  The thugs usually ran.  In the Heartland, that was the extent of the Second Civil War.  The coasts were more complicated.