What People are Saying

The Defense One editor recently rebuked Sen. Ted Cruz who announced his upcoming book, “Unwoke: How to Defeat Cultural Marxism in America”:

“Reminder, every senior military leader I’ve asked in the last year told me that political anti “woke” fears are unfounded, divorced from reality, and DEI/anti-extremism/LGBTQ+ efforts in no way harm military readiness, cohesiveness, lethality, recruiting or retention.”

Yet he’s listening to “senior military leaders” who can’t say otherwise or it would hurt their career or they buy into the nonsense. There seems to be a new coordinated narrative at higher levels to deny there is a woke problem in the military and to shame those who call attention to it, blaming them as the problem. The end goal is to shut up people from talking about DEI/CRT and thus it can continue with no pushback.

Are anti-woke fears “unfounded and divorced from reality”? Does DEI/anti-extremism/LGBTQ+ efforts really “not harm military recruiting and retention”?

What about listening to the people–those currently serving and military veterans who’ve served?

Recently the comment threads from a tweet from the Secretary of the Army as well as a new Army recruitment video were very revealing as to what people are thinking.

Here are a few samples from many, but click on the tweet and video to read all of the comments. Scorched earth.

Joining the @USArmy is a tremendous opportunity. If you are the type of person that seeks challenges and wants to push yourself to achieve something that you didn’t think was possible, we have some opportunities for you. With us, you can #BeAllYouCanBe! @USAREC pic.twitter.com/GiEFY7qEMa

— Secretary of the Army Christine E. Wormuth (@SecArmy) March 10, 2023

What the People Are Saying to this tweet:

“I’m a retired 5th generation officer. I’m actively encouraging my kids to pursue another path so long as people like you are running the military. There is no honor in fighting for the priorities of this admin/congress. But good luck fighting climate change with diversity.”

“My family has served every generation since immigrating to this nation since the 1800s. Me and my brother are the last who will ever enlist. Thanks for ruining our honorable tradition of military service.”

“I deployed twice to Afghanistan and served in the 82nd and 173rd. I am not interested in sending my children to join an organization that is headed by woke commissars who do nothing but aggressively push for “diversity” and wokeism. I will be discouraging them from joining.”

“Your primary recruiting base was the sons of conservative families. You went woke and now they don’t want their sons anywhere near your new fabulously diverse train wreck. Go woke Go lose the next major war.”

“My father served in WW2, and I served in OIF. My son will not serve a government who hates us because we’re white men. He still knows how to shoot. He just won’t be killing brown people for you for no good reason.”

“You forced experimental vaccines on servicemen and women. You ignored your own regulations, and told them it was experimentation or their livelihoods. You ignored their right to religious freedom. No one wants to subject themselves to that. You made your bed.”

“I don’t know a single person that got out in the last 15 years that recommends joining right now.”

“I was grateful to have served in the Army National Guard for 8 years. I have told my sons to NOT follow in my footsteps. I cannot and will not recommend to anyone to serve in today’s Armed Forces.”

“I’m so happy I got out in 2017. I’m proud of my service, but I would never let my kids join. Sadly, the Army has changed soo much over the last decade. Not sure if we are the good guys anymore.”

“Males in my family have serviced since the Revolution. I’ll be the last one to have a DD214. #notmychildren”

“Families with generations of Army service dating back to the Civil War are now counseling their kids to not enlist. This is for two reasons: 1. A Woke Army. 2. Politicians will throw their lives away on a whim.”

“No. I served in the USMC infantry, and most of my family before me has served as well. But after what “leadership” has done to our service members over the several years, no child of mine will serve until you’ve all been fired, punished, and your shitty policies have been repealed.”

“I was in the ARNG for 13 years, 1 year in Afghanistan. After seeing how quickly US/NATO’s little nation-building project crashed and burned, how quickly everything we sacrificed for circled the drain, and how we basically replaced the Taliban with a Taliban armed with our own equipment. And then the US Govt wages a propaganda war against those who love liberty and also tries to lecture us on “gun safety” after letting the Taliban basically run wild with machine guns and military equipment. And you have the audacity to plead with the young people of this country, that they risk life and limb for a lie? Absolutely not, I tell everyone I can to NOT join the military, and don’t serve the very political elites that hate them for existing. With no due respect, up yours.”

“I’m an army veteran. I’ve never been so ashamed of our military as I am now. And I served when Bill Clinton was president.”

“You’ve lost the trust of the American people and many veterans. I served for 19 years and resigned because of your unlawful mandate and intentionally destructive policies. You’ve become the enemy of the Constitution you’ve sworn to defend.”

“I was enlisted from 99-07. At least 1 male from each generation served pre-dating the founding of the US in my family. It ended with me, when I barred both of my son’s from joining as I watched our military become a joke. Our national defense is no longer in uniform, it’s us.”

“Y’all kicked me out over an ineffective vaccine series for the sniffles. You think y’all have a recruiting issue now? Wait till this generations sons aren’t encouraged to join like we were. This family’s 150 year tradition of service ends with me.”

“I served and am a combat veteran. Was poisoned by your bullshit anthrax “vaccine” then watched your politically appointed Generals literally shit on our nation for their self advancement and profit. The 4th generation of service in my family ended with me.”

“As someone who served in the Marine Corps from 2013-2018, I have three words for those considering joining: DO NOT JOIN.”

“My wife and I both served, proudly. Both of us enlisted under Reagan. Under Reagan. I have two children. I would lock each of them in a closet if they ever considered enlisting or taking a commission right now. The US military went woke, and now it’s extremely broken.”

“Told my kid 10 years ago that he would not be joining the Army. I did 21 years, 96-17, and the changes during that time were horrible. The last 5 years of that were the worst and have been getting worse every year.”

“I served in the Army as a patriot. Looking around me today I wonder where the young patriots are. I don’t see them, and the patriots I do see have no desire to serve a country that does not share their vision of America. I fear for the future of America.”

And the video:

Overcoming Obstacles – NEW U.S. Army brand commercial | U.S. Army

(The video shows the Army fighting in different wars, but skips over Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. The host is an actor who apparently plays a bad guy “Kang” in the Marvel movies.)

27 MAR UPDATE: This video is no longer available because – Army pulls ‘Be All You Can Be’ ads after on-screen narrator arrested

“Nice ad/propaganda. Too bad appealing to the historic patriotism of the Revolutionary War and two World Wars does nothing to mitigate the reality of the modern US Army. If you want that type of man, you need to change the current culture of the US Army. But wait, you just spent the last few decades dumping on those men. The men in the ad were mostly straight, White, Christian men of Anglo Saxon and Anglo Celt descent, with a healthy dose of Teutonic blood. Those men have been vilified and marginalized by the politicians in charge, and in popular culture.

I spent 20 years in, neither of my sons is going to join. Ever. Let the strong independent women, the BLM crowd, the homosexuals and transsexuals fight the next war. Another good idea (for the Joint Chiefs and politicians) would be securing the Southern border, unless you are going to enlist all the millions of illegal immigrants.

Young men, before you join the modern woke Army, have a conversation NOT with your recruiter, but with someone who served in Iraq and Afghanistan as an enlisted man of your demographic. Listen to what they say. If you agree with it, or like it, by all means sign up. If you don’t like what you hear, don’t. Experience is the best teacher, not an appeal to history the current D.C. or academic elite regimes hate.”

—

“I joined in 1989. I had watched the “Be all that you can be” commercials. I didn’t know much about the Army, but I knew that I wanted to be an “Airborne Communicator”. After graduating AIT @ Gordon and Jump School @ Benning, I ended up at Ft Bragg and was assigned to B Co 50th Signal Battalion (Airborne). Come to find out, A Co. 50th Sig BN (ABN) were the ones to film that commercial. So it had come full circle for me.

I had an arguably blessed career….17 years on jump status….15 years supporting Special Operations and some of the Finest Americans the world had ever known. Stationed in Stuttgart, Germany for 6 years, WORKED in 22 different countries in the Middle East, Europe and Africa. I was a part of things that made movies about. I ended my career, assigned to the Joint Staff, working at Raven Rock Mountain Complex (NMCC-Site R), something else people tend to talk about that have NO clue what they are talking about. I retired in 2011, after 22 years of Service.

So, would I recommend a young man or woman join the Army today? Not on your life. Nor the Navy, nor the Air Force/Marine Corps/Space Force/etc. The woke nonsense that has infiltrated and permeates every facete of the US Military. It’s like a cancer, continuously SPREADING and GROWING within our armed services. Young Men are looking to be WARRIORS…..they aren’t looking to receive classes on some DEI/CRT point. Young women are looking to PROVE themselves….not have standards LOWERED so they too can compete.

At 6 ft, with no vertical jump, I KNEW that a basketball career was out of the question for me…..was that FAIR? No…..but it WAS reality. What I didn’t do was try to make basketball “FAIR” for me to participate in….I found something I was good at instead. Fairness is for 4 year olds….not for men and women…..Life is NOT fair in any way, shape or form. Quit pushing EQUITY in the Armed Services…..we already HAD EQUALITY.”

—

“I was not, to the surprise of many, selected for Staff College. When I went on to another service school, I discovered that an African-American woman, one rank below me, was on her way to Staff College next. I had a master’s degree, fluency in a foreign language, years in the line, and graduated top of my class at that particular school. She barely passed the PT test and graduated near the bottom of our class. The Army thought it was more important that she be around to lead troops than I be around. Very glad to have resigned and have happily found a new and rewarding career.”

“Daughter has 7yrs to retirement and she is just holding on at this point as bad as it is getting. I remember affirmative action promotions from when I was in the Army during the 80’s. People with no business being in charge of anything getting promoted. One of our E5’s couldn’t read at a grade school level.”

“I have bad memories of what at the time was called AAEEO training that was regularly required; usually someone came down from G1 or AG to present it. In units where there was little or no racial discord, this training always incited it. In units where there was racial tension, this training always made it worse. Never been more glad to be out of that mess.”

“You: Spend decades demoralizing, emasculating, humiliating and holding down men in all social and economic environments across The West in the name of “equality” and “feminism”. Also You: Please fight to defend this system!
Men: No. Please hire the strong, brave, courageous, independent #girlpower #girlboss feminist career women working easy email jobs in corporate offices to go fight your battles now. Good Luck!”

“When they’re asking you to die, suddenly it’s all white men in the commercial.”

“I’m never dying for people who hate me. NEVER.”

“That’s a nice history lesson, about a country that doesn’t exist anymore.”

—

Many commenters were relieved that this video was much better than the Army’s girl with two moms recruitment video:

“YES, this is my ARMY that I love.”

“What a wonderfully made video. Much better Ad than prior years. Even the old Army recruitment tune playing in the end.

“Seems like you have had to drop the entire “Emma and her two mothers” plot since the war in Ukraine started.”

“What a phenomenal, inspiring ad. The army is finally listening to the public, and I guarantee this rebranding will help the recruitment struggle greatly. As someone who’s joining in a few months, this has touched me greatly, good job!”

“And I see that the US Army PR has corrected the mistakes of the previous commercial about two mothers, and made a really good advertisement.”

“From somebody who served in Iraq and Afghanistan I have to admit it’s a proper cool and balanced commercial. not a cartoon of a female who has two mothers and who protested something in high school. At least it took into consideration the actions and sacrifices of others without a racist non-realistic, bigoted spin. Very cool flow to it. I was waiting to see 60% of the D-Day personnel being “minority’s”. if you wanted to, Army can still make a man or woman out of a young adult.”

“Congratulation with this ad. That’s what we needed to see to feel secure and confident in our Armed forces. That makes me proud. The other ad we all know and hate had no place and no reason to exist. It only showed weakness and delusion.”

“It’s nice to finally see recruiting material from the Army that’s not completely cringe. I leave for BCT at Ft Sill in eleven days and am excited to start a new chapter in life.”

“Thank you for the non pc crap. This is something people can get behind.”

“Hell yeah. Now I’m proud to be a soldier with this not that crap they had before.”

“No more Emma with two moms. This is the US army I’m fan of the army that march into my country after 3 year of brutal Japanese occupation. The army that we cheered upon.”

–

Other comments are rather brutal, read them for yourselves.

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