President Trump is in hot water for supposedly disrespecting the family of a slain U.S. soldier.

Earlier this month, four U.S. soldiers were killed in an ambush by Islamic extremists/militants/terrorists/bad guys in the African country of Niger during a joint patrol by American and Niger forces. At a press conference over a week later, a reporter asked the president: “Why haven’t we heard anything from you so far about the soldiers that were killed in Niger? And what do you have to say about that?”

The next day Trump called Myeshia Johnson, the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, one of the soldiers who had been killed in Niger, while she was on the way to the Miami airport to receive his body. According to Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), who was in the car when Trump made the call, the president told the grieving widow that her husband “knew what he signed up for.” She claimed that Trump’s call was “horrible” and “insensitive,” and that the president couldn’t remember the dead soldier’s name. Trump then tweeted: “Democrat Congresswoman totally fabricated what I said to the wife of a soldier who died in action (and I have proof). Sad!” Later, before a White House meeting with senators, Trump remarked: “I didn’t say what that congresswoman said. Didn’t say it at all, she knows it.” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders claims that several senior officials witnessed the call and described Trump’s manner as “respectful” and “very sympathetic.”

He said; she said.

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What are U.S. troops doing in Niger? What do U.S. soldiers actually sign up for?

The United States actually has almost 1,000 troops in Niger. It is not surprising that most Americans didn’t know this since even Lindsey Graham, the Republican warmonger on the Senate Armed Services Committee said that he had no idea. Some alternative news sources (here and here, for example) are asking what U.S. troops are doing in Niger so I will refer you to them. And, of course, it is not just Niger. Even the New York Times is reporting that the United States “now has just over 240,000 active-duty and reserve troops in at least 172 countries and territories,” plus an additional 37,813 troops on assignments that have not been made public.

I want to take a serious look at what U.S. soldiers actually sign up for. What is a young man (or woman) actually getting into when he signs on the dotted line? What does it actually mean to wear a U.S. military uniform?

There are a number of things that U.S. soldiers certainly don’t sign up for. No matter what they think, their family thinks, or what Americans in general think, U.S. soldiers don’t sign up to:

defend the country

fight for our freedoms

keep Americans safe from terrorists

support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic

protect Americans from credible threats

serve the country

secure American borders

patrol American coasts

guard American shores

watch over American skies

fight “over there” so we don’t have to fight “over here”

So, what is it that U.S. soldiers actually sign up for? Truth be told, they sign up to:

boldly go where no American soldier has any place going

obey orders unconditionally

die in vain, for a lie, or for a mistake

die for empire

be a pawn in the hands of Uncle Sam to be moved around as he sees fit

serve the state

help unleash sectarian violence

invade other countries

occupy other countries

fight foreign wars

maintain U.S. hegemony

make widows and orphans

launch preemptive strikes

spread democracy at the point of a gun

be the world’s policeman, fireman, bully, and social worker

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enforce UN resolutions

die a senseless death

fight unjust wars

kill and maim foreigners

kill civilians

die for imperialism

destroy foreign industry, culture, and infrastructure

change regimes

nation build

fight immoral wars

defend other countries

fight unnecessary wars

carry out a reckless, belligerent, and deeply flawed U.S. foreign policy

neglect their families

intervene in other countries

create terrorists, insurgents, and militants because of foreign interventions

enforce no-fly zones in other countries

fight undeclared wars

take sides in civil wars

engage in offense instead of defense

get PTSD or a traumatic brain injury

have their limbs or genitals blown off

die for the military/industrial complex

be a global force for evil

These are the things that U.S. soldier actually sign up for.

Joining the U.S. military is not patriotic. It is a bad decision. It is a foolish choice. It is, in fact, downright idiotic.

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