Okay, I'm home, I've been on the road for the better part of 4 hours today due to a miscommunication and a cancelled event, and I've had this rant brewing.
Being Anti-Military and Pro-Veteran are stances that can mutually exist.
Games like CoD and whatever other FPS/Military Simulation game is out there is propaganda. It’s meant to make you want to sign up or support military action.
The military (I’m speaking specifically to the US, as I am most familiar with them by proxy) uses some incredibly underhanded techniques to ensure they have the warm bodies soldiers they need to keep the system working as intended.
This includes but is not limited to: promises of paying for education, aspirations of “seeing the world”, provision of job security, access to healthcare, a stable job and housing, etc. They use things like “patriotism” and “glory” and “security” to lure people in.
And then, when that person is wholly and completely reliant on the military - for a paycheck, housing, healthcare, you name it - they spit them back out into the world with a "thanks a lot and good fucking luck."
Financial support for care has been axed and axed and axed again under "budget cuts"
Care is secured with red tape so thick you can tightrope walk across it
Care is denied for things the military caused (by saying "it didn't happen while you were serving".) *Yes, that's a direct quote from a doctor to one of Kallen's peers. When assessing a life-altering injury sustained while they were in country overseas, it was deemed as "non-service related injury”.
In comparison to civilians:
Veterans are ~40% more likely to be homeless.
Veterans are ~80% more likely to suffer from untreated mental and physical health issues - PTSD, hearing loss, nerve damage, etc.
Veterans are ~60% more likely to turn to addictive substances - alcohol, drugs, etc.
Veterans are ~70% more likely to commit suicide.
This isn’t limited to combat vets. Logistics specialists, administrative specialists, IT specialists all get screwed when they leave.
Ask just about any veteran that has served, they are incredibly likely to be staunchly anti-military.
The military causes a tremendous amount of damage to every person involved, even if they aren't aware of it at the time.
It’s a cult, it’s an abusive relationship, it’s predatory. Treat it as such.
Support veterans, advocate for their care. They made choices you may not agree with, but they made them because of what they thought the military was offering to them. Many thought they were doing the right thing for their country - that was the lie they were fed from 9/11 on (in the US). Then they were chewed up, spit out, and left for dead by the same people that made all those promises to them.
Here are some US-based, apolitical Veteran Support groups (many have International chapters/members):
22 Until None - 501-C3 that provides support to veterans by veterans. There are local chapters on Facebook that are all active and are listed on the website
Disabled American Veteran - Veteran help association; involved in legislation and local assistance, connections to VA advocates to help navigate the VA
Wounded Warrior Project - 501-C3 charity supporting disabled veterans.
Note: I am absolutely not doing the "not all servicemembers" thing here. I'm saying "veterans are living with their choices, and still deserve access to care."
