r/leftistveterans

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While I was initially planning to create a somewhat long post, I'll make this quick and to the point. This question mostly applies to those voluntarily signed up to be a part of an imperialist military. Draftees and conscripts are a different scenario.

To put it simply, what should a socialist's position be regarding imperialist soldiers? Should we view them as "Workers in uniforms," as some suggest, or should we view them as imperialist goons?

Now, as a non-American, one thing that always dumbfounds me about Americans more broadly is how they basically worship US service members like they're saints and how criticizing US soldiers in any way is basically blasphemy. When, if anything, US soldiers should be relentlessly criticized, for they are directly complicit in imperialism.

But let me know what our position should be. But what I will say is that my sympathies lie with the victims of imperialism, not the perpetrators.

Have y’all seen this? Using tax payer money to provide our benefits to Americans that serve in foreign military is some serious bullshit.

I don't see posts like this often in here so I figured I'd post it and maybe some folks will like the podcast or find the hotline helpful, maybe both.

The podcast is Eyes Left hosted by Mike Prysner, Iraq war vet, public speaker, and anti-war activist. This post is a link to their official Patreon, but when I was active duty I listened to the entire podcast for free over the course of about a year on Spotify, during my drives to and from work.

This link is to the GI Rights Hotline. This is something Mike has discussed in the past where he hosted a representative of the hotline on an episode and got insight into how frequently they're called and what they can do to help.

I recommend the podcast for anyone, and I'd work backward from the first episode to current but that's just my preference.

If you're active duty and having significant concerns about your continued service (and I hope many are thinking seriously about these things and their involvement), then reach out to the hotline to see what can be done to help you and others at your command.

Another way to be involved is to start an Antifascist Book Club in your area. This group provides a great list of starter books and a short guide to get started. What your book club grows into is up to the group.

This group is associated with the Taskforce Butler Institute. https://www.taskforcebutler.org/

Hermit

From the VA website https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/celebrate/memday.pdf

Some States Have Confederate Observances

Many Southern states also have their own days for honoring the Confederate dead. Mississippi celebrates Confederate Memorial Day on the last Monday of April, Alabama on the fourth Monday of April, and Georgia on April 26. North and South Carolina observe it on May 10, Louisiana on June 3 and Tennessee calls that date Confederate Decoration Day. Texas celebrates Confederate Heroes Day January 19 and Virginia calls the last Monday in May Confederate Memorial Day.

Gen. Logan’s order for his posts to decorate graves in 1868 “with the choicest flowers of springtime” urged: “We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. ... Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.”

The crowd attending the first Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery was approximately the same size as those that attend today’s observance, about 5,000 people. Then, as now, small American flags were placed on each grave — a tradition followed at many national cemeteries today. In recent years, the custom has grown in many families to decorate the graves of all departed loved ones.

The origins of special services to honor those who die in war can be found in antiquity. The Athenian leader Pericles offered a tribute to the fallen heroes of the Peloponnesian War over 24 centuries ago that could be applied today to the 1.1 million Americans who have died in the nation’s wars: “Not only are they commemorated by columns and inscriptions, but there dwells also an unwritten memorial of them, graven not on stone but in the hearts of men.”

To ensure the sacrifices of America’s fallen heroes are never forgotten, in December 2000, the U.S. Congress passed and the president signed into law “The National Moment of Remembrance Act,” P.L. 106-579, creating the White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance. The commission’s charter is to “encourage the people of the United States to give something back to their country, which provides them so much freedom and opportunity” by encouraging and coordinating commemorations in the United States of Memorial Day and the National Moment of Remembrance.

The National Moment of Remembrance encourages all Americans to pause wherever they are at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a minute of silence to remember and honor those who have died in service to the nation. As Moment of Remembrance founder Carmella LaSpada states: “It’s a way we can all help put the memorial back in Memorial Day.”

I'm a very ANTI-TRUMP jarhead turned filmmaker and I've gone viral in the vet media-sphere for other stuff in the past, navigating being a veteran in the entertainment biz while NOT being a right wing piece of shit has been interesting to say the least. Anyhoo, if this shameless self promo is allowed, then check out this podcast I'm on where I talk about this anti-fascist comedy I wrote. And the host is another NOT-Trumpy veteran (he's a former army arty officer who's NOT a Trumper) so check out his whole ass channel if you're interested in showbiz at all, and feel free to check out MY shit, specifically the book we talk about which you can buy with a click here.

Thank you for the support. Unless this isn't allowed in which case, my apologies to the mods.

Cheers,

I’m an E4 in the US Army Guard, with a 16 months left of my contract. Every year I’ve been in the Army has been a massive decline in my mental health. I came to my unit a very motivated and focused PV2 and was hazed (which got to the point of command intervention due to a kind ACE person). I lost my confidence, self-esteem and began having SI in the last 1.5 years. I am nearly always an anxious wreck, irritable or completely dissociated in my civilian life. I started failing PT and height/weight but I keep trying to be a good soldier, even though I lost the college benefits I need. I also became a leftist in this time, which has made me feel immensely isolated from other soldiers as well as civilian leftists who don’t trust me, even though I am begging to become organized.

I feel very hopeless and depressed. I’m doing poorly in classes and unable to focus, even though I’ve tried everything but psychiatry. I feel like a coward and shitbag, and letting down my friends and leadership. I’m trying but it’s hard to become motivated for anything, with the way the world is and my mental health with the Army.

I hope this isn’t too mopey. I’m looking for advice or maybe solidarity, if you’ve gone through the same things. I am especially stuck online as I’m not sure it’s legally safe for me to join a leftist organization, thus feel like I’m not doing anything to confront what’s happening to our country or making friends.

I keep hearing that I should join because of trump and I just keep hearing that as a reason only. Joining the military is the only job my heart has settled on my whole life. But, there is so many Veterans and Soldiers saying no to joining. A lot of people are telling me otherwise. I'm not that big on politics but I would like to be. I don't support what trump is doing to our country nor any billionaires that are money hungry. So, I'm just asking for opinions from people on Reddit because AI is dumb.
(Sorry for my English if it's bad)