The civilian left is often abstracted from the military, a trend that comes at a high cost for serious conversations about military policy.
Resistance: Memorial Day
Tag: military
The military is not your rhetorical tool
Election years always contain more leveraging of the military than usual, but this year it was particularly bad. Veterans are people, not policy tools.
Protecting religious freedom in the military should be an imperative
Telling soldiers that they are not permitted to wear religious garb with their uniforms is fundamentally un-American, and unjust. We must protect freedom of religion and expression for servicemembers.
The peculiarity of Memorial Day
Memorial Day epitomises the strange way the United States approaches grief, the notion of ‘moving on,’ and the nation’s position within the larger global community. Should we be barbecuing for the dead or attending memorial services?
From tactical operations to combat roles
In 2016, the status quo will finally become official as the Pentagon completes the goal of integrating servicewomen into combat roles across the armed services. Women will finally be able to serve as equals, rather than being limited to positions the Pentagon deems safe enough for their delicate sensibilities — and the military as well […]
If I don’t die from lack of rest: Sleep and the military
Military service has always been accompanied by lack of sleep, particularly in wartime for those on the front lines. It’s not just the stress of service that makes it difficult to sleep, though of course that’s a factor—it’s the interruption of mortars and bombs, the expectation of reporting early for duty, the tasks that need […]
Where are Military Women in Pop Culture?
The military has been a powerful and compelling theme in pop culture since…well, as long as there’s been pop culture, because militaries play an integral role in society. Members of the military show up in texts, art, songs, film, television, and other expressions of pop culture, and in nations around the world, people have many […]
Military Poverty, Personal Debt, and Financial Literacy
The United States military makes itself an appealing option for low-income people in the United States. It offers job training and security, housing, benefits, decent pay, and an opportunity, a chance at something larger than might be otherwise available to someone who can’t afford college or would struggle to survive in a series of low-wage […]
Laying Some History On You: Nisei Troops
The internment of people of Japanese ancestry in the United States during the Second World War was a particularly dark era in the nation’s history. Decades of racism and scaremongering about the ‘yellow peril’ laid the groundwork for the executive order condemning Japanese families to camps for the duration of the war; some people moved […]
Stories From My Father: Mastitis
My father never set out to be a draft dodger. He was certainly involved in anti-war protests and if asked probably would have said that he opposed the war, like many men of the era, but he didn’t plan to specifically avoid the draft. When his number came up, which he knew it would, he […]