Earning civilian trust back into the Military

2015-12-08T06:04:58-05:00

We have had several extraordinary years in our country, much of which requires the military to adapt and overcome but how does the average American see us? I want to lay out several examples of things I have heard and experienced, been asked and accused of. Many of you are aware of the recent large domestic exercise called Jade Helm 15 and now the continuation bigger longer called UWEX 16 yes in Texas. Before I dive into this allow me to give several more examples. I began getting shitloads of questions (I retired to a small town of 3500 very PEACEFUL) with the firing of over 200 senior Military officers and the questions ranged from, is it true? Is it true they refused the Litmus Test? My response was huh? It was explained this test required participants to answer if ordered to fire on American Citizens??? My reply, are you nuts? Our families live amongst you and we took an Oath. Then came the video's on You Tube (This DID NOT HELP)of the Military conducting operations over major cities, fast roping on skyscrapers to gun runs and again the questions came, they are going to impose Martial Law, Take our Guns rape the farm animals and shoot the women(Kidding) and again I said this is ridiculous these are your sons and daughters furthermore they know their Oath. Between the Executive Orders, DHS Buying everything under the sun and the Military Training openly in civilian sectors the pucker factor is a 10 within America. The term bug out bag has become a common household term and people are seeking training in emergency medicine, survival skills and home defense (Sounds good to me). My point is there is or appears to be a huge lack of trust of our Military, have any of you experienced this or witnessed this behavior? What I have done in my community as I have been asked numerous times to speak or demonstrate. I have addressed people at the schools auditorium breaking down their concerns as well as going through my (Ruck..... their term is Bugout Bag) to help them with ideas as I have always kept one in the service and since retiring, WHY? Because I may get stuck or have an emergency where I need several things. Veterans here have reached out to the community and instructed folks on collecting and safely using water, types of food most useful in an emergency that is lightweight and portable and finally extreme emergency medical. In addition I personally as a hobby build rifles and repair them as this allows me to network and keep my finger on the pulse of the locals. Can any of you address similar concerns you have heard about? What kind of outreach in your community are you performing to become more acclimated to your community?

Response by SFC Michael Hasbun made Dec 8 at 2015 6:43 AM

2015-12-08T06:43:36-05:00

You have to understand, our education system has been in decline for decades. As a result, we have a very large population of very stupid people who believe anything they read on the internet, or what the pretty talking heads on TV tell them to believe. Don't take it personally.

Response by COL Jean (John) F. B. made Dec 8 at 2015 7:17 AM

2015-12-08T07:17:23-05:00

PO3 Brad Phlipot - I have not seen a civilian mistrust of the military. What I see is a mistrust of our current Administration.

Response by SGT David T. made Dec 8 at 2015 7:55 AM

2015-12-08T07:55:11-05:00

This is a symptom of something larger. The general public distrusts the government as a whole. As the military is a tool of the government, that distrust extends to them. Until the public trusts the government again, this will not change.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Dec 8 at 2015 12:35 PM

2015-12-08T12:35:28-05:00

I do not know how conspiracy theorists got their corps beliefs. They are perfectly happy to use If Then statements to complete the picture: IF Black Helicopters exist, THEN they are carrying out a UN Mission. IF FEMA or HLS vehicles are seen, THEN Martial Law will begin.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 21 at 2016 3:31 PM

2016-05-21T15:31:37-04:00

PO3 Brad Phlipot I despise the admin and their cronyism and pray this will end. And when we hear stories of people living off the grid and those people being investigate, while Muslim-extremists strangle the world.