A recent piece by Ed Rampell in CovertAction Magazine, which reviews Sebastian Junger and Charlie Sadoff’s new documentary Against All Enemies, leads with two questions: “Is America poised to descend into a second civil war? And, if so, will U.S. military veterans form a sort of Praetorian Guard for legions of assorted right-wing and gun-rights zealots, MAGA denizens, white nationalists, paramilitaries, neo-Nazis, insurrectionists, et al.?”
Why would U.S. military veterans take up arms against the country they had sworn an oath to protect? While most military veterans successfully re-adjust to civilian life, disaffected vets have become a viable recruiting ground for radical right-wing organizations.
The film takes its title from the enlistment oath administered to new members of the U.S. armed forces which begins: “I, [NAME], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic…” [For the trailer, more commentary on the film, and an interview with Charlie Sadoff, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DbOfgphebk].
Denying Warnings of Radicalized Vets
Fifteen years ago, a report was issued - and later withdrawn - by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Office of Intelligence and Analysis warning of an up-tick in violent activities by right-wing extremist groups.
The assessment pointed to a number of factors, including the election of the country's first African American president, the economic crisis combined with escalating unemployment, and conservative-initiated rumors that the Barack Obama administration would advocate stricter gun control regulations, that might fuel a growth in ”right-wing extremist groups,” and homegrown terrorist incidents.
Titled “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment,” it drew immediate criticism from conservative pundits and media personalities, but one “key finding” was particularly seized upon.
“Returning veterans possess combat skills and experience that are attractive to rightwing extremists,” read the section “Disgruntled Military Veterans.” “'DHS/I&A is concerned that rightwing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans in order to boost their violent capabilities.”
“The willingness of a small percentage of military personnel to join extremist groups during the 1990s because they were disgruntled, disillusioned, or suffering from the psychological effects of war is being replicated today,” the report said (https://www.globalissues.org/news/2009/06/19/1881!).
“There will undoubtedly be a up-tick in violence because these guys [veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan] have been over there and solving problems with guns over the past few years,” Leonard Zeskind, author of ”Blood and Politics: The History of the White Nationalist Movement from the Margins to the Mainstream,” told me in a telephone interview.
As has been documented over the past few years, a large number of members of far-right organizations are military veterans, and some active military members as well.
“The clear implication,” Ed Rampell writes (https://covertactionmagazine.com/2024/04/18/famed-war-correspondent-takes-on-rise-of-right-wing-militia-movement-in-latest-documentary/?mc_cid=71488e803a ) “is that members of the Proud Boys, Three Percenters, QAnon, Patriot Front, Oath Keepers, Boogaloo Bois, KKK, etc., believe that they are acting to ‘defend the Constitution’ against home-grown ‘enemies’ of America’s sacrosanct framed rules. Their use of armed violence against those termed ‘enemies of the people’ is therefore justified because they are protecting their country’s founding documents and principles out of a sense of patriotism.”
An NPR report, dated January 21, 2021, pointed out that “nearly 1 in 5 people charged over their alleged involvement in the attack on the U.S. Capitol appear to have a military history” (https://www.npr.org/2021/01/21/958915267/nearly-one-in-five-defendants-in-capitol-riot-cases-served-in-the-military).
As right wing organizations actively recruit retired military personnel and/or those still serving, as well as active duty police officers, the threat of a civil war looms.
There is another side to the story of returning vets, as Truthout’s Rory Fanning noted a few years back. “[A]ctive-duty troops and veterans are not a homogeneous body. Some of the fiercest anti-racists I know are veterans. Thousands of them participate in groups like Veterans for Peace and About Face: Veterans Against the War. Many sign up to fight with noble intentions. They believe they are defending freedom and democracy. They, too, are victims of the U.S. war machine and propaganda. Many become disillusioned by the day-to-day reality of the military, and they return home ready to share their experiences and fight systematic oppression. And there are hundreds of thousands of Black and Brown active-duty soldiers and vets.”
The more veterans U.S. extremist groups are able to recruit, the higher-profile those groups become. Veterans in these groups can be considered “force multipliers”; tools that increase the prestige and recruitment efforts of these organizations.