On AlterNet: soldiers

Stories, blog posts, and videos tagged as "soldiers"

How Memorial Day Glosses Over the Real Horrors of War

Tom Engelhardt, TomDispatch.com. May 27, 2012.

It's likely that few Americans have spent time thinking about what the “memorial” in Memorial Day is about.

Why Spending Billions on the Afghan National Army Could Seriously Backfire

Ann Jones, TomDispatch.com. March 8, 2012.

No Afghan national army has ever saved a government, or even tried to. Instead, such an army has either sat on its hands during a coup d’état, or participated in one itself.

How Predatory Lenders Are Leaving Veterans Homeless, Broke and In Debt

s.e. smith, AlterNet. August 4, 2011.

Highly decorated veterans die in the streets because America tolerates a financial system that preys on vets.

Heartbreaking Stories: It's Time to Listen to the Powerful Voices of our Soldiers

William Astore, TomDispatch.com. February 20, 2011.

Some things are worth fighting and dying for, others aren’t. It’s time for us to do a far better job of figuring out the difference.

How Quickly Our Heroic Troops Are Forgotten When They Die

Tom Engelhardt, TomDispatch.com. December 9, 2010.

The casualties of the imperial venture Afghanistan rarely make much news anymore.

Are We Giving Our Soldiers Drugs That May Make Them Kill Themselves?

Martha Rosenberg, AlterNet. October 10, 2010.

More soldiers than ever are on drugs that have been linked to suicide and violent behavior.

Soldiers With Brain Trauma Denied Purple Hearts, Adding Insult to Injury

T. Christian Miller, Daniel Zwerdling, ProPublica. September 10, 2010.

Army commanders have routinely denied Purple Hearts to soldiers who have sustained concussions in Iraq.

Soldiers Punished for Refusing to Attend Christian Rock Show

Matthew Harwood, TruthOut.org. August 23, 2010.

The Army is not supposed to promote religion. Why have there been so many incidents of higher-ups pushing Christianity?

Why We're Bound to Fail in Afghanistan: What Happened When I Spent 2 Weeks at a U.S. Military Base

Ann Jones, TomDispatch.com. August 4, 2010.

Based on my experience at a Forward Operating Base, it's clear enough that the hearts-and-minds part of COIN is already dead in the water.

Moyers: Obama's Bad Gamble on Afghanistan -- 100,000 Soldiers Used as Chips for a Bet the US Can't Win

Bill Moyers, Bill Moyers Journal. April 12, 2010.

We are losing lives for no purpose. The perpetuation of this unnecessary war exacerbates the problems in the Islamic world.

The Many Burdens a GI Faces in Afghanistan

Clancy Sigal, The Guardian. April 7, 2010.

The GIs are doing the best they can, in a "job" the politicians command them out of imperial hubris and historical ignorance.

Drugged Warriors: Sharp Rise in U.S. Military Psychiatric Drug Use and Suicide

Bruce E. Levine, AlterNet. April 5, 2010.

Soldiers deployed in combat zones are taking quantities of psychiatric drugs -- and military suicides are on the rise.

Commander Changes Tune, Says He Won't Court-Martial, Jail Pregnant Soldiers

Amanda Terkel, ThinkProgress. December 23, 2009.

But he also has no plans to expand soldiers' access to emergency contraception (Plan B).

40,000 More U.S. Soldiers in Afghanistan Won't Solve Its 40% Unemployment Rate

Jodie Evans, AlterNet. October 8, 2009.

Afghan Parliament member Roshanak Wardak speaks out: Most of the women do not want more troops -- they need support to sustain their lives.

The U.S. Military's New Recruiting Ads Make War Look Like a Fun Video Game

David Sirota, Creators Syndicate. August 29, 2009.

Marketing war as a Playstation fantasy masks its inherent brutalities in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Borrowing From the Bushies: Obama's Refusal to Release New Abu Ghraib Photos

Byard Duncan, AlterNet. May 28, 2009.

Obama's maneuvering goes against his promises. It will do more harm than good.

Iraq: Suicide Bombing Kills Five American Soldiers and Two Iraqi Guards

Ali Frick, ThinkProgress. April 10, 2009.

So far this year, 50 Americans have been killed in Iraq.

Pentagon Allows Media to Cover Returning War Dead for First Time in 18 Years

Matt Corley, ThinkProgress. April 6, 2009.

Following the new policy, the media were allowed to cover the return after the military received consent from family members of the soldier.

Why Are We "Surging" into Afghanistan?

Jim Hightower, Creators Syndicate. February 27, 2009.

Not for nothing is that country called "the burial ground of empires," "a guerilla's paradise" and "the theme park of problems."

Why is Obama Poised to Escalate a Bad War?

Daniel Smith, Foreign Policy in Focus. February 21, 2009.

Afghanistan isn't the "good war." It's wrong not only for Afghanistan but for U.S. soldiers.

Army Suicides in January Outnumbered Combat Deaths

Bruce E. Levine, AlterNet. February 11, 2009.

The NIMH is spending $50 million on research to figure out why. Doesn't common sense tell us enough?

Will Obama Allow Americans to 'See the Full Human Cost of War?'

Satyam Khanna, ThinkProgress. February 10, 2009.

CNN's Ed Henry asked President Obama a hard-hitting question yesterday.

We Can't Afford to Sink Deeper into the Afghan Quagmire

ZP Heller, Brave New Films. January 9, 2009.

Seeking alternatives to escalation in the Afghanistan war.

I'll Be Home For Christmas: Traveling With Our Troops

Mike Ragogna, Huffington Post. December 25, 2008.

On planes that pinballed from airport to airport in bad weather, soldiers and civilians got to know each other.

In Lockstep, Media Goes Out for Afghanistan Surge

Jason Rosenbaum, The Seminal. December 5, 2008.

Haven't we learned our lesson from Iraq?