Several service members told advocacy groups they felt like pawns in a political game and assignment was unnecessary

California national guards troops and marines deployed to Los Angeles to help restore order after days of protest against the Trump administration have told friends and family members they are deeply unhappy about the assignment and worry their only meaningful role will be as pawns in a political battle they do not want to join.

Three different advocacy organisations representing military families said they had heard from dozens of affected service members who expressed discomfort about being drawn into a domestic policing operation outside their normal field of operations. The groups said they have heard no countervailing opinions.

“The sentiment across the board right now is that deploying military force against our own communities isn’t the kind of national security we signed up for,” said Sarah Streyder of the Secure Families Initiative, which represents the interests of military spouses, children and veterans.

  • Dozzi92@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    You say “easily,” but I doubt it appears so easy, because disobeying the order first starts with you violating the UCMJ and paying for it. Only then can you fight and say hey, the order was unlawful. But you’re doing that from military jail. It’s an uphill battle and there’s nothing easy about it.

    I imagine the mindset is go, stand around with a shield, don’t murk protestors, and try to just wait this shit out.

    Plus, for the Marines, they were living in 29 Palms beforehand, so it’s practically a vacation.

        • Almacca@aussie.zone
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          20 hours ago

          Talk to each other? They’re all posted to the same place. By ‘everyone’, I meant all the deployed troops.

          • sanpedropeddler@sh.itjust.works
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            20 hours ago

            Well that’s kind of a given, I was looking for something more practical. Getting that many people on the same page about something that could easily have catastrophic consequences for all of them is not a trivial task.

            • Almacca@aussie.zone
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              19 hours ago

              That’s beyond my knowledge of the intricacies of the US military. I’m just asking if it’s possible based on the principal that there’s strength in unity.

            • Almacca@aussie.zone
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              19 hours ago

              That’s beyond my knowledge of the intricacies of the US military. I’m just asking if it’s possible based on the principal that there’s strength in unity.

      • Dozzi92@lemmy.world
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        20 hours ago

        It’d be awesome. But how do you get a whole unit openly discussing insubordination? I love the idea, but it’s just not practical, and not in the short amount of time. The order came down within the last week? It was probably go go go since then.

          • Dozzi92@lemmy.world
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            18 hours ago

            Yeah, I just think you’ve oversimplified it all. Like I said, I love the idea, but it’s a huge ask, and it would require a lot of coordination over a period of time. I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that sending Marines to the border, and sending them to protests in LA, is causing some kind of disenfranchisement amongst the enlisted, but a circle of dudes throwing rocks at a nalgene complaining about how this is bullshit is a far cry from an organized mutiny, essentially.

      • sin_free_for_00_days@sopuli.xyz
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        22 hours ago

        From the article:

        Earlier this week, he also activated 700 marines from the Twentynine Palms base two hours’ drive to the east, describing Los Angeles as a “trash heap” that was in danger of burning to the ground.

          • sin_free_for_00_days@sopuli.xyz
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            21 hours ago

            I just read this on another site. So who the fuck really knows what is going on?

            The Pentagon also deployed 700 U.S. Marines from Camp Pendleton, with a military convoy heading from Twentynine Palms toward the City of Angels.

            • vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works
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              21 hours ago

              The fuck? Best guess I have is that maybe they are grabbing guys from both Pendleton and Twentynine Palms, either that or maybe the convoy from Twentynine Palms is National Guard and they are moving shit.

              • Dozzi92@lemmy.world
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                20 hours ago

                2/7 is based on 29 Palms. They may have stopped at Pendleton on the way. 29 Palms is a Marine Corps base only.