We are foregoing reporting the onslaught of news for this week, and sharing with you conversations from a college class. It’s important for all of us to focus on how people think and respond to honest exchanges. When we bring out the history and focus on the criminal aspects of what the U.S. has done to the globe through its military, lights go on.
That said, an important anti-war event is about to occur in NYC as the annual “Fleet Week” brings thousands of sailors berthed on ships in the Hudson River who then are out visiting the island of Manhattan on leave in their dress uniforms. Along with the initiators from Veterans for Peace and with others as well, we’ll participate in outreach and special events calling on the sailors to resist U.S. war crimes and illegitimate, immoral and unjust orders.
We Are Not Your Soldiers has completed our school visits for the 2025/26 school year. We’re taking a short break and then start preparations for the new school year. At this time, we’re still receiving some thank yous, evaluation forms and copies of papers written by students following our visits to their classes.
We thought you’d be interested in reading excerpts from two of the papers sent to us about Ross Caputi’s visit to social psychology community college classes. Watch Ross’s presentation here.
The veteran presentation was an eye-opening experience; it was certainly not what I expected to hear. Truth be told, I had been expecting pro-government propaganda and encouragement to join the U.S. military. However, what I encountered were some hard truths about humanity, an extreme yet relatable story, and a message to stay informed.
Most importantly, Ross showed me that doing my own research is highly important. We live in a world that is constantly changing and constantly trying to change people with it. Because of this, the media is constant and persistent, trying to influence people to follow the norm. Ross was deceived and led to believe that he was entering an entirely benevolent and valiant cause. In reality, the propaganda he was exposed to was mostly a lie, and only served to enlist more people in the army, regardless of what the enlistee might later come to think of the war. In fact, once the person is hooked into the military, it is very hard for them to leave, as the entire system is set up to train compliant, conforming soldiers, awaiting instruction. As Ross said, conformity is an incredibly powerful tool in shaping the masses, as the desire to fit in, be liked, or save face is almost innate.
In order to maintain his reputation, Ross lied to himself and to those around him, settling for self-deceit and inner turmoil in order to adhere to his training. As such, Ross became—albeit reluctantly—obedient. This obedience is critical in most operations that involve some sort of authority, namely in the Milgram and Zimbardo experiments. In the world we live in, the emphasis on authority is palpable. It is very easy to unconsciously conform, even if we disagree with the majority….
…When I first heard we were going to talk to a veteran I was half expecting a really old guy who was pro-goverment propaganda. I was incredibly surprised whenever I got to talk with a younger male who was off the bat incredibly honest with us about his true intentions when he enlisted and how he realized exactly what the military was like. He explained to us the hard truth of being in the military and what you will have to endure instead of a glorified version of what everyone wants to believe the military is. He talked a lot about the lies that they were told and the dehumanizing situations that they were put through….
