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A Veteran Gets Real About Military Culture | @AngryMaleVet · Follow the Leighder

• Leigh/@followtheleighder: Well howdy folks and welcome back to another episode of Follow the Leighder. I'm your host, Leigh Larson, and joining me from Ohio today, folks, this is gonna get good. Angry Male Vet. Welcome to the studio Angry. @AngryMaleVet: Thank you for having me. I really appreciate you taking the time to get me out here in front of your community and for me to have the opportunity to expose you to my community 'cause I think what you're doing is awesome. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Back at you. Folks, we're gonna come into this with a little bit of reverence today. We've got a 23-year veteran combat veteran, Air Force, who has used his time as a veteran to speak out for those who can't. Because if anyone is familiar with how the military words, you don't get a voice while you're in. Not in the way you do as a veteran. And the last decade obviously we've all been watching this unfold, but in the last couple of years, Angry, you have really stepped up. you have been a part of a lot of content creation collaboration, including you had a thousand mile march to Memphis for voting rights. Thank you for doing that. You were speaker on new media at the America's Voice Immigration event. And I mean you have quite a significant following too. I mean TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and again we'll we'll shout out all the specifics at the end of the episode, folks. But but tell us, was your family military when you show up to to vocalize and advocate? I know that you're doing it for yourself and those who you also serve, but how did this military story begin for you? @AngryMaleVet: Yes, Ali. My dad was in the military for four years. He had a brief, but you know, very what he felt was gratifying stay in the military. He always spoke very highly of it. I didn't really expect to go in the military. I thought I was gonna go play football at Syracuse University. And then I decided to start breaking my ankles and that that quickly eroded. And so I said, Well, maybe I'll look at the military and I'll do like four years and then I'll get out. And you know, the the best laid plans usually don't really hammer out that way. And so twenty-three years later, I got out. My oldest son is actually in the military. My nephew is in the military. So we have kind of a long history of military support. Leigh/@followtheleighder: So when your son currently serving your nephew, what is that like when you when you go to advocate? When you go on TikTok and social media, when you see these decisions being made by the Pentagon, I mean, that's your son. Like there's real decisions, that's real connection for you. @AngryMaleVet: Yeah, it really matters. it's not just one of those things where I'm looking out for the fathers and mothers and brothers and sisters and sons and daughters who are currently serving and their families. I have, you know, stake in the game, you know, and it's important to me because it's not just you know, my son, my nephew, they are just representative of, you know, hundreds of thousands of Americans who are faithfully supporting this country. and being used and abused by a, you know, current government that is just kind of treating them as toys and tools for profit. And so yeah, it it it means more to me. It's something that I would do anyways, but it just brings a little bit more it brings it closer to home. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Well, and and your story about even going into the military, it wasn't your first choice. You were a collegiate football athlete and you you go into the military, and that's not necessarily that specific story, but that's how a lot of young people get into it. either college athletic dreams don't work out or college dreams in general. Just there's so many reasons that people go into the military. And I think for a number of people who have no exposure to military families, culture, communities, etc. The military is it's it's so shocking and it has been so guilty of some serious crimes that people don't understand why people join. And most people aren't joining because they want to be part of an imperialist military. They don't that's it's not some massive thing. It's really it's a need. It's a pragmatic, beneficial These are the options that got into it. Talk to us a little bit about that. Like with when you went through Basic, when you were going through your service, I mean, did you see a lot of folks that were there because of need and not necessarily because of USA and and some of these @AngryMaleVet: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Leigh/@followtheleighder: things that I think kind of come off online? @AngryMaleVet: Right. No, sure. And and just to go back and correct myself, like I never actually made it to Syracuse. Like I lost those offers when I started breaking my ankles in high school. I went immediately into the military. I signed up when I was seventeen, and then rolled in in eighteen. But I went in as you know, my dad had served, you know, other family members before me had served, and I felt like it was a good opportunity, one, to do something to serve my country, but also I was looking for, you know, college benefits. I was looking for stability, I was looking for security. as well. And so that was my reason. And this was right before Desert Storm, which kicked off a lot of the Middle East conflict that we're watching right now, which started in 90 when Saddam invaded Kuwait. I was just before that when I began my career. And then that started to shift. And I think probably people's reasons for joining have probably shifted over the decades as well. You do have some people who want to go in and see the military as an opportunity. To get education, to get stability, get security. They may be coming from, you know, family situations or environments where they don't have that. And so the opportunity to go and maybe even learn just some discipline going into an organization which is wildly diverse and a lot of people don't understand that, and to learn those skills and to give themselves a better chance at life, that's important. After nine eleven, you know, when the towers were struck, then that became there became a very large patriotic push. I think where a lot of people said, you know, I need to step up for my country. We've been attacked. We need to go and step forward and make sure that this doesn't happen again. So I I think that the over the majority reasoning shifts decade to get decade, and depending on what the geopolitical situation is in the world and what is going on. but I think a lot of folks, you know, just you know, have a sense of wanting to do something, you know, for people. You know, more than themselves. And then also, yes, to have those benefits as well that you get from an organization like the military. There will be certain administrations, in my opinion, that pump up the propaganda and the hoorah, and they are trying to get in the right crowd, if you will, and hopefully it's a crowd that is supportive of what they're trying to do. And I'm specifically talking about the Republican administration, but I always tell people, you know, don't avoid going in the military because Trump is in office. You know, Trump will move on. All these presidents move on. These administrations do shift. And having people at senior levels of leadership who can say no and push back is important. And we don't have those folks unless at some point they decide to join. So I know it can be frightening. It can be very, you know, confusing for folks. And they're like, I'm not getting anywhere the military near the military because of the way Trump is using it. But I I just ask them to look a little bit deeper and understand that. The reason you and I are having this conversation, the reason that the military is not in cities, you know, basically shutting down you know, democratic establishments, you know, liberals, you know, the communists, the socialists, is because there are people that are behind the scenes saying no. Trump would love to use the military as a tool to crack down on any opponent. And it it is my firm belief, and based on what I'm hearing, that behind the scenes there are people in the senior leadership saying no. And if you cross that red line, it won't go well for you. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Absolutely. Well thank you for for taking the time to explain that to to people. When you joined I it was not, I mean, but that is like @AngryMaleVet: That was a long answer to a short question. Leigh/@followtheleighder: that's the answer is like I've seen a lot of people, you know, because because the military is voluntary and because it's such a different lifestyle and there's just so many things that go into it. Family exposure community exposure and if you don't have one of those either one of those things, if you grow up in a progressive place with no military family, like you're gonna look at people who join the military as crazy. You're just not gonna understand it. And so to to show that there's so many reasons why people do it. And again, we're young when we join. We don't know about geopolitical imperial history. We don't we have no we didn't frickin' clue. Like And it's like, yeah, here you are advancing the empire. And I was like, I just needed college paid for. Like, @AngryMaleVet: Yeah, yeah. Leigh/@followtheleighder: and I I I just wanted to serve something bigger than me. I thought this was the right thing. Turns out it's super messy. but it's again like the proud I mean, some of the it is like the best ministry, the most ministry I've ever been proud of is was my Air Force ministry. And that's kind of what I want to circle back to is your time. I know we're not gonna go too deep into stories, but Talk about what what that was like to to serve in the military. I know we said prior to this call that that you didn't use the chaplain core as often, but talk about just like some of the stresses of being a a combat veteran, maybe some that you've experienced, you saw with others, @AngryMaleVet: Yeah. Leigh/@followtheleighder: and why mental health chaplaincy is important for our troops. @AngryMaleVet: Yeah, no, it's huge. And it's something that I think more people should use, just in general, not even in the military, but you know, the the world needs a lot of therapy right now. They need a lot of people to talk to. They really do with everything going on. It's super important. And the military chaplaincy is is one of those things that people can turn to in the military where life can be a bit more stressful than, you know, the average American just because of the situation you're in, the life and death situations that you may be in. On a daily basis, you know, you need to talk to people. And I think the the folks that run into the issues the most are the ones who don't, you know, but having a chaplain, having a confidant, somebody that you can open up about emotions to is critical. And not just the military, but as a human being, and carrying that weight around of things you have experienced, things you've been involved in, things you've seen, that's a that's a heavy weight. And that can lead you down a very dark road if you don't open up. and become, you know, a little bit more self aware, introspective, and be willing to share, you know, your emotions. And I I didn't know that as a young man. You know, I was, you know, from a small, very small upstate New York town, you know, very white. And I got into a military that again is super diverse. And I'm so grateful for that. And I got to be surrounded by people from all sorts of different walks of life, different colors, you know, genders, you know, beliefs. And that was fantastic, but it also put me in a situation where I was under stresses, especially after 9-11, that you know, people shouldn't have to worry about. People shouldn't, you know, have to carry with them. And I was one of those folks who did not open up enough about that. I I was not sharing what I was feeling and I carried that weight. And it was it was self-destructive until I learned how to do that. And I I was able to do that through Through people and friends and family. And I'm very thankful for that. But the chaplaincy is one of those outlets that I recommend anybody. You don't even have to be, you know, of a of a religion. You don't have to, you know, be follow Islam. You don't have to follow Jesus, anything. You can just go to a chaplain and talk to them and just know that it's a trusted confidant that you can share yourself with. And getting those weights off of your shoulders and just opening yourself up as a human being. is it can be life changing. And so I hope people take more advantage of it. For any of the military folks that are listening to this, I hope you take advantage of it and realize that it's just there for you and we all need to talk. Leigh/@followtheleighder: And that's what's a good thank you for that. But the they when you talked earlier about s serving in Kuwait back in Desert Storm, you watched the nine eleven patriotic rise. Did you like maybe not even within the chaplain core, but just like amongst your peers, did you notice a change in energy, rhetoric, the way that the mission was talked about? Was it kind of this holy war rhetoric we're hearing now at nine eleven or during Kuwait? @AngryMaleVet: It's Leigh/@followtheleighder: We're what a how @AngryMaleVet: Yeah. Leigh/@followtheleighder: has this changed over time? @AngryMaleVet: I you know, you start to realize as you get older and you pull back the layers of things that there are people that run this country that will absolutely use the military as a tool, you know, for their own benefit and profit. It doesn't have to do with you know, it in some ways it does for certain people. It doesn't have to do with religion, but a lot of it is profit and greed and you know, expanding their power. You know, when we went into nine eleven, we had an you know an attack on the homeland. We responded and went to Afghanistan and then we watched an administration use that as a launch pad for Iraq under false pretenses, you know, chemical weapons in Iraq, which they never had intelligence, you know, said they didn't have, and we're watching that replay now with the whole nuclear situation in Iran, right? So there are people that are running the government that unfortunately we put into power that then use that platform to benefit themselves at the expense of the military, the military families. average Americans. and we're, you know, we're we're seeing that with the Abraham Lincoln right now, with with people, you know, trying to jump off of an aircraft carrier because they're not being taken care of out in the middle of a conflict that never should have started because of Trump and Netanyahu's desire to stay out of jail and put more money in their pockets. So I I think they're gonna ahead and basically try to shroud any kind of effort in a very patriotic way, in a very, you know, semi religious way. you know, against the evils of Islam, you know, which makes no sense if you've ever looked at Islam. you know, and it's it's unfortunate, right? But they're using the tools of societal manipulation to try to bring the masses to their side and support their efforts to gain power and profit at the expense of the same group of people that they're trying to pull over to their cause. And and that's a really fucked up thing when you start to pull those layers and think about, you know, what they're doing to us. But yeah, they'll use religion, they'll use patriotism, and they'll warp it in any way necessary to get what they want. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Absolutely. Well, and and talk about you were in the service. You went through all this training, like you have seen and you've been around. From my perspective, particularly with the women's slant, women's women's veteran focus, I've done quite spent a lot of we've got books behind me, we've got all sorts of transcripts and whatnot. Spent a lot of time researching Pete Hegseth for my book on Christian Nationalism in the Milly. @AngryMaleVet: I'm so sorry for you. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Thank God for transcripts because I couldn't do the audio speeches anymore. I was like, his voice is done. We're done. No more voice. @AngryMaleVet: my God. Right. Right. Leigh/@followtheleighder: but but from my research, I can tell you that this man shows up to Princeton University as an undergrad and says, I'm here to be an agent of chaos. Was pretty vocal about that. started the God Squad, which was a group of men that was kind of like a Christian fellowship athlete. male leadership thing. He called it the God Squad. He ran around Princeton. Again, Princeton probably a little bit more conservative than some of the other schools, but I mean still an Ivy League. Like still left. Like and @AngryMaleVet: Yeah. Yeah. Leigh/@followtheleighder: just showed up to be blatant there. And then took all the posters of the it was the organization of women's leaders to owls and it was their mascot. It was like a little owl. just like took a red pinned every single poster, trash their posters. He even he was the editor of a conservative student newspaper and he put their owl on the cover of the paper and then when he flipped the pages, there was a target scope on the owl. And then the last page was that owl dead. And I'm saying all of this right, sounds about the @AngryMaleVet: Sounds about Pete. Yeah. Leigh/@followtheleighder: just before without even asking. Like how if he was a cool guy amongst the guys, I can tell you amongst women, we didn't like him. But I mean, you have seen, like I said, you've been around the service, you've been around quite a lot of macho men. Have you seen men like this in the service where they were the liability of the group but thought that they were the bee's knees? Talk to us about that. @AngryMaleVet: Yeah. Yeah. And and they are not the Yeah, they're not the majority at all. And I wanna, you know, make people feel a little bit more comfortable about that. The military is built off teamwork and, you know, organization taking care of one another, looking out for each other, regardless of race or gender or beliefs. That is the way it works best. And that's how that then the senior leadership is aware of that as well. When you take a Fox News show host, you know, and you put in charge of the Department of Defense. With the history that he's got of his treatment of women, his treatment of individuals of different colors, you know, the abuse allegations that came out, you know, during his Senate confirmation, all of those things. Like there's a long, rich history of him being a total fascist asshole. And when you put them in char when you put that guy in charge of an organization that big, he is gonna try to amplify people that he can. And and and and it's not a it's not a purity organization, the military. It's not. There are individuals who believe in what he's saying. But I would I will tell you that the military is representative of the American people, and the American people are not digging what is happening. Hag Seth is a r has been a running meme inside the military from the beginning. And there's articles about this within the military because he's been trying to push out this, you know, alpha male bravado bullshit during his half reps and his makeup studio, you know, purchase for the Pentagon. And it's not working and it's not selling. and People see that. They s they see through those things. If you have somebody who is all talk and no walk, those individuals are are put to the side inside of military organizations because they can't be relied on, they can't be counted on to do what needs to be done for the sake of the unit. Pete is all about himself. He's all about himself and his beliefs and his need to put down people that don't look like him. he come from a very small, weak. soul, you know, that that I don't I don't give a shit how it came about, environment, you know, you know, nature, nurture. He's just that person. And unfortunately, he's in charge of an organization. And him trying to put that stamp on the military is not going well. And it is not working. And they'll sit they'll sell you any kind of propaganda they can to say that the military is behind Trump and Hegseth. And it is at it is the absolute obvious opposite because of his background and because of his stances on things. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Thankful that you said that he is in the minority here. I that's @AngryMaleVet: Yeah, he absolutely is. Leigh/@followtheleighder: that's sort of Red Bull, Lord of the Flies, like let's go. Like that's a liability. @AngryMaleVet: Don't sell its mouth. Leigh, it's mouth. Mouth doesn't run in the military. People get shit done in the military and they work and they sacrifice. And he's one of those guys who who is not going to sacrifice for anybody but himself. And that is something that you can smell and see in any room that he's in. You can see that. He'll he'll get a couple people who will believe anything he wants to tell him. But again, that's that's the small portion. It's just like the American populace. When you break down the levels of support. Actual support for Cr, we always get into this like 25%, you know, maybe 30% of the people that are willing to say something about it. And I think it's even less in the military because he's in a more structured organization that is built on self-sacrifice, built on taking care of your teammates. And all of these people are watching Pete pass over competent, heroic individuals for promotion because of their color or their gender. And these are people that their brothers and sisters have served with for decades in combat situations. And I'm going to tell you right now, when they watch that happen, these people get passed over for senior leadership positions or get removed, they're pissed because those are the people who should be in charge. And and Heg Seth can do what he wants to some degree, but the rest of the military goes, that's a foul. And and they they put that in their pocket and they understand that. Leigh/@followtheleighder: You talk about the veteran community. You advocate for the veteran community because we know that it can be very hard to make change or speak out while in the service. A great example of that is Major Watson. We've got a few others. can you talk about the Major Watson to to some of our audiences, which you can, because there's so much news going on, but but please share a little bit about that. @AngryMaleVet: Yeah, so for those unfamiliar with the military, the military is supposed to be an apolitical organization. We are not supposed to be, you know, hey, we're all Republican, hey, we're all Democrat. Again, it's representative of the United States people, but it is a very diverse organization. But we're supposed to be apolitical because that's the way the military runs best. Jason Watson, Major Jason Watson took it upon himself to stand on the steps and call for the impeachment of Trump because he's violating the Constitution, which he is. And unfortunately, the only reason he had to do that was because our elected representatives, senators and congressmen, are not doing enough to forward that effort, to remove a president of the United States who is committing unconstitutional actions. They're not doing enough. So you had to have an active duty Air Force officer take the steps and make a stand to do that. I don't expect a ton of other people to do that. I don't expect a ton of senior leaders to do that because again, these people are in. positions where what's going to happen is if they ask the military to cross a red line and turn against the American people, that is when you want those people in in power. And I know a lot of folks who say like, they're removing everybody who would stop them. That's not the case, or they would have done it by now. You c it's not one person, it's not ten people inside the military who are stopping that from happening. We have the most highly educated military in the world. And the higher more higher educated you are, the more against fascism you are, the more aware you are of what's going on, the better your critical thinking is. And you can watch this with people who that have voted. The more critical thinking that you are, you're not digging what is happening. And inside the military, on top of that, you are watching them deliberately disrespect the military, not take care of them while they pull in billions of dollars from oil and gas industries and defense contractors to fill their own pockets. So J Jason Watson did what he did. I commend him for it, very grateful for it, because he he showed a he already shined a spotlight on that situation. I wish more people talked about it and I'm gonna keep pushing it as long as possible. But it's just a reminder that the military does not stand with Trump and they will be there and they will do the right thing when the time comes. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Have you, have you met folks or have you engaged much with the the VA to see have have anyone in how about this? Has anyone in your community been impacted by the changes to the VA, whether it's the staff cuts or changes to VA healthcare benefits at all? @AngryMaleVet: Yeah, I hear about it from people. Nick Parrow, who does Sick of This Shit publications, he talks about it quite a bit. He's a very big disability proponent. so you do have people impacted. I mean, you had a number of folks in the VA be removed, you know, through the the doge cuts, which were supposed to streamline, you know, the government and save all these billions of dollars. And I'm still waiting on my check. you know, it it's it's weird, right? But we have watched. Not only the degradation of VA care for people who have served and sacrificed them and their families, this is at the same time when we're throwing them into another unnecessary war, right? And it just goes into that awareness that Republican administrations, Afghanistan, Iraq, now Iran, just see the military as a tool to use and abuse. For their own profit. And then they don't give a jack shit about them when they're gone. You can go back and look at the PACT Act, which was for people who are exposed to chemicals. And you can see Ted Cruz and other senators high fiving each other when they shot that down the first time around. And I remember that. And I hope everybody else does as well. The Republican Party doesn't give a goddamn about veterans. They're only going to use them as tools for their own profit. And so there are veterans all over this country who are negatively affected by now it a degradation in service as well as benefits. And they can say they're pro military all the they love to say that as a matter of fact. But when rubber hits the road and you go look at their votes and you look at their actions, that doesn't pass the smell test. Leigh/@followtheleighder: When you look at this, I'm sorry, what year did you get out? @AngryMaleVet: Twenty thirteen. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Okay. So it's you've sat with your your civil serv your citizen life for a minute there. You've been able to absorb, watch, @AngryMaleVet: Yeah. Leigh/@followtheleighder: and and and see this whole thing transform. I'm thankful that you got out in twenty thirteen if you waited because I got in at twenty seventeen, twenty six I need to go back and look, but and @AngryMaleVet: Right. Leigh/@followtheleighder: I was like, Whoa I this is this is crazy. but @AngryMaleVet: Yes it is. Leigh/@followtheleighder: it's Again, like you're saying, the United States military, it's the largest, most powerful military, not only in the world, but in all of global history. It's also @AngryMaleVet: Yeah. Leigh/@followtheleighder: the world's largest employer, which is like you don't think about it being an employer at that scale, but you're like, Yeah, that's I mean, it's got something like almost two million in active through reserves, but then it's got another million and a half or so in contractors. And @AngryMaleVet: Sure. Leigh/@followtheleighder: that's huge. That is a hu I mean, that is a whole country. We've got a hundred and seventy-five at least bases around the world. It's imperialist. Sorry. And that as a someone who's done both military and humanitarian global travel, I've seen our bases and places and just like had that feeling of like I don't I don't feel good about that. Like I I love the the national security or the quote protection of peace, if that's the promise, not, you know, imperialism. @AngryMaleVet: Right. Leigh/@followtheleighder: But like, But no, seeing as many bases as I have and then turning around and knowing that there are schools in our country that still have asbestos. it it it's jarring. And it's something that as a veteran, as a citizen, I've wrestled with because I when I make those sorts of claims, I'm not looking to like defund or like you know, fire soldiers. Like I'm not like it's not @AngryMaleVet: Right. Right. Leigh/@followtheleighder: that. It's just the ethic or the emphasis we put on war in this country. when would there's so much opportunity to I don't know invest in other areas. What was @AngryMaleVet: Yeah. Yeah. It it's Leigh/@followtheleighder: that like? I know that was a very long question. I set that up. Please go ahead and respond to that. @AngryMaleVet: No, it's it's very good. It's a very good question because you bring up such an important point, right? Like we spend more on our defense budget than the next six countries combined. We're three time we spend three times more than China, which is our, you know, greatest adversary, if you will. The amount of money that we spend is astronomical. And here they are, again, asking for more, you know, of our tax dollars. Let's remember it's all our money. of our tax dollars to spend more for money that they spent needlessly on a war that was just designed to drive profit for the top one percent. It's absolutely frustrating when you look at the numbers of what we could do with a fraction of the money and then turn it back into feeding kids, you know, turn it back into education, turn it back into childcare, the kind of things that would watch that would make this country blossom, you know, the way it should be. And at the same time, you watch the Republican Party who sends our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, off to war for their own profit. You watch them give tax cuts to the same people that are going to profit from the loss of 18 lives, you know, and hundreds upon hundreds of injured, thousands of pe innocent civilians killed across the country. You watch that. And the last three major tax cuts for the rich and wealthy, 1%, have been Republicans. You know, it's Reagan. We're talking Bush. We're talking Trump now twice. And so at the same time they're telling us we've got to spend more on defense. They're cutting taxes for the people who should be paying that. Like w where's where's the, you know, gains tax? Like where's the the the windfall tax for all these oil and gas industries and defense contractors who are making billions now just because of Iran? Why why are we paying for them to profit? And so I th I think your question is it it gets into a broader problem of we have a current Republican Party, not even current, the Republican Party has turned war into a business to profit the top one percent, who then turns around and gives ninety percent. This is oil and gas industry, they give ninety percent of their donations to political candidates to the Republican Party. So it's a scheme. And and who pays for it? The people on the USS Abraham Lincoln, the eighteen that are dead, the hundreds that are injured, the the veterans who are now losing health care because we decided that we don't want to tax the billionaires now. We've we're it's half the tax rate of nineteen eighty when Reagan started the whole, you know, trickle down bullshit. Half the tax rate. What could we do if we went back to four just forty seven percent? Not even back to the fifties where it was like eighty. Forty seven percent. What could we do with that for this country? You know, but instead We're watching them sacrifice the lives of military members and their families to make even more money, to stay in power, to tax cut, to cut taxes even more for the 1%, and then do it again. And at some point, people have to get tired of the bullshit. Yeah, I would hope, right? Because we could transform this country with just the smallest of taxes on the rich. And they treat it like it'll be the end of the world. Because You know, they they need that fifteenth G seven, you know, and the the third private island. It's it's super disappointing. And again, it comes at the sacrifice of military and average Americans who are suffering and trying to figure out what they're gonna give their kids for dinner tonight, you know, because we haven't seen a federal, you know, tax or a federal pay raise, you know, in like fourteen years now. Leigh/@followtheleighder: And all of that too. Like whenever we go to ra you know, give any sort of increase or or more money to the Department of Defense, so little of that goes to pay raises, goes towards things that are critical. Like when I was in, I'll tell you, whatever HR payroll software they use, I knew multiple people who didn't get paid or didn't get the right payment or @AngryMaleVet: Sure. Leigh/@followtheleighder: had benefits, like just Things like that, like thing like it's not going to salary increases. It's not going to infrastructural systems that are helping our soldiers. It like you said, it goes to a new tank. It goes to new it goes to Lockheed. Like it's not even going to our people, which is like, if you tell me we're gonna pay and treat soldiers better, then I'm all for it. But it's like, no, we're just gonna give another yacht to to Boeing. It's a different it's a different thing. Cause and @AngryMaleVet: When you when you understand like what's going on behind the scenes and like what they're actually doing with our money, it becomes very it's infuriating. It's infuriating. Like when you there was just an article today, I was looking at military.com and they were talking about how they could give combat veterans, you know, an extra like fourteen hundred bucks per month, wounded wounded combat veterans who served and sacrificed for this country and were wounded in action. and you know, there's like 300 congressmen who are all behind it. But they're just trying to figure out how to pay for it. Well, I ran some numbers. And in order to pay for that, all you would have to do is tax America's billionaires 0.016% more. That's it. And you could take care of combat wounded veterans, right? Now think about if you did a 1% or a 2% or 5%. And again, we're still not getting anywhere next near the 47%. You could transform the country. Elizabeth Warren has pushed for stuff. Rokana has pushed for stuff. Bernie Sanders has pushed for a wealth tax. Just those things alone, not even getting close to back where we were, you could transform the country educationally, child health care, health care for all, all of those things. You could transform the country if the people who are making money off of the backs of the average American and the military just paid. A little bit closer to their fair share. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Well, one of the things that I mean, you cover veteran related news, military news a lot. one of the things that is an easy path for immigrants is our military service. If you serve, @AngryMaleVet: Yeah. Leigh/@followtheleighder: then you can get a path towards citizenship. that is @AngryMaleVet: As you should. Leigh/@followtheleighder: now yes, and now we're seeing an intersect. We're seeing immigrants who served our country wind up in these detention centers. We're why we're seeing them get harassed. @AngryMaleVet: Concentration camps. Leigh/@followtheleighder: concentration camps. I mean, there is some @AngryMaleVet: But we gotta call it what it is. Leigh/@followtheleighder: yes. Amen. Talk to us a little bit. You've you've mentioned the diversity of being in the military. I know we're going back a little bit, but I'm I'm trying to synthesize here. Whether it's immigration or whether it's immigrants or whether it's just from people across the country, there is a lot of div it's that's arguably the most diverse place in the country is the military. But @AngryMaleVet: Yeah. Yeah. Leigh/@followtheleighder: it works. But it works. Can well, sort of. @AngryMaleVet: It works. Leigh/@followtheleighder: It's not right. I feel like we just talked about how it doesn't work and now we're like, but it does work. But it does work. The team, the discipline, @AngryMaleVet: Yeah. Leigh/@followtheleighder: it does. Can you talk about why and how that works? Because it seems like it wouldn't, but it does. How how do @AngryMaleVet: Yeah. No, it's Leigh/@followtheleighder: we get all these diverse people on the same page? @AngryMaleVet: Yeah, I think because we hold them to the same standards. You know, it's discipline, right? Like in a properly run organization, there is no you get ahead because you're white, you get ahead because you're male. And we have a when it's run properly with good leaders, which I do believe we have tons of good leaders inside the military, it is a meritocracy. You do well, you move up. You know, in in a good way, meritocracy. it is not a you know, Europe. related to me or I like you, you that kind of bullshit, the old boy network. You get by on how you do and how you perform your job. And I think that's the way it should be. And it it does bring people together. When you go through basic training, you know, you're all suffering together. When you go out to a combat deployment, you're all suffering together. Like, you know, the white person, the black person, the female person, the Jewish person, the the Muslim person, like you're all suffering together. And that is a bonding experience. And you look around and you see your brothers and sisters who are next to you and are standing by you when you need them. And that's important. And again, I'm not gonna say that you know, every organization doesn't have a couple of bad apples. They do. And some of them become, you know, Secretary of Defense, which is fucking a problem. But, you know, when you look around inside the military, those people are there and they're not going to support you more or less just because of what color you are or what gender you are or what faith you are when rubber hits the road. there is a brotherhood, there's a sisterhood, there's a fraternity, sorority in there. And I think that's important. And that's, you know, but it but it's also built under the crucible of you're signing up to potentially give your life away. And a lot of organizations find that difficult because it's not the same stakes, you know, if you will, or they don't hold people as accountable because people have options. You know, they leave, they take off. And you always have an option to leave the military if you want, but you sign up usually for things that, you know, maybe are bigger than yourself. Also, you know, reaping the benefits. And I think that that creates a unique situation in an organization is you know, when you get into a military space. Leigh/@followtheleighder: It is. And that's why it's so easy to exploit when you put so much emphasis on it's bigger than you. And it is. I'm not denying that. But I'm saying for a bad actor, that's a very easy narrative to exploit. This thing that's bigger than you, you're gonna die for purpose, nobility. here's all these benefits. In a properly ran situation, that's that's great. But then you get someone else who is like, No, we're also gonna wrap the Bible in with this flag too. @AngryMaleVet: Good God, right. Leigh/@followtheleighder: And we're going to br we're gonna bring in some rhetoric that's not constitutional, that's not religiously pluralistic, that's really looking like some establishment actually. that's a violation of the first first establ first amendment. And and and that's what makes this whole thing with the military so scary is because I mean, here's a good example I think about from my time over in Pakistan when I got to meet some folks meet some Pakistani military anyway, who had worked with American troops over in Afghanistan, over in Kabul, and they were like talking about how there were American troops that would just guard the poppy fields. of Afghanistan. That was their job. They would just stand there and like with a gun, like in mil American military uniform, just guard these poppy fields because these poppy fields are all expensive and there's a resource and whatnot. And I was just thinking, like again, that sort of that that waste element that the A, yes, the waste element. the la All of this like this purpose, and you're doing it for something bigger than you, and then you just spend six months of your life standing out in an Afghan poppy field, being like, This is the big purpose. This is @AngryMaleVet: Yeah. Leigh/@followtheleighder: but sorry, I kinda lost my train of thought there. But but really that's the that's the exploitation is that the military can make bodies do whatever it wants and with very little question because the imp the trust is implicit. Because it's supposed to be done for good, right? I'm supposed to implicitly trust that you're doing this because of a higher purpose and we're all on the same team. But now you've got these guys thwarting the purpose, changing it up, making it a holy war, making a lot of decisions that are very like you said, the high testosterone, the the the hypermasculinity. From a mental health chaplain point. I spiritual point, I'm looking at this, I'm like, you're gonna cause a lot, you're you're building a lot of veterans that are gonna get real messed up because you're putting a lot of purpose, you're putting a lot of meaning on things where there's not a lot of truth. There's I mean, really making this up. When you look at this war, when you look at what's going on, I mean the angry, right? You're obviously angry, but is there grief there too? Like for for @AngryMaleVet: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And it's not just the physical, but it's the mental suffering, you know, the anguish, the emotional suffering, right? Like people realizing that they're out there. Cause you you you do. You want to have some trust in your leadership, you know, that you are not going to be thrown away. And that and people are seeing that that is not the situation. You know, and when you're sitting out there for, you know, nine months after you know, a at a long deployment before that and you're sitting out there and you're being left behind and abused and not even being fed, you know, when you can afford to make a makeup studio, but the troops in the front line can't be taken care of, that is that's harsh. That is harsh. You signed up expecting that you were gonna have good, solid leadership who was not going to throw your life away for nothing or for profit. And you're realizing that that is not the case and you're watching it all the time with the lack of negotiating that is happening. In this prolonged conflict, senator GOP senators going along with it, not voting against the war powers resolution or not voting for a war powers resolution. You're watching that as they get richer and richer. You're watching your leadership abandon you. We're watching the American government, current Republican Party, abandon the military and abandon veterans. And they get that. They understand that. sentiment inside the military is not pro. Republican pro Heg Seth, pro Trump, they feel abandoned and misused. And they should, because they are being abused. And it's a mental tax, right? And you're gonna take the experiences that you've had out in combat, you're gonna take those with you forever. So they're putting you in situations where you may not be physically hurt at all, but the things you've seen, the things you've gone through, you're carrying that weight for the rest of your life. You know, and you know, find a chaplain. You know, find a therapist, find people to talk to, a close group of friends, because that can be anguish that you suffer through for the rest of your life unless you take care of it and address it. And that it's only because the current Republican administration is using the military and veterans for their own profit. Leigh/@followtheleighder: I know that we can't predict a lot with with fascism, but I am curious. You have such a heart, such a passion, such you're a great communicator, and I'm thankful that you are online giving voice to this. Can you kind of talk about the next six months for you? what things that you're gonna continue to focus on, what concerns you have that you think that my followers need to hear? and just kind of Yeah. And I again I know it's it's hard to plan long term, but what are what are gonna be some of your focus points over the next six months as we continue to @AngryMaleVet: Yeah. Leigh/@followtheleighder: advocate against this? @AngryMaleVet: Yeah. So Leigh, it's it's gonna be a crazy six months, right? We have the midterms coming up. We've already had this talk about, you know, seizing the elections, ice going to the elections, the military going to, you know, election sites and all these things, you know, and they're gonna and you're gonna hear that rhetoric. People are going to be afraid. They're the goal is to make people afraid and it's to make them scared, right? And I would just ask that folks, if they are feeling that way and they're feeling that rise on emotions, to take a breath, to stop and take a breath and to be aware. That so much of what comes out of this administration, the Republican Party, is air. And it it's it's horrible air, right? It's threatening air. It'll make you it's angry air, all of those things, but it's air. We have watched the National Guard g Trump, not the National Guard, but but Trump gets stopped from putting the National Guard into Portland, into Chicago because of justice, j because of judges and the Supreme Court. We have watched that get shut down. There's only certain things he can do. Again, if he controlled the military, he would have them in major cities and they would be arresting Democrat politicians. And he cannot because there is a red line. But he's going to make you think that he can. And so what I would ask people is to cut through the noise, breathe. Make sure you're registered to vote, because they're going to try to remove people from registrations or from voter rolls. Make sure you're registered to vote. If you want, if you really give a shit, get others to vote. Amplify share content that talks about voting and getting other people out. Thousand miles to Memphis, which was the event we talked about earlier that I was just on, that is still going through the South to get 100,000 people registered to vote because of the Calais decision, the Supreme Court that directly targeted black American voters. Get involved with something like that. if you have veterans that are listening to this or veteran families, vet the vote, which you are obviously aware of, and getting people to the polls. You know, and getting veterans to help with the polls. we have the Veterans Democracy March, November eleventh, which is the week after the midterms. And that is gonna be veterans, veterans supporters, and veterans' family members are gonna show up the week after to support the rule of law, support the constitution, Leigh/@followtheleighder: Yeah. @AngryMaleVet: and lawful election results. And so there are a lot of efforts going on. But if you're just listening to this podcast or watching this podcast, take a breath. When he says bullshit, understand it's bullshit. And 95% of the time he gets shut down in some way or another, but he's going to try to make you afraid. The worst thing you can do is nothing. Always. Vote, spread information about voting, get people to vote, support any candidate you can other than a Republican. Even if you have disagreements with some establishments, I do, or some establishment Dems, I do. But I'm going to vote blue down to the dog catcher, right? all the way through because what we're witnessing with the Republican Party is a spineless organization that will do anything they can to support the one percent while watching the rest of us suffer. And we know that at least when the Democratic Party, even voting for people that you don't agree with 100% of the time, they're inside of an organization and a realm that where we can control them more and they will vote for other things that we are proponents of, even if it's not everything. We know we have no we can't do anything about the stain that is affecting us, which is the Republican Party, but you can vote against them. Nobody leaves their vote at home. So there's a lot. Six it's gonna be a crazy six months lead. It's gonna be insane. It's going to be terrifying at times, but do not stop and and do not do nothing. That is what they hope for, what they're dreaming of, is that they can scare you into doing nothing. And yeah, that would be the worst possible scenario. Leigh/@followtheleighder: I am so thankful for your time. I mean this has been fantastic and with all the things that you just named that you're gonna be working on, I know my followers are gonna wanna learn more about you. Can you please let them know how they can follow you? @AngryMaleVet: yes, ma'am. TikTok, Substack, YouTube. I am Angry Mail Vet. And then on the meta platforms, I am the real Angry Mail vet, because somebody snaked the original one before I got to it. so yeah. And then I try to do a link tree and it and it goes to all of those events that I just talked about, like Thousand Miles to Memphis, the Veterans Democracy March, and others that people can go and support or get involved in. yeah. And and like Those following Leigh, like spread Lee's stuff. Like what you're doing. We were talking earlier about the network and building the network of good human beings trying to do good things for people. It it's it's super important to push that around and get other people involved because we all want to live in a better world. And you know, getting this stuff around to help others and to highlight things that they can do is important. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, before we head off, is there any last parting words that you have for the for the following, the collective? @AngryMaleVet: I said a lot, ma'am. I I I spewed a lot. I think I covered all the bases. But Leigh/@followtheleighder: You did You did. Well and you did it fantastically, beautifully. Like I mean, I guess sitting here like, you know, tapping, you know, certain points of it and I was like, Which which clip do I take for the promotes? Like he is so good at this. so so thank you for that. @AngryMaleVet: I real no, I really appreciate you having me. Like honestly, I do think that this is something that we can all get through. If you look through history, there's there are pendulum swings and we're in the middle of that pendulum swing right now. And it's and I do believe it's coming back around. And again, I just I want to give people hope. You wanna give people hope. Make them aware of the situation. It there are things that we need to address, but things can get better and will get better. if we just work, you know, and if we put in some effort, they will get better and we will watch that pendulum swing back, you know, towards the the correct path or a better path, you know, for this country. And that's what I'm looking forward to. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, thank you so much, Angry, for for being on today. Listeners, what did y'all think about this? I would love to have him back on. So if you have any questions, please drop them in the comments and I'll make sure to ask them if there's a another episode down the line, which I hope there will be. It'll be busy six months. It'll be a busy next few years. And I'm thankful @AngryMaleVet: Gonna be crazy. Leigh/@followtheleighder: to be in the resistance with you and to do and build this networking with you. So folks, certainly let me know what you thought of Angry's conversation today. Don't forget to like, follow, subscribe. Y'all know the drill. This has been another episode of Follow the Leighder. I'm your host, Leigh Larson. And until next time, see ya.