Donald Trump vs. the "woke" military
While Memorial Day honors those who have died in our foreign wars, Veterans Day honors the service of all those who have served this country in uniform. Alleged bone spur sufferers are not included.
Usually, Veterans Day is an occasion for the Pentagon and the U.S. military to strut their stuff. I recall marching down Fifth Avenue in 1968 in a Veterans Day parade wearing my cadet dress uniform. Even though it was yet another grim year in the war in Vietnam, people lined the street and waved as we marched by. This year, Veterans Day falls on the one-week anniversary of Donald Trump’s election, once again, to the presidency. Trust me, they’re not celebrating across the Potomac at the Pentagon. Here are just two headlines from the days immediately following Trump’s victory last week: From the Washington Post: “Pentagon anticipates major upheaval with Trump’s return to the White House.” From Politico: “Pentagon officials anxious Trump might fire military’s top general.”
That would be Gen. C.Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, whom congressional Republicans have accused of being the Pentagon’s top “woke” general.
Let’s stop right here in our celebration of Veterans Day and discuss this wholly invented and utterly bogus issue of the “woke” military. First of all, among the veterans whose service is being honored today are hundreds of thousands of people who are not white straight males. About 16 percent of those serving across all branches of the military are Black; about 17 percent are female. A 2015 report by the Rand Corporation, put out four years after Barack Obama signed the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act, found that about 6 percent, or 120,000 service members, identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual. Until then, identifying as any one of those sexual persuasions was illegal and punishable by expulsion from the service with a less than honorable discharge.
This is an excerpt from my Tuesday Salon column. For the rest of the column, follow this link:
Fear of wokeness in the military is just one branch of the pro-Christian Nationalist group within the Officer Corps today. Literally, they put Bible ("God's word") over our Constitution. There are thousands of these officers. They work to get each other promoted. They write favorable or unfavorable fitness reports on those under them that determine careers. The USAF is rotten with them, but the Army has senior Generals, too. It appears the Navy is the least infected.
These Christian Nationalist Generals would have no problem rounding up American civilians/immigrants or even killing us/them. They will think they are doing God's Work through Trumpian orders.
I am a long time member of the Miliatary Religious Freedom Foundation and have been following these dangerous Christian nutjobs for years. You have to go to the MRFF's site and read what the MRFF has done to defend our military from religious intimidation. You won't believe it; it is like whack-a-mole. Christian Nationalists in the military will probably try to take control under Trump. Watch who is proposed for promotion!
Just fucking great! Hollow is what's gonna happen when all females and non-white, non-straight, non-Xtian service people are removed from the military. As a veteran of the Vietnam Era, I have lost my affection for 'Murica. How can I stand proudly when 51% of this country tossed the steaming pile of shit into the fan blades? Just. Fuck!