By Karen Rubin, editor@news-photos-features.com, news-photos-features.com
As New York City’s Veterans Day Parade wound up uptown, a protest by and for veterans and military got underway at City Hall Park downtown, calling for military who oppose the illegal, immoral orders to abuse civilians in their communities without due process, and to blow up boats in international waters as a pretext to start a war in Latin America, being handed down from the defacto commander in chief, Trump, and Defense Secretary (who likes to call himself the Secretary of War) Pete Hegseth.
For many at the gathering, the daily headlines brought up the war crimes they saw in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. Others related how they signed up in order to afford college and healthcare and to protect communities, and soon found they were being used by corporate elites and billionaires to further their own interest, and Trump who is using well-armed forces and a private militia to further his own authoritarian ambitions by quelling any civic protest.
They called for “no troops in our cities” and “no cuts so veterans or social services.”
The gathering was one of about 90 around the country.
Noting the long tradition (even the constitutional obligation) to not obey illegal or immoral order, they pointed to various organizations that are ready to help soldiers defend themselves.
“If you resist or refuse to follow an illegal or immoral order, there is a community who will defend you,” declared Rebecca Roberts, who spent 12 years in the New Jersey Air and National Guard.
Among them: May Day Strong (maydaystrong.org), About Face Veterans Against the War (which works to dismantle the military-industrial complex and resist fascism); Task Force Butler (which monitors and disrupts extremist groups through intelligence gathering and law enforcement collaboration, www.taskforcebutler.org), Veterans Fighting Fascism (www.veteransfightingfascism.org) and Common Defense (a political organization that mobilizes veterans and their families to fight against authoritarianism).
But they also called on their state and local electeds from Governor Kathy Hochul on down to the newly (historic) elected Mayor Zohran Mamdani to protect communities against Trump’s illegal, unconstitutional occupation, and his illegal, unconstitutional cuts to services.
Instead of spending billions on bombs and drones, on a militia to brutalize civilians in their communities and perpetuate wars and instigate new ones in order to advance authoritarian ambitions, the government of the richest country in the world should be spending on providing health care, public education and housing.
Rebecca Roberts, a 12-year veteran of New Jersey’s Air and National Guard, related that when she enlisted at the age of 17– to pay for college and to give back to the country that took in her grandmother from Cuba and gave her freedom and democracy – “I thought I was fighting for freedom and justice,” but found she was furthering the interests of corporate elites, and instead of protecting refugees in a camp in Africa, was protecting the bombs at an air base used on civilians. When she returned to the US in 2020, during the George Floyd protests, she saw the administration use those same tactics against its own cities and communities. And now, the Trump administration is turning the same forces against our own cities and communities.
“Many are now grappling with the same dilemma of being sent to communities, attacking civilians who they are supposed to protect, facing that same ‘moral injury’. The same politicians on thanking us on Veterans Day are cutting vital services for veterans, wasting billions to start a war in Venezuela based on lies and waging war on communities. Soldiers have no place on our streets. ICE has no right tearing families apart.”
Tom Teppin, of About Face, Veterans Against War, related how he was sent to Bagram air base in Afghanistan and was told to “Be prepared to kill them all,” – referring to the locals who were assisting the Americans. “I saw them drop bombs on civilians. I saw the systemic disregard for civilians. The US military is feared around the world – they advance the interest of politicians and cronies.
“Trump is using the military for his own authoritarian ambitions…If you resist, refuse to follow illegal, immoral order, there is a community who will defend you.”
He said that Trump wants to send the National Guard to NYC because he doesn’t like who was elected mayor. “We need state leaders to protect the rights of National Guard when they refuse orders. Trump wants to call protest civil unrest, and will disappear people for opposing genocide. We have a real threat of fascism.”
Instead of spending billions on mass deportations and extrajudicial murder, “Fund what we care about, what cities need,” said Faria Aktar. “In the richest country, there is no reason to have homelessness, to have hunger. Defend immigrants and working class against the twin threats of deportation and displacement. This city is on front line of defense.”
Joe Termic declared, “This Veterans Day, don’t stand with the flag stand with the people. Defend life, not the empire. Instead of spending billions on war and prisons, spend on schools, homes. Our strength is our solidarity. Organize and protect each other. We call on New York officials to stand with people or step aside.”
______________________________
© 2025 News & Photo Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles,Inc. All rights reserved. For editorial feature and photo information, go to www.news-photos-features.com,email editor@news-photos-features.com.Blogging at www.dailykos.com/blogs/NewsPhotosFeatures