From travelingsoldier.org...

Even Before I Had Left The Navy I Realized That I Was Not Protecting Freedom Or Defending The Constitution Of The Unites States...

"Rather, I Was Simply An Officer In The Imperial Navy Of The United States"
"I Have Found That The Anti-War Philosophy Of Military Resistance Fits Closely To My Understanding Of How A War Of Empire Can Be Ended"

By Fabian Bouthillette, USNR, Veteran, Iraq Theatre;
Traveling Soldier Editorial Board & Military Resistance Organization


One of the perks of graduating from the United States Naval Academy is the opportunity to choose your first assignment as an officer in the Navy. Of course, one's rank within the graduating class determines the order of choosing, but my rank was high enough that I could have virtually chosen any class of ship to serve on at any of the Navy's domestic or international bases.

Always in pursuit of the unknown and the maximum amount of adventure, I chose to serve aboard a guided missile destroyer stationed in Yokosuka, Japan. This is the same base that was once used by the Imperial Japanese Navy, and where the radio order sent to the Japanese fleet to bomb Pearl Harbor originated from.

Yokosuka is now home to the Navy's Seventh Fleet, the same fleet responsible for much of the action in the pacific during World War II. Today, seventh fleet is comprised of an aircraft carrier and her squadron of escort ships and other combat vessels.

During my time of service - September 2003 to July 2005 - the specific carrier assigned to seventh fleet was USS KITTYHAWK, the same carrier that experienced a revolt of sailors during the Vietnam War, an incident my Navy would rather never have mentioned again.

KITTYHAWK, at the time of my service, was the Navy's oldest ship still in active service, and the only carrier still powered by gas and not nuclear power like the rest of the Navy's carrier fleet.

This was not a coincidence.

The people of Japan and Yokosuka, not wanting a giant nuclear powered ship parked next to their town (because of environmental concerns and resistance to more sailors camped out in their backyard), had managed to block the U.S. Navy's plans to decommission KITTYHAWK and replace her with a more modern, larger, and nuclear powered aircraft carrier, thus forcing the Navy to continue to maintain the aging KITTYHAWK.

But it was well known among the officers in seventh fleet, and most of the enlisted sailors as well, that our admirals were still actively lobbying the Japanese to allow a nuclear carrier in. The admirals almost seemed desperate to make this exchange happen.

This desperation led our admirals to keep our junior sailors on a short leash, worried about a public relations disaster that could result from a potential crime committed by an American sailor.

The leash came in the form of a midnight curfew for our most junior sailors. While more senior sailors and officers were allowed to enjoy living in a beautiful "host" nation - I spent many weekends in Tokyo drinking entirely too much Japanese beer - our junior sailors were subjected to a very poor standard of living, and robbed of the opportunity to explore a foreign culture.

Many knew it was because of their commander's desire to bring in a new supercarrier. Attitudes towards the leadership in Yokosuka from the junior sailors were not very positive.

To add to the degradation, sailors were further induced to behave as "model citizens" by a policy commonly known as the Blue Card policy. Junior sailors who maintained good behavior and discipline during a six-month probationary period would be issued a blue card that would represent their privilege to remain off the base overnight. In practice, however, sailors were usually not given a blue card after six months of model behavior, and the probationary period dragged on.

Morale was sacrificed for the politics of bringing in the much-desired nuclear carrier.

I had become friends with one of these junior sailors, a skilled signalman who was in my watch section on the bridge of our destroyer when at sea. Many times after our night watches, we would hangout (technically fraternize, and technically against regulation) and talk about our current operations.

Often, the blue card issue came up as a major gripe. The signalman made it clear to me that he felt robbed of the opportunity to see Japan because of the policies of our admirals and our government. I did sympathize with him, but there was nothing to be done. At least he had the opportunity to unload some his frustration to an officer, and I had the opportunity to gain some insight into the life of a junior sailor.

Our ship's supply officer, a Lieutenant more senior to me, had in his previous assignment served at Diego Garcia, a very isolated island base. This Lieutenant was a career Navy man. He had decided to serve at the remote Diego Garcia base because it was considered a hardship tour of duty.

After a hardship tour it is often Navy policy to allow an officer to pick his or her next assignment, thus giving motivated officers an opportunity to be more proactive with the management of their own careers. In this way, Navy policy is designed to keep one of our most strategic bases staffed with motivated and disciplined personnel. This officer was rewarded with career options for his hardship at an overseas base while the junior sailors in Yokosuka were simply ordered to endure. The United States Air Force, however, did not seem as caught up in keeping its junior enlisted personnel on a leash, as I observed in Okinawa where our ship would often pull into port for supplies.

During these visits most of the crew would find itself at Kadena Air Force base.

If you look at a map of Okinawa, Kadena is the giant blob taking up a large percentage of the island. We Navy types, happy to enjoy the amenities of Kadena, were also disgusted with the size of Kadena. Perhaps for some of us it was more of a jealous reaction than ideological stance; I have to imagine that my ship's sailors felt disrespected by the difference in standard of living between them and the junior airmen at Kadena.

While Yokosuka was home to over 15,000 sailors and their families crammed on a relatively small peninsula in Tokyo Bay, Kadena had four lane roads and two, yes two, golf courses.

Hanging out at Kadena felt more like going to an elite country club than a strategic base.

While Okinawans were forced to live on top of each other, and subject to the noises of constant military aircraft coming and going, Americans at Kadena were afforded much space and comfort. Really, Kadena was closer to being a U.S. colony than a base serving any important wartime purpose.

America's military and civilian leadership is obsessed with maintaining good public relations with the nations that host bases.

Perhaps it is ignorance, or just arrogance, or perhaps even racism that blinds America's leaders to the fact that relations are already poor.

Or perhaps America's leadership is not blind, and they do know relations are poor and always will be until we just leave.

Indeed, our leadership does not negotiate with the citizens of host nations, but simply the government officials of host nations. Our leadership is not concerned with the people of our host nations, but rather only their governments.

I must admit that at Yokosuka many sailors, other than non-blue cardholders, enjoy their experience. For me, it was my first experience outside of America for any extended period of time, and I feel very fortunate to have lived within a foreign culture. My pay was good and I was able to live in a three-bedroom house off the base with another young officer happy for the chance at adventure.

Sadly, and ironically, my Navy adventure did not make me feel that Yokosuka, or any overseas base, is a worthwhile convenience for Americans, or even a necessity, but rather I was embarrassed to be an occupier, a relic of World War II and the racism that was prominent during that war in the Pacific.

The junior signalman whom I spent nights with conversing after watch is at least one other sailor who shared this sentiment.

Graduating from the Naval Academy and driving warships for a living had truly been dreams come true. I had achieved a life of adventure, adrenaline, and - so I thought - meaning.

But even before I had left the Navy I realized that I was not protecting freedom or defending the constitution of the Unites States. Rather, I was simply an officer in the Imperial Navy of the United States. Our mission was not to promote peace, but to maintain American economic influence around the world, and our weapon was fear.

I love a good fight, but I am not a gangster.

After my tour in Japan I separated from active service, and went back to being a civilian for the first time since high school.

Two organizations landed in my lap, and I have remained active in both for the last five years: Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) and Military Resistance.

Both groups are dedicated to bringing the occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan to an immediate end.

The veterans and civilians dedicated to each organization may have different ideas on politics in general, but both understand the lies that have been told to the American people by our own government to maintain support for the wars.

The members of both organizations, who represent a diverse cross section of America, also understand that America is this planet's first global empire.

There might not be literal colonies propped up around the world, but with giant bases like Kadena that look more like small American towns, America can try to maintain its economic influence.

Relations might seem peaceful on the surface, but only because we are holding our host nation's citizens hostage at the end of a giant barrel.

I have found that the anti-war philosophy of Military Resistance fits closely to my understanding of how a war of empire can be ended.

By actively reaching out to members of our armed forces, through newsletters or actual face-to-face interaction, members of Military Resistance work to encourage the culture of resistance growing within the active duty military itself.

In Vietnam, the degradation of the American military's capability to execute operations, due to the low morale of the troops, is what forced America's politicians to end that war.

I believe morale in Iraq and Afghanistan is so low already that the capability of our military to fight and win battles is too degraded to accomplish anything.

Our politicians already realize that there is nothing further that can be won in Afghanistan or Iraq, and they will bring our troops home to where they belong, or resistance within the armed forces will become so great that they will be forced to do so.

The anti-war movement in America can and should serve as a catalyst in helping troops resist fighting in the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, even as the U.S. global network of bases would remain in place even after troops are returned home.

In fact, the network still strives to grow. USS KITTYHAWK returned to the United States in 2008 where she was decommissioned. USS GEORGE WASHINGTON, a bigger nuclear powered aircraft carrier, now occupies the aircraft carrier pier at the Yokosuka Navy Base where she continues the legacy of KITTYHAWK and all Seventh Fleet carriers before her.

Nevertheless, the citizens of the nations hosting American bases will keep up their spirit of resistance as more American service members realize that they are not supporters of freedom, but rather they are occupying troops in foreign nations supporting the global empire known as the United States of America.