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Sunday, December 1st, 2019

Trump and the Military – A Significant Problem

Author:     Col. John B. Alexander, USA (Ret.)
Source:     Daily Kos
Publication Date:    
Link: Trump and the Military – A Significant Problem
Stephan:   This is a trend that has not been properly understood by civilian America, which is to say over 99% of us. In contrast to the wars of Viet Nam, Korean, and WWII, where involvement was widespread, and a major social presence today  "the share of Americans serving in the active-duty military has declined marginally to 0.4% of the population in 2015." Which is to say so small few Americans are touched by the active military world. If you include veterans and active military it's still only 7.3% But the military still plays a very special role in the United States, and what the Veteran community thinks matters. John Alexander is the perfect person to write this essay. A career military officer committed enough to qualify for the Special Forces, and experienced enough to know both command, and combat. He knows the world of which he speaks, and he is telling us something important.  

The Trumps visit a Marine Barracks.

“You are not going to change my mind.”  That was a comment by my cousin, a tenth dan martial arts legend and ardent Trump supporter during a recent phone call.  A former Marine, the Corps is a large part of his personal identity.  Given Trump’s recent disposition toward senior Marine generals (think Mattis & Kelly), support for both the USMC and Trump raises the epitome of cognitive dissonance.  He is far from alone.  Each Wednesday a group of us retired Special Forces (SF) veterans meet for breakfast at the 50’s Diner here in Las Vegas.  Here too Trump support is amazingly strong.  The perception among many former armed forces personnel is that Trump supports the military and facts cannot not get in the way of their preconceived notion.  For them perception is reality.  Unfortunately, it is an alternate reality and one with significant negative consequences.

The incongruence between what Trump says publicly and his actions is extraordinary.  Unreliable at best, consider […]

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2 Comments

  1. sam crespi on Sunday, December 1, 2019 at 7:53 am

    My thanks to Col. Alexander (Ret) for his clarity. For the additional information, I will now add to my own observations. That said, I have a question for the Colonel. One that shows up on my mental ‘home’ screen on a daily basis. It feels as if a great number of US citizens are acting out of fear. Are enraptured, which is exactly what happened in Germany during WWII. How do we break through that fog of fear? Or at least, make fear an ally that spurs us to counteract its energy? To shift direction?

  2. Rev. Dean on Sunday, December 1, 2019 at 4:40 pm

    Many of us veterans are in organizations which oppose Trump. It is made up of many levels of current employees in the military as well as those of us who have retired and of all levels of service from privates to generals.