The American Legion Is Not Your Friend
The American Legion was created not as a space for former soldiers to meet and swap stories, but to bring together shock troops of the counter-revolution — an authoritarian mass movement of combat veterans.
Search Result(s) for: “veterans”
The US’s Military-to-Prison Pipeline
US military veterans are significantly more likely than other Americans to be jailed at least once in their lives. Thanks to mass incarceration, the number of vets in prison doubled between the end of the Vietnam War and 9/11.
The VA Needs More Funding, Not More Privatization
Joe Biden touted himself as friend of veterans while on the campaign trail. But now he’s overseeing the continued privatization of the VA and backing nominees that brag about being venture capitalists.
Gung Ho For Privatization
How a troubled army recruit from a privileged background became an angry advocate for veterans health care privatization.
For the Antiwar Movement, Soldier Trauma Was Another Argument Against War
In the Vietnam War era, radical psychiatrists and antiwar veterans developed a concept of trauma stemming from perpetrating acts of violence. Over the next decade, the idea of soldier trauma was depoliticized and put at odds with antiwar critique.
Trump’s Pentagon Chief Pick Wants to Privatize Veteran Care
Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has come under fire for a checkered past and lack of relevant experience. He’s also shown himself to be zealously committed to privatizing military veterans and service members’ health care.
The Deadly Military-Vet-to-ICE Pipeline
US police have long recruited military veterans with conditions that make them prone to violence and aggression. The problem is even worse when it comes to ICE, whose leaders valorize brutality and allow officers to kill with impunity.
PTSD Is a Nightmare. A Fully Funded VA Can Provide Relief.
PTSD is a scourge for military veterans. The good news is that the VA system provides specialized, high-quality care for PTSD; the bad news is that corporate-friendly politicians are privatizing this vital public health system.
The Military Feeds on the Student Debt Crisis With False Promises to Recruits
The military uses the student debt crisis to steer young adults toward enlistment. After serving, many find the guarantee of free college is shakier than promised. Student debt forgiveness can keep recruiters at bay and help veterans move on with their lives.
The Medicalization of Dissent
Bowe Bergdahl’s case shows how military veterans’ antiwar actions are depoliticized by chalking them up to mental illness.
This Fired Federal Worker Wants His Colleagues to Fight DOGE
Before DOGE came along, Jonathan Kamens worked on cybersecurity for the VA. Now, he says in an interview with Jacobin, he dreads an avalanche of scams against veterans — and hopes his former coworkers will push back.
The Winnipeg General Strike Is Immortal
A century ago this month, immigrant workers and World War I veterans launched the most dramatic labor struggle in Canadian history. Winnipeg's 1919 general strike is a reminder of our power as workers — and the brutality to which the bosses will resort to protect their profits.
The Left-Leaning Military Veterans Eyeing Congress
A crop of progressive-minded veteran congressional candidates say they are aiming to break from the mold of military service candidates — hawkish, corporate-friendly, and weak on labor questions — favored by the Democratic Party establishment.
Never Forget Nagasaki
Two veterans go to Japan to discuss the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the urgent need for nuclear disarmament.
Three New Books by Former Soldiers That the US Military Doesn’t Want You to Read
Several new memoirs from disillusioned military veterans reflect on the horrors of war. They’re essential tools for challenging US empire.
Understanding the Rise of Fascism
Popular accounts of Nazism often claim that Hitler rose to power democratically. But, historian Richard J. Evans argues, German fascism relied on armed militias, made up of disaffected veterans inspired by antisemitism, to crush communists and socialists.
The Antiwar Tour
Two American veterans journeyed to Japan to apologize for US war crimes. They found a growing grassroots antiwar movement.
An Open Letter from SDS Veterans Haranguing Young Socialists to Back Biden Was a Bad Idea
We don’t need melodramatic hyperbole from New Leftists telling us to campaign for Joe Biden. We need to build a democratic-socialist movement that is the only real hope for the planet’s future.
USPS Privatization Would Cost Rural America More Than Mail
Rural postal workers don’t just deliver mail. They put out fires, help elderly people who’ve fallen, and ensure veterans receive medication during storms. Trump’s proposed USPS privatization threatens these care networks in areas already lacking services.
This Armistice Day, Let’s Salute Britain’s Attempt to Build a Country “Fit for Heroes”
The phrase “a country fit for heroes” expressed the spirit of social reform that was seen as WWI veterans’ just reward for service. It was a promise of health and well-being for everyone — a tonic against the forces of austerity that we should revive.