For Military Personnel:
Several weeks ago, Trump’s criminal crony Roger Stone called on Trump to declare martial law and send troops against those who might protest a Trump coup.
Right now, there is a lot of discussion everywhere about what U.S. soldiers and National Guard will do if they are ordered to suppress protest against the Trump machine attempts to foul up the voting.
We offer these important resources to those, especially servicemembers, who are now thinking about this in their conscience and pondering their options.
Advocacy and Action:
ABOUT FACE Veterans Against The War: TAKE ACTION NOW Veterans tell Troops to Stand Down For Black Lives
https://aboutfaceveterans.org/take-action-now-veterans-tell-troops-to-stand-down-for-black-lives/
We are Post-9/11 service members and veterans organizing to end a foreign policy of permanent war and the use of military weapons, tactics, and values in communities across the country. As people intimately familiar with the inner workings of the world’s largest military, we use our knowledge and experiences to expose the truth about these conflicts overseas and the growing militarization in the United States.
The Orders Project
https://www.ordersproject.org
“A group of lawyers is offering advice to military and National Guard members who worry they may be given unlawful orders if deployed during protests or disputes over next month’s elections.”
Quotation is from article in The Washington Post about the The Orders Project:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/volunteer-lawyers-will-advise-military-personnel-who-question-the-legality-of-orders-during-protests-election-disputes/2020/10/09/f4a04682-0a64-11eb-9be6-cf25fb429f1a_story.html
GI Rights Hotline
https://girightshotline.org/
Since 1994, the GI Rights Hotline has been providing free, confidential, and accurate information on US military regulations and practices to servicemembers, veterans, potential recruits, and their families.
We are a consortium of nearly twenty non-governmental, non-profit organizations located in eleven states and in Germany. Some of our counselors are veterans, some are lawyers and some have decades of military counseling experience. We are in constant contact with each other to stay up-to-date on the latest military regulations and practices.
We provide resources and counseling options. Many of us are not lawyers and therefore cannot give legal advice, But in cases in which an attorney might be useful, we may be able to help you find one.
Phone: 1-877-447-4487
Courage to Resist
https://couragetoresist.org
Courage to Resist supports the troops who refuse to fight, or who face consequences for acting on conscience, in opposition to illegal wars, occupations, the policies of empire abroad and martial law at home. Our People Power strategy weakens the pillars that perpetuate these causes of immense violence. By supporting military resistance, counter-recruitment, and draft resistance, we intend to cut off the supply of troops for war, while pledging resistance to the policies of hate, repression, and the militarization of policing domestically. We are autonomous from and independent of any political organization or party. (Revised September 6, 2018)
Phone: 510-488-3559
Military Law Task Force of the National Lawyers Guild
https://nlgmltf.org
MLTF produces a number of publications and other resources which are available free of charge (donations appreciated) for online reading or download & printing. Also check out our links page for non-MLTF resources that may be of interest
• Memos – MLTF legal memos are written by lawyers, legal workers, and highly experienced GI Rights counselors and advocates. Based on military regulations and policies, as well as information gained in the field of GI Rights advocacy, these seek to provide other law professionals, lay counselors, servicemembers, vets and family members or allies with accurate, timely and easy-to-understand information about the topic. We are a small, volunteer organization but try to keep these updated as policies and practices in the military change.
• Factsheets – We occasionally produce handouts that focus on a narrow subject that we feel addresses a current need. Examples include our 2011 flyer directed at active duty servicemembers, reservists and veterans facing harassment and/or legal sanctions for participating in Occupy Wall Street protests.
• Booklets – We also sometimes publish more extensively on a topic, such as our booklet on “Challenging Military Sexual Violence.”
If you have any questions, or need further assistance with any of our resource materials, please contact us, or call The GI Rights Hotline for personal and confidential counseling for your issue.
The Center On Conscience and War
https://centeronconscience.org
The Center on Conscience & War is a non-profit organization that advocates for the rights of conscience, opposes military conscription, and serves all conscientious objectors to war.
Attention Military Servicemembers
If you’re in the US military and are interested in seeking discharge eor reassignment as a Conscientious Objector, we can help. We’ll work with you to navigate the complex admin process. Our services are free of charge. If you’re facing deployment, don’t wait to call us at 800-379-2679.
G.I. Resistance That Made a Difference:
August 23, 1968: Forty-Three Black Soldiers Stage Sit-In at Ft. Hood
https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/fort-hood-43-sit-in
SIR! NO SIR! The Suppressed Story of the GI Movement to End the War in Vietnam 83 min. 2005
https://www.displacedfilms.com/films/sir-no-sir/ (can also be rented online on Amazon Prime and other platforms)
A feature documentary film by David Zeiger. “This is powerful stuff, offering us not only a new look at the past, but to the unavoidably relevant insights into the present.”–Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News