RE: https://mstdn.social/@MaryAustinBooks/117099959603583700
USMIL veterans who were never radicalized against the USMIL are examples of survivor bias ―and they are in the minority.
if you have a veteran who never talks about their service, they most likely regret it, but are afraid to talk & lose their VA benefits
TALK TO THEM
my brother died of the mutiple cancers of “Operation Desert Storm”. before he died, he spent years in Puerto Rico, as part of Veterans for Peace, talking kids OUT of joining.
USMIL isn't a pathway out of poverty.
Once again, US protestors are addressing the issues because the media outlets will not.
@blogdiva
i am a veteran and i was pretty lucky to be serving between conflicts. but most of the senior NCOs i was in with were vietnam vets and those still in after i left dealt with multiple gulf wars. i know my experience was safe as an exception.
it's a path out of poverty in the same way that coal mining is. if you can ignore the horrific danger, high sickness and mortality rate, it's a way to make a living. just not a very good or kind one.
we need a better way to give folks without generational wealth a way to get a college degree, health care, and a first home without years of crippling loan debt or having to risk life, limb, and sanity to get it.