"You knew what you signed up for." | Reflections from a retired military officer

[Scott75]

I really enjoyed reading the article linked below. It's an interview from the Unbecoming substack with retired U.S. army military officer Chase Spears. Being something of a political hybrid, with some of my views on the left and some of my views on the right, I don't always agree with Mr. Spears, who is pretty much on the right side of things, but I certainly agree with some of his points in regards to Covid mandates and the view among some in the military brass that U.S. soldiers are "property" of Uncle Sam. With that said, here is the article:

https://unbekoming.substack.com/p/you-knew-what-you-signed-up-for

 

Some quotes from the article that I thought were very informative:

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4. Your story describes a profound shift in how you viewed the phrase "You knew what you signed up for." How did your understanding of this statement evolve throughout your service?

 

There’s some truth to the old adage “you knew what you signed up for” when joining the military. No one is surprised that soldiers wake up early, run long distances, learn to shoot, and deploy to potentially dangerous locations. Those are givens. In basic training, we’re taught the limits of free speech for military members. For example, troops can’t make obscene remarks about elected officials or the chain of command to maintain good order and discipline. We can’t wear a uniform to a political rally that’s sponsored by a political party. These restrictions are spelled out in military regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

But there are also unspoken restrictions—ones that go beyond anything we actually sign up for. I remember in 2004 hearing a staff sergeant at Fort Meade, MD yelling at a group of soldiers that they were all property of Uncle Sam. I thought he was just trying to sound tough. I didn’t sign away my life as a piece of property to anyone when enlisting; though, it became clear later in my career that his perspective was shared among others.

I became acclimated to the formal and tacit restrictions placed upon me as a military member over time. Occasionally, people who sensed my passion for discussing domestic politics would warn me to keep my thoughts to myself because “you knew what you signed up for.” I didn’t like it, but usually nodded along. This was not because I actually agreed with the charge that I signed away my First Amendment rights to be a soldier. Rather, I had simply learned to navigate the military culture, despite my best efforts to stay connected to my identity as a citizen.

It wasn’t until 2018, during the final months of my Georgetown University fellowship, that I fully grasped how far some were willing to take that phrase. A colonel who disapproved of my writing for publication told me bluntly: “When you became a PAO, you gave up your right to an opinion.” He went on to say that I was only allowed to say things that aligned with approved Army messaging.

I found that statement not only offensive but also ignorant. At no point had I signed away my right to think or speak freely beyond the limits I already understood as a military officer. And if I was truly only authorized to speak in pre-approved Army soundbites, would I need a disclaimer for every off-duty conversation? 

[snip]

6. You draw a parallel between the treatment of unvaccinated service members and historical discrimination. Could you elaborate on why you see these situations as comparable?

 

Marking human beings as lessers—viewing them as animalistic property—is a long-standing and dark tradition. Throughout history, rulers have required physical markings to identify those they hold in low esteem. Slaves were tattooed in ancient Rome. In Egypt, they were branded. That practice endured in America until slavery was abolished. More recently, the Nazi regime forced Jews to wear the Star of David. There are many other such civilizational examples.

Human behavior does not change. Creature comforts and technology evolve, but we remain capable of the same savagery as our ancestors.

Ted Martin was not the only senior military official to resurrect this practice. By requiring those who declined the Covid-19 shot to wear masks while the vaccinated walked freely, he directed the ritual of public shaming of fellow American citizens. Elsewhere, it was worse. Colleagues told me of bases where the so-called unvaccinated were required to wear armbands as visible symbols of their defiance. Soldiers on Fort Leavenworth who applied for religious exemptions were forced to undergo weekly virus testing—a requirement I had never seen imposed for any other overdue vaccination. The intent was clear: humiliate, denigrate and dehumanize.

History has shown what happens when a group is singled out in this way. The rhetoric of hatred against those of us who were suspicious of the experimental shot intensified alongside these measures. Many influential Americans called for people like us to be denied medical care, fired from our jobs, and banned from public gatherings. That hatred has lessened, but has not disappeared.

Just last month Cincinnati Children’s Hospital refused to put Vice President J.D. Vance’s 12-year-old cousin on a heart transplant list because she has not taken the shot. The contempt still remains among many across this nation.

The words “Land of the free, and the home of the brave” matter little when the worth of a person is determined by whether they submitted to a government decree. When a society embraces shame, hatred, and isolation against those who exercise bodily autonomy—we enter a dangerous place.

Germany has declared Nie Wieder—Never Again—to the horrors of the Holocaust.

America must also say “Never Again” to shaming, hating, isolating, and believing worthy of death those who hold to their God-given right of bodily autonomy.

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Edited March 9 by Scott75
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