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A Continuing Saga: We Won't Get Fooled Again

By VVAW National Office

From the National Office

The attacks on civil society and our rights are intensifying. The current Administration is spewing hatred and destruction faster than we can track. It's overwhelming and easy to be engulfed in every putrid utterance. We must step back and rely on our decades of experience in the struggle to help us see the bigger picture.

We have seen and studied this before. Most of these folks are not geniuses. Some, like the president, are driven by hate, greed, and the quest for power. Others have studied the fascist playbook and are using it as a blueprint for dictatorship.

Control of the military is an essential part of any fascist takeover. We veterans understand the military from the inside. As we fought to end unjust wars and struggled for peace and justice, we found a unique perspective. As scholars of movement history, we know the destruction of the military is a dangerous precedent. We can look to Nazi Germany, Italy, Argentina, and other countries to understand how fascism took power.

Trump continues to create a climate of chaos in the military, undermining its leadership and destroying any possibility of its being used to dethrone our new king. His Putin-inspired destruction of the military command structure opens the door for control of every aspect of civil society in the US and an unlimited reign. In addition, the weakened and repurposed military will be no obstacle for Putin's continued aggression in Ukraine, as well as opening the door for Putin's real goal—the Russian expansion across Europe.

Much of the current playbook appears to be drawn from the pages of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.

The takeover involves the use of active duty and federalized troops to carry out executive orders. We also see the neutering of the Supreme Court, and the court not even offering a rationale for its decisions—just ruling in Trump's favor. Trump also ordered special units comprised of the National Guard and ICE, recalling the origins of the SS in Nazi Germany. The military is being reshaped by one man—part putty, part rock-hard SS doppelgänger. They are hoping that a military turned into mush can't be used against them, or against Trump's dominant Putin.

The Military as Plaything of the Oligarchy, 2025

The fascist destruction of the Constitution was not enough for this Administration, now they're unfolding massive voter intimidation tactics in the blue cities and states. Mobilizing troops in the name of safety or security is the "softening up" part of the next barrage to undermine state sovereignty. This shit represents a qualitative leap in the fascist destruction of the Constitution, and the opening salvo of a real-live sublimation of state governments into the Nazi Republican party via armed force. Don't be surprised if you have to pass a line of masked paramilitary personnel on the way to the ballot box and in the places where votes are being counted.

They know they don't have the majority of the country, so they're promoting gerrymandering, suppressing Black/Brown voters—aiming for permanent domination through redistricting and purging voter rolls, essentially banishing non-white people from voting. As if that's not enough, Trump wants to ban mail-in votes. That's how the military votes, and has for decades, so he's essentially promoting a plan to disenfranchise the very people whose labor he's abusing.

We witnessed the initial salvo of sublimation in California. Fantasies of "invasions" dancing in Trump's head resulted in the Marines invading LA, along with the Guard, to intimidate anti-ICE protesters. Guardsmen turned into Groundsmen chatting with tourists when not spreading mulch in the nation's Capitol. Will they still have their jobs when they are allowed to go home? Military lawyers being used as immigration judges is a new twist on the mission creep we're seeing. What preparations do these people have for this duty? Using military bases and personnel for immigrant concentration camps and military resources (planes/personnel) for transport round out the current list of abuses.

As we go to press, Portland is being invaded, with Seattle likely next on the list. Progressive politicians are fighting back in both cities, along with those in Chicago who are waging a battle to keep federalized troops from reinforcing the already rampaging ICE kidnap squads.

Feeding Hegseth's ego and personal fantasies by renaming the Department of Defense to the Department of War (and wasting how much money in the process?) was done in the same breath that Trump insulted veterans of all the US military operations since World War II. He and his handlers in the 1% are doubling down on their real views towards GIs and vets—cattle used as cannon fodder and then thrown away.

None of this is truly new to veterans—we are very familiar with the "use and toss aside" treatment from policy makers of all parties. The ongoing conversion of the VA into a goldmine for private healthcare capital through privatization is one fine example. If we let those VA doors close, the survivors of the rich's wars will be a new kind of fodder—expendable bodies to feed the for-profit healthcare empire.

Who Benefits? Who Do We Have to Defeat?

Ask who is behind all of this current chaos, and we can see that it's the same as our war: people with the money making money off of this chaos, not the average politician or influencer. Rich people, the 1%, use their system to keep the rest of us feeding their greed.

Check out what it took to defeat the Nazis in WWII. Check out what it took to get rid of the last bunch of these maggots. The fight today will soon have to morph into organized and underground resistance, or we'll end up in one of their many Alligator-Alcatraz vacation resorts.

Our focus needs to be on organizing. VVAW members are familiar with this process. Identify the young people and veterans in your area. The people showing up to town halls and mass demonstrations are primed for resistance as we knew it. Lead or organize with them. Ally with whom you can. Support anti-fascist Democrats, not the mainstream, sellouts in the party. We've had enough of the DNC gutting any newcomers who have even a chance of leading a mass movement.

What Else Can We Do? We've Said This Before, and It's Still True

Arm ourselves with knowledge, and don't be swayed by the algorithms of the rightward-enabling tech companies. Share information. Share our experiences with relatives, friends, and yes, acquaintances who have drunk the Kool-Aid. Organize at all levels to survive and fight against these oppressive forces. Organize information exchanges. Organize phone and text trees to spread warnings and information. Utilize every avenue you have.

Until we can get more non-accommodationists in the opposition party, we must encourage the Democrats' leaders to resist compromise and cease bootlicking the right. The Republicans thwarted the Democrats for years when they were in the minority. Pressure all politicians to be the resistance.

Support those progressive Dems fighting to take power from the DNC old guard, who are busy placating the fascist regime. Call. Write. E-mail, including writing and/or calling elected officials, even Trump! Join protests if you are able. Support organizations resisting and helping those being hit the hardest. Every dollar and volunteer hour counts.

While local or even regional victories can and will be won via struggling with the Democratic party, we must not allow ourselves to be absorbed and co-opted by what has become a tool of the 1% for frustrating and sidetracking progressive individuals and organizations.

Don't look to the system to save us—we must build organizations that fight and force change. We can and must build a new political pole. Our organizing must be geared for the longer, hard struggle it will take to not only rid us of these thugs, but to force changes that truly allow democracy to flourish for us. We must wield our strength and unity with the will to pull the cushy rug out from under these 1% leaches and Nazis, never to see such power and wealth hoarded by a few again.

Many unions are leading the protests against VA cuts. We can support them, spread the word, and, if possible, attend the rallies. Organizing and resistance do pay off. Organize, organize, organize.

Let's also make sure the people we join with understand that the National Guard members are NOT our enemies. We all know why the average Joe enlists in the Guard. If you speak to them make it clear your protest isn't against them, it's against their orders.

We need a new GI Movement and must share the lessons of the one from our war. The anti-war movement ended the war in Vietnam. GI resistance ended the reliability of the military as the rich's tool in Vietnam. The civil rights struggle was won in the streets.

Will this be enough? Maybe. But inaction will certainly lead to defeat. This battle won't be won until power truly rests with the people. We must ensure the lessons of our struggle and legacy survive to guide future generations.

VVAW in New York City, 1968.