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As a veteran of the U.S. war on Afghanistan, I visit high schools on a regular basis to talk about the military. I try to fill in the blanks that military recruiters intentionally ignore. I find that when asked, most students can say very little about the reasons why the U.S. fights. They often wrongly assume that the U.S. fights in self-defense or to protect democracy when in reality the U.S. empire fights to control other countries’ natural resources, topple governments that refuse to submit to the will of U.S. corporations, or maintain spheres of influence in regions it has no right to be in.

Very few teenagers know that most casualties of war are innocent civilians, or that most of those who die at the hands of the U.S. military are desperately poor. Far too many high schoolers across the United States assume that the U.S. military is a force for good in the world, when in reality it nearly always plays the role of the bully. I try to explain all this in a way that doesn’t feel preachy. Most teenagers will do the opposite of what they are told when they don’t feel heard or respected! Regardless, those considering the military after graduation deserve a complete picture of what they are signing up for. No one should kill or die for reasons they don’t fully comprehend.

After my visits to these schools, I often leave lamenting the fact that, too often, young people seem to see joining the military as a default rite of passage. It is hard to know when one is officially an adult in U.S. society, given the atomization and alienation of our hyper-individualized and competitive world. It is difficult to point to any one practice, ritual, or social ceremony that acts as the finish line for childhood. The military becomes a perceived gateway into adulthood for many of us.

The U.S. is 250 years old this July 4. Normally we associate things that are 250 years old with maturity, wisdom, and structural stability — trees, architectural landmarks, giant tortoises. But the U.S. seems anything but mature and stable on its quarter of a millennium birthday. One need only look at our current administration: its impulsive wars, corruption so baked-in it’s become governance, and an inability to admit mistakes. Corporate-sponsored dirt bikes and a cage fight on the front lawn of the White House to celebrate Donald Trump’s birthday — while most people in the U.S. are struggling with inflation and basic survival — is a visual that sums........

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