In The News
US downsizing Iraq presence to focus on ‘potential resurgence’ of ISIS in Syria
Cybele Mayes-Osterman
USA TODAY Oct 1, 2025
“The U.S. is downsizing its military presence in Iraq this year and will refocus its fight against ISIS in Syria.”
Armed Forces Recruiting Crisis
It Turns Out The Military’s Biden-Era Recruitment Crisis Was A Leadership Problem After All
BY: SHAWN FLEETWOOD
The Federalist – Oct 1, 2025
Our take:
Good news on recruiting, but the article leaves out any updates on what stays the same no matter who the commander-in-chief/POTUS is.
The US should maintain strong and ready military forces.
Some will say obese teens and young adults are to blame for the big recruiting crisis. Thousands of young, intelligent and athletic Americans participate in college athletics each year. Certainly, they would qualify to enlist- no rehab/prep program required.
Why are these people not showing up at the recruiting office?
Any questions from newspeople?
Thousands of American families have now had a loved one who did one or more tours in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Various family generations speak with each other.
Will they encourage new enlistments?
Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, the Pentagon seems to specialize in undeclared/unwon wars. Understandable why young people & their parents & grandparents would take a dim view on all this. Continuing on this path will wear down the energy American families once had for encouraging young people to enlist.
Never Forget-
The US Dept. of Defense was irrelevant in defending American rights and freedoms, our physical security, & The Constitution on 911.
Ditto for all other federal agencies and departments.
Any college or pro football coach would have been fired a dozen times over for what DOD has done with the US Armed Forces during the fake GWOT era.
Stop With The Lies About Freedom
Simple question:
Going back to the 1991 Operation Desert Storm
How would American rights and freedoms and the Constitution be any different today if US troops were never sent to Iraq?
Look for newspeople and school teachers to ask zero questions in this area.
Don’t lie to people and maybe they would be more patriotic.
Both major parties are OK with federal prohibition of alcohol and tobacco for adults age 18-20.
No such thing the day I graduated from high school.
That was before decades of military operations for your freedoms.
Both major political parties are now OK with treating 18-20 year old adults as second-class citizens.
Good luck with your US Armed Forces recruiting crisis.
Just Be Honest
Elected officials and high level DOD civilians speak of the US Armed Forces as if they function as some sort of giant civil rights organization.
The press plays along by not asking questions.
The post 911 era has been a time to tell the American people that US troops are sent to distant lands to defend American freedoms. This urban legend has run its course. People have seen enough now to know this is no more than a marketing strategy. Uniparty newspeople play along by not asking questions:
The idea that the US Armed Forces are sent to distant lands to defend American rights and freedoms is repeated many times over.
The reality is that American freedoms may come and go and appear to be completely unrelated to military operations/US Troops in distant lands, or the Sound of Freedom over Coupeville.
May 28, 2020 WMAR
Salisbury Mayor deploying to Africa with Maryland National Guard
Several news sources published this quote. View them here.
The idea that sending hometown troops to Africa would be linked in any way with keeping the people of Salisbury Maryland safe and free calls for more discussion.
Mayor Day,
While the troops were deployed, federal law was signed prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to adults age 18-20.
Can you help us to understand the militarized version of freedom here?
December 21st 2019 KOMO News
Legal age to buy cigarettes, vapes raised to 21 nationwide
“Signed into law by President Donald Trump Friday as part of the new $1.4 trillion spending bill, a new measure prohibits the sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21.”
The US should maintain strong and ready military forces.
Look for newspeople and school teachers to ask zero questions in this area:
How Do The Troops Defend The Constitution?
Not asking about the oath of enlistment. Asking about what happens after the oath has been taken.
Love to see newspeople interview elected officials and let us know how sending US Troops to Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, etc., is somehow defending the constitution.
Podcast 9 Defending The Constitution?
National Guard
National Guard recruiting would be tricky.
Recruiters are looking for people who will need to maintain a place to live and a regular job in their hometown area when they are not doing time in foreign lands helping DOD with undeclared/unwon wars and missions completely unrelated to their home state.
A few decades back, people might think of the National Guard as one weekend a month and two weeks in the summer plus a way to support your home state by being ready to get called out for floods, fires, natural disasters, civil unrest, etc. Maybe a way to help the next state over if they needed it.
Thousands of men and women who signed up for the National Guard in the past 25 years did tours in places like Syria, Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kosovo.
Would any newsperson ever ask:
Why do the people of Home State, USA need services in distant lands, absent any military emergency, national emergency, draft, or declaration of war?
Will there ever come a time when newspeople ask if there is any military emergency, national emergency, draft, or declaration of war, linked to the movement of National Guard troops to an overseas location?
Recruiting crisis for Uncle Sam? Elected officials, top Pentagon Generals and the press earned it.
During the Vietnam War, US troops were sent to Vietnam.
Today, the Ohio National Guard is sent to “support Operation Spartan Shield and Operation Inherent Resolve.”
Possibly of interest:
TSA – Newspeople Refuse To Ask
Quality Recruiting – US Armed Forces
Common flashlight batteries are now locked up like diamond jewelry:
Photo-
Something from the last century
Post-Vietnam guilt
The guilt doesn’t seem to work towards staying out of undeclared/unwon wars, maintaining the barracks or managing federal contracts related to TRICARE.
A giant flag ritual at the next ball game will make it all good.