SOUND OFFJuly 2009 Volume 6, Issue 2

Military Counseling Network

Content:• In their words:Pentagon officials weighin on war and peace –page 2

• The business ofwar­making:Defense contractors onlywant to keep peoplesafe? – page 3

• Much more thanmeets the eye: Asblockbusters get bigger,the military gets involved– page 5

• How to Give,How to Get:Contact and donationinformation for the MCNoffice – page 6

Army Specialist Matt Harju isstanding on the cusp of thecivilian world.Though he joined the U.S. militarywith visions of cementing a solidand honorable economic futurefor himself, the experiences heencountered in Iraq stirred theconscientious objector he neverknew resided within him.After completing high school,where he enjoyed photographyand spent a few years active inthe U.S. Armed Forces’ JuniorReserve Officers’ Training Corpsprogram, Harju moved out totaste freedom and the workingworld. Unfortunately, acombination of unreliable jobsand roommates conspired againsthim, forcing him to ultimately sellhis prized camera after a yearsimply to eat.JROTC wasn’t so bad –especially in such hindsight – andhe dreamt of serving in the Armythrough his childhood, so he wentto an Army recruitment office todiscuss his options.“Somehow, I completelyoverlooked the fact that ‘willing todie for your country’ usually also

means you're willing to kill for yourcountry,” he said. “... I could fulfillthe dream of joining the Army,carry on my family tradition, savesome money, and in a few yearsstudy photography through the GIBill.”Fort Knox and an eight­yearenlistment soon followed.Mere months after Cavalry Scoutadvanced training, Harju foundhimself on the ground in Iraq formuch of 2008, first in relativelyserene Baghdad, then in DiyalaProvince. He experienced threeimprovised explosive deviceattacks in his first eight weeks inDiyala.In the bloodiest of these episodes,Harju directly witnessed hiscomrades being ripped apart bythe planted bombs, merely due tothe uniform they happened towear. There was no effort by thevarious sides to understand each

Not WillingtokillByTimHuber

Conscientious objector Matt Harju was honorablydischarged in early June of 2009.

… Continued on page 4 (Discharge)

MCN IS A PROJECT OF THE GERMAN MENNONITE PEACE COMMITTEE

MILITARY COUNSELING NETWORK PAGE 2

“This new thinking willtake us from a cultureof war to a culture of

war and peace.”

U.S. Navy Admiral James Stavridis, in an April2008 interview detailing his push for culturalchange at the U.S. Southern Command, whichoversees all American military actions in Centraland South America. Admiral Stavridis wasnominated by President Barack Obama to leadNATO and the U.S. European Command, but didnot clarify why the two notions can coexist.

“We do benefit whenthings look lesspositive in civil

society.”

Dr. David Chu, formerundersecretary of defense forpersonnel and readiness,announcing the Pentagon met its2008 recruitment goals nearlythree months early on Oct. 10,2008.185,000 people joined the active­duty military and 140,000 joinedthe reserves, the most since 2003.Pentagon officials denied anylink to the worsening economyand rising unemployment, andinstead tied the increase to adecline in casualties in Iraq and

the recent announcement thatnewdeployments would be reducedfrom 15 months to 12. However,the Army announced significantreductions in re­enlistment cash

bonuses in December of 2008and theNavy did likewise in Februaryenlistment cash bonuses in 2009.

“I am under a lot ofpressure to not diagnose

PTSD. It’s not fair.”Fort Carson civilian

psychologist Douglas McNinch,in a June 2008 recording secretly

made by a sergeant experiencingPTSD­like symptoms. The sergeantwanted to learn why the

psychologist told the medicalevaluation board that handlesdisability payments why the soldierhad an “anxiety disorder,” ratherthan PTSD. A PTSD diagnosisobligates the military to providemore expensive, long­term care,sometimes lasting the rest of asoldier’s life, and sometimestriggers and automatic discharge.

PAGE 3MILITARY COUNSELING NETWORK

With a budget of more than $500billion dedicated to defensespending, and $1 trillion spent ondefense­related items, there is nodoubt the U.S has itself investedin war. As producers andexporters of weapons, the U.Sleads the world. America isarmed to the teeth, and plays amajor part in arming the world.While weapons­making is nonew art, the evolution ofweapons­making into a dedicatedindustry is new and raisesimportant questions about thepossibility of peace.As we moved away from hand­to­hand combat, ourtechnological advancementssought to take us further andfurther away from our enemies,or targets. The sword put us attwo arms’ length, the spear evenfurther, followed by catapults,guns, missiles, and drones.The distance keeps the attackersafe, yet also lessens the naturalhuman aversion to the killing ofour own kind, as the attackermust not stand before andrecognize a human enemy.Although our weapons havemaintained their primal functionof putting ever greater distancebetween hunter and hunted, thereis (at least) one major differencebetween the weapon­making ofold and our current militaryindustrial complex. Never beforehave humans dedicated so much

of their time and resources towardsthe waging of war.The Bronze and Iron ages did seethe rise of societal complexesgeared towards the making ofweapons. But the same systems setup for weapons also had apeacetime function. The ironworker was not strictly a weaponsmaker, and weapons productionwas not seen as the base product. Asword maker during times of warcould produce plowshares in timesof peace. Weapons were made asneed arose, with times of peacebringing about a change in product.In the 19th and 20th centuriesweapon­making began to require asubset of the industrial systemdedicated to warfare, making andstockpiling arms even in times ofpeace. This trend continues.To produce the complex weaponssystems of today – such as missileshields, aircraft carriers, and fighterjets – planning cannot and does nottake place strictly in a time of war.Peacetime becomes simplypreparing for the next war, as thesuperpowers of the world dedicateand maintain parts of theireconomies solely for the purpose ofdefense and war. This trend ofcoupling some industries towardmilitary activity gave rise to theconcept of a “partnership” betweenthe military and private enterprise.There are corporations thatspecialize in the waging of war:There are those that help breakthings (Lockheed Martin andNorthrop Grumman), those that

help fix what is broken (Bechteland Halliburton), and those thatprotect the ones that are breakingand fixing (Blackwater). Withoutwar, these corporations would notexist as we know them. Along withthis connection has naturally comethe guiding principle of privateenterprise – namely – the bottomline is the bottom line.Like any other industry, the warindustry must stay relevant. As abusiness, weapons must continue toadvance, and the case for the needfor weapons must continually bemade. The newest and shiniesttanks, fighter jets, aircraft carriersand missile shields must all bewrapped in a glossy sales pitch,touted as defending our freedom, orkeeping us safe. As more weaponsare made, more and more weaponsmust be sold, exported and used. Ashiny new fighter jet is a badinvestment if it is never flown. Fivehundred­pound “smart” bombs arenot manufactured as paper weights.With billions of dollars spent onmaking bullets and bombs, thebullets and bombs must be used tokeep the system humming alongand the economy happy. As long asso much of our peacetime is spentwith weapons on the mind, thereseems to be very little room for realpeace. With war this profitable, weare only going to see more of it.

Perpetual WarBy Daniel Hershberger

PAGE 4MILITARY COUNSELING NETWORK

other; each participant wasmerely following theirdestructive orders. For Harju,the thing that separates usfrom other beasts of the world– the gift of a brain that canthink freely – was absent.“The simple nature of warclearly proves that it doesnothing more than demote thehuman mind to a levelsomewhat closer to a machineor computer in order to beeffective in a combat zone,” hesaid. “Almost every aspect ofwar consists mainly of actionand reaction, ‘muscle memory’as most soldiers like to call it.There is no room for error,thus leaving little or no time forwhat humans learn from anddo best: Think.”The indifferent IEDs got Harjustarted on that process, butrather than further Americandeaths, it was an Iraqi deaththat sparked the conscientiousobjection seed within him tolife.Minutes after returning to hisForward Operating Base froma patrol, Harju and his convoyreceived word from theirrelieving platoon that a civilianvehicle had been hit. An eight­wheel­drive Stryker vehiclehad crushed and dragged acar some distance before

finally coming to a stop.When Harju arrived on the sceneto assist, a pulse was stillpresent somewhere within theIraqi occupant. However,plodding and impassive radiochatter extinguished what littlechance that pulse had ofcontinuing through the night.“He was killed, nearly mutilatedby the negligence of soldiers.The ignorance andincompetence of people who aresaid to be professionals cost onepoor, innocent man his life. Forall I know, this man was cominghome from work to his family orgoing to buy food,” Harju said.“More shockingly, no effort wasmade to try and save this manwhatsoever. However, when anAmerican gets injured or killedall the proper procedures aredone immediately in order to atleast make an attempt to save alife.“His right to live was completelyignored and his right of equalitywas nonexistent at the time ofhis death. And what was the endresult? Sworn statements, justanother day closer to home forthe Americans and a now ruinedfamily who will never be able tounderstand the circumstances inwhich their loved one died. Onlywho was responsible for it. Andworst of all, after it was all saidand done, the only thing acertain staff sergeant had to say

about the incident was, ‘Ohwell. He was probably aterrorist anyway.’ ”Harju’s unit returned to hisbase in Germany shortlyafterward and he commited hispost­deployment leave toassembling a C.O. applicationpacket, which he submitted atthe beginning of 2009.Six months, three interviews,and countless hours ofsuperfluous desk duty later, helearned his application wasapproved by the Department ofthe Army ConscientiousObjector Review Board inVirginia.“Today is probably one the bestdays I’ve seen in years,” hesaid after hearing the newsfrom his commander. “It’sprobably the greatest feelingI’ve had to know that I’m goinghome to my friends and family,getting married, and thenleaving the Army.”

How can we humans make as much progress aswe have yet still resort to killing each other in anattempt to solve our problems?

Discharge… Continued from page 1

Private First Class Matt Harju

PAGE 5MILITARY COUNSELING NETWORKThe battlefor heartsand mindsProduct placement has had its placein radio, television, and cinemapretty much since each medium’sinception.Hershey’s chocolate appeared on thesilver screen in 1927. Soap operas in

radio’s Golden Age were so­nameddue to being underwritten by actualsoap companies and the same wastrue for early television programs ofthe 1950s.As this concept has moved into thecontemporary age, the U.S. militarysimultaneously moved from thedraft to an all­volunteer force. Thismeant an increase in advertising,which brought with it anunprecedented focus on image,branding, and marketing.Though Hollywood is oftenconsidered left­leaning, the warmovie will always be a box officestaple. The military is aware of this,and has taken proactive steps in

how American service members aredepicted.Rather than employing tactics usedin Pakistan’s Swat Valley andBaghdad’s more dangerousneighborhoods, the Department ofDefense opts instead for the softapproach. Tucked somewhere intothe Pentagon’s recesses is theSpecial Assistance forEntertainment Media office, whichbenevolently offers Hollywood“script input” for accuracy andlends “assistance” when it sees fit.The office – as well as sub­level

offices for each of the fourbranches in Los Angeles – offers“information regarding U.S.military assistance in producingfeature motion pictures, televisionshows, documentaries, musicvideos, commercialadvertisements, CD­ROM games,and other audiovisual programs.”That’s right. Even music videos.For some reason, pro­military filmsTop Gun and Iron Man made thegrade, while somewhat morecritical Crimson Tide andApocalypse Now couldn’t seem tograsp the military’s loving (andfinancial) embrace.“I think they see it as a recruitment

thing,” said director MichaelBay while promoting the firstTransformers film in 2007.And he’s okay with that. Heestimates the second installmentof his Transformers franchise(now in theaters) saved $10million by involving GeneralMotors and the U.S. military. Inan improbable bit of serendipity,almost all the shape­shiftingalien robot Autobots (the goodguys) routinely scan only GMvehicles for their earthlydisguises.“People say it’s whoring out,but it’s not,” said Bay in Forbesmagazine. “Advertising is in ourlives. It’s unavoidable. To thinkyou can’t have it in a movieisn’t real life.”So just what is the form of themilitary’s “assistance” when itcomes to the Transformersfilms?Bay and his crews utilized freeApache, Chinook, Pave Low,and Osprey helicopters. FreeRaptor ($143 million each),Thunderbolt, Fighting Falcon,AWAC, Nighthawk, C­130Gunship and Hercules,Globemaster, Predator, and AirForce One aircraft. Free Mine­Resistant­Ambush­Protectedvehicles, Humvees, Abrams andBradley tanks, armoredpersonnel carriers, and missile­launching vehicles. Freebattleships, aircraft carriers, andeven a submarine.“As far as I know, this is thebiggest joint military operationmovie ever made, in terms of

By Tim Huber

...Continued on page 6

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Army, Air Force, Navy, andMarines,” said Transformers ArmyLiaison Lt. Col. Gregory Bishop. “Ican’t think of one that’s bigger.”Military personnel from each of thefour branches were used, includingeven the Golden Knights parachuteteam. When Bay filmed an AWACcrew attempting to follow theDecepticon (those are the bad guys)Starscream – who had ironicallyscanned an American F­22 Raptoras his disguise – he didn’t bothergiving them lines, instructing theminstead to just do what they do forthe cameras. Navy SEALs were onset, both to be filmed, and to beadvisors.These personnel, their equipment,the ordinance they are firing, andthe fuel they are burning is allprovided to the movie studio forfree, as long as they are being used

in training exercises. Thatsilhouetted helicopter against asunset? That jet poundingincendiary rounds intoScorponok? That was training.Bishop said the films “cost thetaxpayer nothing … the traininghe films would happen whetheror not his crew is there to shootit.”I sleep better knowing ourmilitary trains and is prepared fora potential encounter with ahostile alien robotic scorpion.However, I do not sleep betterknowing this is how the militaryapproaches the entertainmentindustry; especially in terms of afilm that is rated PG­13 andfundamentally exists because of atoy line geared for children evenas young as two years old.Sure, this is dealing only withfictional events, marking anunfortunately subtle distinctionbetween script approvals andembedding journalists. However,the interplay between the for­profit entertainment industry andthe dangling of pro­militaryfinancial incentives (bankrolledby the American taxpayer) isserious.To borrow a phrase from mybeloved childhood toy line, whatthe Department of Defense doeswith the military budget is all toooften “More than Meets the Eye.”

Transformers...Continued from page 5

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