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Memorial Day 2014 -- U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial Arlington (VA)
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Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington, VA.
Call this is an appeal from a US citizen to all men and women serving on active duty in the US military.
I know you took an oath to defend the Constitution and the country from all enemies, foreign and domestic.
I believe your intentions to join the military were honorable.
But as you know you are the lethal end of policies devised by our "leaders", most of who never served in the military and use it as a first resort rather than the last when all other diplomacy fails.
And in some instances our "leaders" chose to initiate war as they did in 2003 with Iraq. They never intended to reach a diplomatic solution with Iraq. It was simply go to war and initiate regime change. In case you missed it, look at the results and present situation after our 8 year war and occupation of that country. It's a basket case of competing sectarian rivalries we created. But boy the oil behemoths are happy and reeling in the dough. That's the crowd you were defending fighting in Iraq.
You may believe you are serving to defend me and other Americans in the orders and actions you carry out. But you are not defending us; you are defending the interests of the corporatists that get rich off our wars and occupations even as our "government" unnecessarily sends you in harms way which to this American is unforgiveable.
Yes it's the big defense contractors and the oil and gas behemoths that are the parasites whose interests you are defending.
You're supposed to be defending the country from imminent attack, but where is the "enemy" that threatens us? There isn't any.
Sure there are radical jihadists and other extremists out there but those types have always existed. They never have and never will constitute a real threat to the nation. They are criminals that may commit criminal acts and should be held accountable and prosecuted in a court of law. They do not constitute an "enemy" that requires military action.
As for those private, corporate outfits the "Blackwater", "Triple Canopy" types you've seen in the war zones you've been sent to, they're merely mercenaries getting rich killing people knowing as they do they'll be immune from any prosecution no matter how heinous the crimes they commit.
Remember, there's no honor killing innocents which our "government" flaks refer to as "collateral damage". That's murder even though our "government" secures SOFA's, status of forces agreements with the "governments" in the countries you're fighting in which essentially protects you from prosecution by the authorities in those countries. You still have to live with yourself after you leave the war zone and return to the "world".
Lastly, consider the following: If your conscience is plaguing and you're an officer resign your commission. If you're enlisted, of course resigning isn't an option. But get out as soon as your enlistment expires.
You know what you do is not heroic-despite the standing ovations and clapping from others when they see you in airports, ballgames et al. These people are just assuaging their own guilt for not having served.
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