National Guardsman Supports Occupy Wall Street 100%

[Binh]

National Guardsman Supports Occupy Wall Street 100%
(original has working hyperlinks)

http://dissidentvoice.org/2011/10/national-guardsman-supports-occupy-wall-street-100/

by Pham Binh / October 28th, 2011

An active-duty black National Guardsmen in uniform showed up in Liberty Plaza less than two days after Oakland police brutalized a U.S. marine Iraq war veteran in the crackdown on Occupy Oakland. He allowed people to take his photo and quite a few people made it a point to personally thank him and shake his hand.

This is remarkable. It is against military regulations for active-duty troops to attend demonstrations in uniform, although standing in a park surrounded by dozens of tarps and tents in the middle of a cold rainy afternoon without a sign or banner in sight probably does not count. During protests against the Afghan and/or Iraq wars, active-duty personnel who attended them made it a point not to appear in uniform because of these rules.

“I support this movement 100%,” he told me. He would have come down before today if he hadn’t been busy with National Guard training. He was bothered by what he described as the government’s “imbalanced” approach to fiscal issues; namely, massive tax cuts for the 1% while social services for the 99% saw their funding slashed to the bone. Shelters for homeless teenagers faced cuts, and he feared what kind of trouble these kids would get into with nowhere to go and no one to turn to. As we spoke, a young Hispanic guy asked him if the military would help him get his G.E.D. (the equivalent of a high school diploma) and how the training was.

I asked the Guardsman why he joined the military. He said he chose the National Guard so that he could go to school part time (he committed to six years of part-time duty so that he could attend school at the same time). When I asked him about the military’s health care benefits he chuckled and told me that he had to pay into the system known as Tricare. He noted the irony of being forced to pay into the military’s health care system when it was his life and limb that would be at risk in a future military deployment. Meanwhile Congress had no problem voting to give themselves raises every year.

British activist Richard Seymour reacted to the crackdown in Oakland by asking, “How can you uphold your right to protest when that right is gainsayed by tear gas, rubber bullets, and bean bag rounds?”

U.S. Marine sergeant Shamar Thomas showed us how a few weeks ago when he single-handedly shamed and stopped 30 cops with flex cuffs on their belts from arresting peaceful Occupy protesters at a massive Times Square demonstration.

A thinking soldier, a soldier with a conscience, is the 1%’s worst nightmare. If the rank and file of the U.S. military become aware of the fact that they too are the 99%, they won’t have enough cops in the country to stop us.

[IndependentCitizen]

This article highlights a serious issue with the U.S, and that's economic conscription. You can argue day and night that joining the military is wrong, but when it offers education and a semi-decent healthcare plan, you've got not choice. I sure hope more and more military personnel wake up, and take to the streets defying their superiers.

[The Douche]

He better hope the people in his chain of command agree with him or he'll be facing a shitty situation.

UCMJ violations are no joke.

[A Revolutionary Tool]

This article highlights a serious issue with the U.S, and that's economic conscription. You can argue day and night that joining the military is wrong, but when it offers education and a semi-decent healthcare plan, you've got not choice. I sure hope more and more military personnel wake up, and take to the streets defying their superiers.
No joke, this is what my grandpa tells me after telling him about all the failed attempts at finding a job:
"Hey if you can't get a job in about a month you should join the Air Force. Then you'll get free education, health insurance, stuff like that. That's what I did, couldn't find a job out of high school so I entered the Air Force."

That's the patriotism that some of those brave soldiers die for, bought and paid for by the government.

[The Douche]

Also, his comments about tricare are not totally accurate.

Active-duty soldiers do recieve free healthcare, national guardsmen have the option to buy into tricare, for a single person it costs $50 a month and covers vision, dental, and health. (and a psychiatrist I believe) If you are a guardsman, and you choose not buy into tricare, you still have some basic coverage, you go through medical screening once a year, if you have cavities they will set up your appointment to have them fixed for free, if you have some sort of medical problem they will get it fixed for you for free. Now, this isn't insurance, but it is free healthcare assuming your problem is not immediate. I have received a filling through this program.

Also, you do not need to have tricare in Iraq/Afghanistan because you are on active duty there, if you get injured you receive free, immediate medical care. Your family is also covered through tricare if you have dependents and are deployed.

[Binh]

Also, his comments about tricare are not totally accurate.

Active-duty soldiers do recieve free healthcare, national guardsmen have the option to buy into tricare, for a single person it costs $50 a month and covers vision, dental, and health. (and a psychiatrist I believe) If you are a guardsman, and you choose not buy into tricare, you still have some basic coverage, you go through medical screening once a year, if you have cavities they will set up your appointment to have them fixed for free, if you have some sort of medical problem they will get it fixed for you for free. Now, this isn't insurance, but it is free healthcare assuming your problem is not immediate. I have received a filling through this program.

Also, you do not need to have tricare in Iraq/Afghanistan because you are on active duty there, if you get injured you receive free, immediate medical care. Your family is also covered through tricare if you have dependents and are deployed.

This was my mistake. Technically he is not active duty because he has not been issued deployment orders. Once he is activated/deployed the free care kicks in.

[The Douche]

This was my mistake. Technically he is not active duty because he has not been issued deployment orders. Once he is activated/deployed the free care kicks in.

No, he is "active-duty guard", like myself, he serves one weekend a month. His statement about having to pay for medical care and that being ironic because he risks his life on their deployment is incorrect. He's pandering to the media, and it would be instantly discredited by anybody with military experience, and unfortunately it opens the flood gates for people to scream imposter at him. (not that I think he is)

[Commissar Rykov]

He better hope the people in his chain of command agree with him or he'll be facing a shitty situation.

UCMJ violations are no joke.
Yeah he could be facing a BCD before he can say, "Fuck."

[Broletariat]

Yeah he could be facing a BCD before he can say, "Fuck."

Damn acronyms I don't know.

Explain please.

[Commissar Rykov]

Damn acronyms I don't know.

Explain please.
Bad Conduct Discharge for behavior that is inappropriate in uniform sometimes referred to as the Big Chicken Dinner. The military loves their acronyms. As was pointed out it will depend on this guy's CoC feels about the protests I have the feeling they aren't likely to be sympathizers.

[The Douche]

Bad Conduct Discharge for behavior that is inappropriate in uniform sometimes referred to as the Big Chicken Dinner. The military loves their acronyms. As was pointed out it will depend on this guy's CoC feels about the protests I have the feeling they aren't likely to be sympathizers.

The good thing regarding the guard is that people do tend to be sympathetic (not in combat arms though), the other thing is that it tends to be somewhat difficult to get kicked out of the guard.

[Commissar Rykov]

The good thing regarding the guard is that people do tend to be sympathetic (not in combat arms though), the other thing is that it tends to be somewhat difficult to get kicked out of the guard.
Interesting I have had little interaction with the guard my family were and are in the Regular Army and they tend to be a rather politically rigid group.

[The Douche]

Interesting I have had little interaction with the guard my family were and are in the Regular Army and they tend to be a rather politically rigid group.

The guard is largely comprised of people who are only involved for the benefits it gives (paycheck, college money etc) and so they occupy a weird position where they are not just soldiers (though they are still soldiers) they are also workers/unemployed/working class students.

But I've spent all my 6 years in combat arms, where it is virtually indistinguishable from the regular army.

[IndependentCitizen]

Also, his comments about tricare are not totally accurate.

Active-duty soldiers do recieve free healthcare, national guardsmen have the option to buy into tricare, for a single person it costs $50 a month and covers vision, dental, and health. (and a psychiatrist I believe) If you are a guardsman, and you choose not buy into tricare, you still have some basic coverage, you go through medical screening once a year, if you have cavities they will set up your appointment to have them fixed for free, if you have some sort of medical problem they will get it fixed for you for free. Now, this isn't insurance, but it is free healthcare assuming your problem is not immediate. I have received a filling through this program.

Also, you do not need to have tricare in Iraq/Afghanistan because you are on active duty there, if you get injured you receive free, immediate medical care. Your family is also covered through tricare if you have dependents and are deployed.

So...still a really bad fact that people see no other choice but to go into the military because of the benefits the government will give them over ordinary people.

[Binh]

No, he is "active-duty guard", like myself, he serves one weekend a month. His statement about having to pay for medical care and that being ironic because he risks his life on their deployment is incorrect. He's pandering to the media, and it would be instantly discredited by anybody with military experience, and unfortunately it opens the flood gates for people to scream imposter at him. (not that I think he is)

He didn't say he had to pay for care. He said he had to pay into the system. And I'm not the media.

You should check out Traveling-Soldier.org and the Military Project. They do work with GIs.

[The Douche]

He didn't say he had to pay for care. He said he had to pay into the system. And I'm not the media.

You should check out Traveling-Soldier.org and the Military Project. They do work with GIs.

He doesn't have to pay for medical care. Not in any form. He can elect to recieve insurance at his expense. If he is placed on active duty for a deployment, his insurance and the insurance of his dependents is free.

[Jose Gracchus]

No, he is "active-duty guard", like myself, he serves one weekend a month. His statement about having to pay for medical care and that being ironic because he risks his life on their deployment is incorrect. He's pandering to the media, and it would be instantly discredited by anybody with military experience, and unfortunately it opens the flood gates for people to scream imposter at him. (not that I think he is)

Maybe in literal terms but I say its polemical fair-game. Since when did all the nationalists' hypocritical bellowing about "boys volunteering to serve their country", "defend our freedoms", "supporting" the "troops", "our military heroes"...ad nauseum with any real respect to who is really put in any concrete harm's way, and how much. Certainly do not see everyone rejecting the service of all REMFs, 'camp followers', etc.

Why, the far rightists tried to pass off Sarah Palin's ceremonial heading of the Alaskan National Guard as Governor as some kind of warlord qualification in the maelstrom that is U.S. official politics with a straight face.

[Fawkes]

He better hope the people in his chain of command agree with him or he'll be facing a shitty situation.

UCMJ violations are no joke.

What kind of ramifications are there beyond demotion or discharge?

[The Douche]

What kind of ramifications are there beyond demotion or discharge?

A bad conduct discharge will show up on any background check you are submitted to, it makes it really hard to find employment or a place to live.

The military can potentially do whatever they want to you, depending on how hard they want to push, and if they want to make an example. Especially during war time.

[Fawkes]

Do they have their own court/prison system? If you go AWOL are you charged in a standard criminal court and put in a normal federal prison?

[The Douche]

Do they have their own court/prison system? If you go AWOL are you charged in a standard criminal court and put in a normal federal prison?

I'm under the impression that military prisoners go to military prisons and/or Leavenworth.

Yes the military tries UCMJ in a court martial with military judges/jurors.

[xub3rn00dlex]

I'm under the impression that military prisoners go to military prisons and/or Leavenworth.

Yes the military tries UCMJ in a court martial with military judges/jurors.

I'm assuming these judges are pretty strict about the military, so people are usually shit out of luck?

[The Douche]

I'm assuming these judges are pretty strict about the military, so people are usually shit out of luck?

Well, these judges are military officers.

[xub3rn00dlex]

Well, these judges are military officers.

No I know that, what I'm asking is what would his chances be of winning his case if he was court marshaled. I'm under the impression that they strictly uphold military law, and he'd be pretty fucked.

[The Douche]

No I know that, what I'm asking is what would his chances be of winning his case if he was court marshaled. I'm under the impression that they strictly uphold military law, and he'd be pretty fucked.

Unlikely, officers being less sympathetic to working class politics than enlisted soldiers.

[xub3rn00dlex]

Unlikely, officers being less sympathetic to working class politics than enlisted soldiers.

I see. Thank you cmoney.

[Binh]

He doesn't have to pay for medical care. Not in any form. He can elect to recieve insurance at his expense.

I believe what you said in bold is what he was referring to. I think it's Tricare?

[The Douche]

I believe what you said in bold is what he was referring to. I think it's Tricare?

Yeah but his statement about it being ironic that he has to pay for medical insurance while the thing which will cause him harm is the army in the first place is not true.