by James M. Branum See update. In the messaging put out by US military recruiters, one common theme is that the military “protects freedom,”[1] but unfortunately the military itself does a poor job of protecting the rights of its members to engage…Read More »
“Worst news in years for opponents of the draft and draft registration” Editor’s Note: Due to the timely and critical nature of this article, which was included in the Summer 2021 issue of On Watch, we are bypassing our usual 30-day hold…Read More »
By Jeff Lake On January 25, 2021, after years of confusion and litigation, the ban on military service by transgender individuals was lifted by executive order1 of President Biden. In conjunction with the order, the Pentagon issued a statement2 from Defense Secretary…Read More »
The Story of JG: September 20, 1950 – May 20, 2020 By Deborah Karpatkin Here continues the story of JG, a Vietnam combat veteran, recently lost to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Part I (Fall 2020 issue of On Watch) told JG’s story: his…Read More »
By Aaron Frishberg In 2017, the Department of Defense (DoD) conducted a “Workplace and Equal Opportunity Survey of Active Duty Members,” mandated by Congress. It was, to say the least, a bleak assessment of racism within the services. DoD dealt with this…Read More »
By Kathleen Gilberd The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2021, passed on January 1 over President Trump’s veto, contains a number of important military personnel provisions, including those summarized below. The Act can be found at: Text – H.R.6395 – 116th…Read More »
By David Gespass Kelly-Ingram Park in Birmingham, across the street from the 16th Street Baptist Church and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, contains a series of sculptures commemorating Birmingham’s history in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950’s and 60’s. The last…Read More »
Challenging Military Racism and White Supremacy In recent months, public attention has been drawn to racism in the military, leading to an increased emphasis on diversity training and then to President Trump’s suspension of all diversity training in federal agencies. More recently,…Read More »