Military Truth

Military Truth About Recruitment

The Military Truth website is dedicated to bringing you the facts about military recruitment. If you are considering joining the armed forces, please review the information on our site about military recruitment. Your local recruiting office will not tell you these things. Get the truth about all military branches (we don’t use the word ‘service’). Use militarytruth.org to formulate your questions and see what your recruiting office will confirm or deny. With the military truth you can make a better-informed decision as you decide for yourself what you want to do.

“While this VA report may call the jump in young veteran suicides an ‘urgent crisis,’ it unfortunately seems to be a crisis with no end in sight until the country is finally forced to reckon with its dark legacy of regime-change wars and military occupations around the world.”

“Corrupt politicians make the other ten percent look bad.” ― Henry Kissinger

In another antiquated, conservative decision, the split Supreme Court AGAIN misapplies the 70-year-old Feres doctrine. (Due to Military.com’s specific copyright notice, this article does not appear here. Please follow the red linked text to see what happened.)

Take Yourself Off The Lists

Joint Advertising Marketing Research & Studies (JAMRS)

JAMRS Opt-Out Information. (PDF File, 120 Kb.)

Automatic NCLB Military Notification Program

OPT OUT of the automatic NCLB military notifications. (PDF File, 102 Kb.)

No Child Left Unrecruited

A Spiritual View of Military “Service”

Endemic Impunity: US, Britain and France Complicit in War Crimes in Yemen

Military Truth Of Immediate Interest

• An Undiscussed Consequence of Expanded Draft Registration Posted 11/29/2021
• If You’re Joining the Military, is This Your Destiny? Posted 11/26/2021
• CHECK OUT OUR NEW CATEGORY! – The War on Terror Encapsulated
• Deceptions and Lies in America’s Wars – Viet Nam and Afghanistan Similarities  Posted 8/16/2021
• Ballooning F-35 Sustainment Costs Posted 7/16/2021
• Sloppy Maintenance Culture, Multiple Errors Cause F-22 to Overheat, and more near-miss military disasters  Posted 7/13/2021
• Off the Rails: Trump’s War with his Generals  Posted 6/2/2021
• Military Sexual Assault – It’s Not Just Women  Posted 7/27/2020
• A Working Model to ‘Defund the Police’ Posted 7/8/2020
  
• Finally Some Movement in Repositioning the Military Budget! Posted 7/3/2020
• The Cost of Loyalty Posted 6/19/2020
• You’re Not One of Us Posted 6/17/2020
• Time to Reinvest in People Posted 6/17/2020
• Not All It Can Be: The US Military Is Failing Posted 5/18/2020
• Religious Intolerance by an Evangelical Chaplain Posted 5/18/2020
• A (modified) Trump-promised veteran support capability comes to fruition over three years after the promise. Posted 3/3/20
• 2019 Air Force Suicides Highest in Three Decades Posted 2/11/2020
• VA Secretary Looked for Dirt on a House Staffer Who Reported Sexual Assault in a VA Hospital Posted 2/11/2020
• In the wake of the failed audit and the Afghanistan revelations of continued lies, the military/industrial complex carries on: Business As Usual Posted 1/29/2020
• An Empire on its Last Leg  Posted 1/18/2020
• Many Soldiers Want to Stop Fighting. Let’s Build a Movement That Welcomes Them. Posted 1/18/2020
• Navy Installed touch-screen Steering Systems to Save Money. Ten Sailors Paid with Their Lives. (Very long blog post w/ downloadable pdf) Posted 1/18/2020
• Whistleblower testifies that Boeing ignored pleas to shut down 737 MAX production (Medium-long blog post with downloadable pdf ) Posted 1/18/2020
  
• Counting the Cost of US Military Bases Around the World Posted 1/18/2020
• Pentagon’s Massive Accounting Fraud Exposed
• Overmatch, The Nation, 1/14-21, 2019… read p. 4, CONTENDING WITH OVERMATCH (PDF file in blog post) Posted 1/18/2020
• Graft In the Military (PDF file, 72 Kb)
• DoD Cost Control (Military Truth blog post)
• When a Military Retirement Isn’t (PDF file, 100 Kb)
• NAVY SUICIDES, Posted 9/27/19
• In-Uniform & Veteran Suicide (PDF file, 391 Kb)

Military Truth About Excessive Spending, WMD, Dishonesty, and More…

$21 trillion of Pentagon financial transactions between 1998 and 2015 could not be traced, documented, or explained.

The long-awaited, Congressionally mandated Department of Defense audit has been concluded. The results of this first of its kind audit (though mandated to be done annually by law) are an outrage.

Read more and find more posts on this topic in our America’s Defense Spending and DoD Cost Control categories.

The Pentagon’s Bottomless Money Pit, Military Truth’s newest repost (this one from the April 2019 issue of Rolling Stone), has an even more in-depth look at some of the reasons for the “lost” $21M.” We frequently add new articles to the Department of Defense Cost Control category in which it appears, so come back to read more military truth on this important topic.

Confidential documents reveal U.S. officials failed to tell the truth about the war in Afghanistan

“In news conferences and other public appearances, those in charge of the war have followed the same talking points for 18 years. No matter how the war is going — and especially when it is going badly — they emphasize how they are making progress.”

From https://www.legitgov.org: “Confidential documents reveal U.S. officials lied about the war in Afghanistan, hid evidence that $1T conflict was ‘unwinnable’ | 09 Dec 2019 | A confidential trove of government documents obtained by The Washington Post reveals that senior U.S. officials failed to tell the truth lied about the war in Afghanistan throughout the 18-year campaign, making rosy pronouncements they knew to be false and hiding unmistakable evidence the war had become unwinnable…The U.S. government tried to shield the identities of the vast majority of those interviewed for the project and conceal nearly all of their remarks. The Post won release of the documents under the Freedom of Information Act after a three-year legal battle…Since 2001, the Defense Department, State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development have spent or appropriated between $934 billion and $978 billion, according to an inflation-adjusted estimate calculated by Neta Crawford, a political science professor and co-director of the Costs of War Project at Brown University. Those figures do not include money spent by other agencies such as the CIA and the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is responsible for medical care for wounded veterans.”

Read the entire article, researched at great length — including a 3 year court battle for documentation — by the Washington Post here.

Use of Weapons of Mass Destruction by the U.S.

As U.S. citizens, we often think of ourselves as belonging to a high-road nation, one dedicated to “doing the right thing,” whatever that might be. Additionally, while one might think that global superpower status should also denote a degree of “high road” morality—particularly because we are “citizens of the United States of America” and that we are looking out for and guarding against the Saddam Husseins of the world—this is simply not true.

Reality, however, is not quite as simple. When looking at weapon systems that can be easily classified as weapons of mass destruction and at our country’s position on the manufacture and use of these weapons, it becomes quite apparent that, no matter which political party is “in charge” in Washington, the manufacture, sale and even the use of these weapons is heavily protected by the powers that be in our government.

Eisenhower’s famous lines about the military-industrial complex in his farewell address have proven to be very true. And General Smedley D. Butler’s 20-20 hindsight from 1935 (War is a Racket) —observations about U.S. wars in which he had participated as being for economic reasons, not ideologies—have apparently not changed since his time.

Please read the posts in the Weapons of Mass Destruction category of the Military Truth blog. There we have shared posts that describe various types of WMD. We also repost newer particles about current usage from which you can learn a LOT about what you’re getting yourself into. Additionally, this link relates one of my own personal experiences with a SUPER WMD.

Military Truth – Environmental Damage

Today, in Dec. 2018, I’m aware of four ex-USAF Air Police (APs) , ex-waste pit guards, who were stationed with me at Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico. Two of them have died from bladder cancer and the two remaining have been diagnosed with the same malady. While the base has not been designated as an environmental clean-up zone, toxic waste was being indiscriminately discarded, but requiring AP guards before the base was decommissioned. Without superfund identification, the VA doesn’t recognize the commonality of the situations, an Agent Orange situation all over again, one in which neither these victims nor survivors have the resources or victim life expectancy to take the situation to court.

Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico: Hazardous waste that I personally know of includes hundreds of used trichlorethelene and toluene wipes. Many of these would also have had particles of plutonium from cleaning plutonium spheres used in the nuclear weapons of the day.

In Kansas (McConnell Air Force Base) I cleaned a spalling sphere from a “training” Mk 6 Mod 6 weapon. This means there were a LOT of plutonium particles in the waste. I know the people in charge had no idea how poisonous it was because of the casual attitude they expressed when I had said it was spalling badly and the facility had no protective gear.

The bottom line is that ANY military base leaves a contaminated waste area behind.

~ Don Chapin, Capt. USAF, Ret’d, ex-nuclear weapons electronics technician/team chief

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• DoD & U.S. Courts Do Not Support Enlistees’ Claims of Burn Pit-Induced Physical Problems
• The Military Is Poisoning America’s Groundwater, by Pat Elder, Director, the National Coalition to Protect Student Privacy
• Action Needed to Address US Military PFAS Contamination
• “New Mexico Officials: Holloman Air Force Water Contaminated” – This article discusses water table PFAS contamination of more than 18,000 times the EPA’s drinking water health advisory at Holloman, Cannon and Kirtland AFBs. Albuquerque Journal, Rick Nathanson, 8 Feb 2019

Update 8/31/19: The situation with Navy sonar and cetaceans being killed, deafened (a death sentence for whales, dolphins and other marine mammals) and dying from compression sickness (the bends) when trying frantically to escape the horrific sounds continues. We’re posted several articles, some with video that contains audio of the hideous sonar sounds, to fill you in on what’s been going on. If you enlist in the US Navy, you may very well be ordered to particpate in this illegal and immoral activity. Are you sure you want to do this?

Read more in our Military Environmental Damage category.

Military Truth About American Imperialism…

US Regime Change in Venezuela – Posted 3/3/20

Hands Off Venezuela: Historic Stance at the United Nations against US Imperialism: One ‘advantage’ to Trump’s extremely weak international standing seems to be a global resistance to American Imperialism & Aggression.

Putting American global dominance in perspective, American imperialism, as depicted in these non-MSM articles, has brought out the best in globally-inspiring ideals, the worst in behavior (but typical of imperialism, with a dominant military), with a typical ‘decay from within’ scenario, driven by the tRump administration.

Unlike the sensation seeking so-called “reporters” that got tRump elected, the articles in this section were written independent of Main Stream Media (MSM) controls but also independent of each other. However, they all point to the same hidden-from-public-view problem of the Grand-Canyon-wide gap between America’s highly commendable, spiritually-oriented ideals and actual practices around the globe in the name of “defense.” These authors all point, individually and independently, to the old adage that “power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely,” and the U.S. has been THE absolute global power since WWII.

• The History of America’s Secret Wars (PDF file, 267 Kb)
• The World Will Not Mourn the Decline of U.S. Hegemony (PDF file, 153 K)
• Preserving the Positive Legacy of an Empire in Decline
• The fatal expense of American imperialism (PDF file, 103 K)
• The United States Probably Has More Foreign Military Bases Than Any Other People (PDF file, 143 K)
• American Interference in Foreign Affairs (PDF file, 285 K) –
• American Military Intervention – A User’s Guide, May 2, 1996 (PDF file, 3M)
• One country fights back at Wall Street… when will others catch on? (Post at MT.org Blog with downloadable pdf)

…and American Aggression

“Does it really matter any longer what leader is in charge of the United States? Has there even been a president dedicated to living in peace with the world since that country was founded? Not one. It is long past time to ask why this or that American regime wants war here, there and everywhere. The problem lies much deeper in the American psychology; for we can say that nations have a psychology, a manner of general behaviour and thinking, arising from their history and culture. I will leave that for political philosophers, sociologists and psychologists to examine but the existential fact is the world is faced with a threat to its survival and that threat is the United States of America.” ~ Christopher Black, an international criminal lawyer based in Toronto. This quote appeared in his article, “American Aggression: A Threat To The World.”

• American Aggression – Foreign Regime Interventions (PDF file, 637 K)
• Is this the Beginning of the End? (PDF file, 169 K)
• The Great Con of American Patriotism (blog post with downloadable pdf file)

Read the posts below, from the American Imperialism and Aggression category on the Military Truth blog, to get you started. There is much more in this category to explore!

Truth About Military Atrocities and War Crimes

Imperialism leads to aggression, particularly with the “us and them” mentality taught in basic training, whether enlisted or officer.

Read more here. Visit this topic on our blog for more articles on this subject.

Here’s one posted on 6/21/19 to get you started, and you will find more in the post slider above:

Whitewashing War Crimes Has Become the American Way — It seems that whitewashing, excusing and apologizing for criminal military behavior is as American as apple pie

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In the section below are links to more information on pages on this website and topics in our blog. Many of these also have links to excellent resources and more information from other websites and sources. Read BEFORE enlisting so you can make an informed decision:

Research

• Of Immediate Interest
• Whistleblowers
• Learning To Kill
• American Imperialism & Aggression
• Atrocities & War Crimes
• Weapons of Mass Destruction
• Advice from Veterans
• America's Defense Spending
• DoD Cost Control
• DoD Dishonesty
• Child Soldiers
• Women in the Military
• Religion in the Military
• Various Medical Experiments
• Break The CIA, by an ex-CIA former Presidential briefer
• Military Environmental Contamination
• Military Suicide
• Military Promotions
• The War on Terror Encapsulated
• Editorials

Get the Military Truth BEFORE You Enlist

Before you enlist, remember that the President of the United States would be your Commander In Chief and you would be, by the contract you sign, required to “obey all lawful orders” of those above you. Now, if you’re a typical high school graduate without an advanced law degree how do you know what is lawful and what is not? Just think of having to carry out the orders of someone of Trump’s obviously low caliber. If that in itself doesn’t make you think again, then read on.

Oh, the military hierarchy would know and not allow “unlawful” orders to be passed on? Better think again after going through much of what we present to you on this site. America has TREMENDOUSLY positive ideals which are presented to our citizenry and the rest of the world but, throughout our history (a history not taught in our schools), human, non-idealistic practices have made us into a global imperialistic power.

Back to the “military would intervene” concept. Yes, there is that possibility, that enough high-ranking officers within the Department of “Defense” (as it is now officially called, instead of the original and more accurate Department of War) have retained their innate sense of right and wrong after a career of military politics, but how many? Read “Graft in the Military” for a quick personal story.

Further, would they be safe from prosecution if they spoke up? The US Supreme Court, Department of Defense and Congress say No,  military retirees can be court-martialed for crimes committed AFTER their retirement. Even “contemptuous words” uttered by a commissioned officer “against the president, the vice president, Congress” and others is punishable by court-martial. Are you sure you can keep your opinions to yourself for the rest of your life with a clear conscience?

What Does This Mean For You?

Politics in the commissioned officer military is just as important for advancement as it is in the ‘outside/civilian’ world. Ergo, follow the orders, whatever they may be, or play the politics. In the enlisted ranks, technical-level tests (particularly in the Navy and USAF), achievements, and education—as well as some politics—are keys to advancement.

Also, know that the nature of warfare is constantly changing. From the guerilla warfare our farmer-soldiers—used against the British and German forces in our own Revolution and successfully used against us in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan—to the drones and Special Forces assassination squads we use today, the nature, technology and practice of killing others is constantly changing (i.e. becoming increasingly efficient). What hasn’t changed, long before and since then, is what Major General Smedley Butler wrote about back in the 1930s in his book, “War Is A Racket.” (Link to post with downloadable version of Butler’s book)

Understand, as you choose to browse among the categories offered, we cannot include all the references we’ve used through the years simply because there are FAR too many and there simply isn’t enough room. However, here is one brief yet important article you really should read from our sister site, light-path-resources.org, whether you are deciding whether or not to enlist or you already have: A Spiritual Directive, Avoid Giving Away Your Spiritual Power.

First Hand Accounts

To get some first-hand accounts of a soldier’s life in Iraq and Afghanistan, look up milblogging.com. No direct link because it has been taken over by the DoD, just as many references to similar blogs about nuclear accidents/incidents such as I experienced. Here is the most recent snapshot of the site available at the Internet Archive. For a time the author had a Twitter account, which has also been taken over by the military itself, but there is much from it also available through the Internet Archive.

“How has serving impacted you?” tweeted the U.S. Army a few days before Memorial Day 2019. It was no doubt meant to elicit a flood of patriotic reminiscences and pride, but what they got was a flood of pain and grief.

Read The Last Days of Tomas Young, whose ordeal inspired the book and movie “Body of War,” including his letter, “A Message to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney From a Dying Veteran.” It is an old story. It is the story of war. Two days after the 9/11 attacks, Young enlisted in the Army, hoping he would be sent to fight in Afghanistan. He was seduced by jingoism and calls for a crusade against evil that he eventually came to realize were a mask for lies and deceit. He became a voice for other young people who bore the physical and emotional scars of war. He became our conscience. He spoke a truth about war, a truth many do not want to hear. And he condemned our war criminals and demanded justice…And he died in agony with no help from the VA.

A Day in the Life of a Soldier (Article removed due to broken link): This sequence of images give us a glimpse into a day in the life of a soldier. The captions reveal how hard it is to deal with people’s petty concerns and the disregard of politicians when they return home from active duty.

Truth About Veteran Suicides

If you have even just taken a glance at everything above, we are sure you will understand why veteran suicides are one of our primary concerns. We simply don’t want you to find yourself contemplating this devastating act. You are a young person with your entire life ahead of you, and with suicide there is no “undo,” yet a shocking number military vets make this choice due to the catastrophic situation they find themselves in after committing to military service. Quotes from our November 18, 2019 reposted article, “Casualites of War: Military Veterans Have Become America’s Walking Wounded,” in the Veterans: Casualties of War category help to explain why we are so gravely concerned that we created this website to help you make an informed decision:

“According to a recent report by the Department of Veterans Affairs, at least 60,000 veterans died by suicide between 2008 and 2017.

On average, 6,000 veterans kill themselves every year, and the numbers are on the rise.

As Brené Brown, research professor at the University of Houston, observed, ‘For soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, coming home is more lethal than being in combat.’”

Military Truth About Recruitment

by Joel Andreas, the author of the cartoon booklet “Addicted to War” https://addictedtowar.com

What do these veterans say about their experience?

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