Fight to Live, Live to Fight by Benjamin Schrader;

Author:Benjamin Schrader; [Schrader;, Benjamin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781438475196
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Published: 2019-01-15T07:00:00+00:00

Conclusion

There is a long history of veteran activism on behalf of the environment, from President Theodore Roosevelt’s creation of the National Park System to David Brower’s founding of the Sierra Club. However, there seems to be a massive resurgence in the movement to protect the environment in the wake of 9/11. Perhaps it is a sign of the times, with the rise of information and “debate” about global warming.43 More likely, it has become resurgent due to the motives of the most recent wars, which have been for and about resources, primarily maintaining and managing the global oil supply. The attempt to shift away from these “resource wars” forces the security dispositif to alter not only the debate but also the tactics of war itself, thus attempting to lessen the military’s presence. This can clearly be seen with the huge shift of dialogue within the military around global warming, as it is now seen as a “threat to national security,” thus making it an issue that falls under the Social Contract. There has been a response and a change within the military as it attempts to shift from the world’s largest polluter to a sustainable, responsible steward of the land, although this stewardship is limited to bases in the United States. The foreign lands on which the military fights are often abandoned and treated as wasteland—contaminated with many different toxins, most commonly depleted uranium. While there is still a long way to go for the military to actually achieve a NetZero status, there seems to be a shift that goes against the currents of the military-industrial complex of the twentieth century and the current neoliberal forces that seek massive environmental deregulations, even though environmentalism often works in favor of neoliberal ideals as it is more cost effective. Furthermore, while this seems to be a positive and responsible shift, there appear to be dangerous possible side effects of a fully sustainable military, from a perpetual war apparatus to machines of war that no longer require human interface.44 While these dangers seem imminent, the growing veterans’ movement on behalf of the environment is inspiring, though the military as an institution has a long way to go before it can really be considered green and no longer a presence that is harmful to the environment.

From veterans organizing for local issues, like the Montana Wilderness Association—which attempts to create more protected state and national parks in Montana—to national groups like Vet Voice Foundation—which works to put a spotlight on these local groups and helps to lobby for these issues in Washington, DC—getting outdoors and protecting nature has become an important veterans’ issue within the Soldiers’ Contract. The neoliberal discourse of “less government involvement and regulation,” which allows for businesses to exploit the land, is being contested by veterans who see their telluric bond as a motivating factor of what they swore to protect as soldiers. Furthermore, they see the land as a site of healing. Therefore, there is a positive feedback loop within their

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