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An Anonymous DC National Guardsman Tells All - “This is not what I signed up to do.”
(washingtonian.com)
this post was submitted on 23 Jan 2026
496 points (99.2% liked)
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Cool, then quit.
One can't just quit the National guard. There's a contract that holds them for a period of time. Imagine somebody signs a 6-year contract in 2022. I don't think they can be held liable for Trump's actions when it wasn't even clear he was going to actually run again. I signed a 4-year contract as an active duty service member in 2021. I got out in January last year and so I'm thankful for that. But every day or so I have to think about what my colleagues would have to decide. They're not in it to subjugate people. They're in it for a steady career and because they believed in a liberal America and looking to make the world a more stable place. The military is a sword and it really depends on who's using it, whether it's good or bad.
I knew someone who defected from the military. Wasn't supposed to do that. Broke his contract. He's still alive and he owns a house and he's got a wife and kids and a good job.
Yeah, that’s because it’s more like having a felony when you are dishonorably discharged, but who knows given the context of your story what happened. Was he enlisted or an officer? Which branch was he in?
Like different things could happen depending on the situation:
United States > Military > Army > Active Duty Army United States > Military > Air Force > Air Force National Guard
These are both the military and being defective would be awol. Sure they are all under the UCMJ legal system, but that can be applied differently in each case.
There are different types of discharges from the military a depends on how that army unit wants to report that particular solider.
It’s just more of spectrum of thins that can happen.
Defected? Like went to a different country?
I'm assuming they meant AWOL (absent without leave).
Yes, that's the term. He went AWOL.
That sort of thing goes on your record though. You don't simply leave the service without the government knowing. They will literally put a warrant out for your arrest
Okay well this happened like 40 years ago , and he got a good job and house and wife and kids starting 35 years ago, so he's apparently unscathed by his AWOL shenanigans. He ran away in the middle of basic training. He couldn't hang with it. Apparently they let it slide.
I think statute of limitations on most of the common ucmj articles maxes out at 5 years? It's been a while, but short version is a cousin of a friend went awol and basically hid on a shrimping boat for years until they couldn't come after him anymore. Not easy for sure.
Wait a minute, wasn't that a scene from Forrest Gump? 🍤
I don’t think anyone went AWOL in forest gump
Yes, I guess. But can they? Without consequences, that is.
I suppose everyone has their own set and level of consequences that keep them from immediately reacting or trying to stop events.
Sorry, Americans. You had 20-30 years to stop this slow motion reactionary train wreck without risking serious consequences. You failed to do that, so now your choice is to do it the hard way or just roll over and give up now. All indications point to you having already decided to do the latter.
I'm American and I agree. People can downvote us if they want, but what we believe is true. There is literally no way this ends peacefully, and we shouldn't just be rolling over and taking it. Our whole country is a fucking joke full of larpers
I've spent years screaming into the void, trying to wake people up, feeling like Cassandra. After the election I had way too many people try to console me with "at least they're gonna go after the immigrants now"
I don't know what to do now but all I see is no quick solution. I think the hard way won't result in the change needed and is only part of the accelerationism that got us here. We should all be doing what we can to set up for the longer haul.
That was supposed to console you?
I can't even do the mental gymnastics what they were thinking beyond I'm "white" (I identify as Rainbow People™) so i must agree with their racism.
Trying to talk about trans issues beyond pronouns with any of them was met with uncomfortable silence, nervous laughter, or nonsequiters; so i don't know how I expected better from them.
I'd be curious as to why they thought that Donvict's admin is only going after immigrants, anyway. I mean, given history of fascist actions....not that I expect these types to be any sort of students of history.
Things have to get much worse before people do anything on a large scale. In most parts of the country, day to day life is unchanged.
I don't disagree at all with that aspect. As a minority who has been screaming at the others, it's hard to both try to explain why we're going down this path while totally understanding why the world is looking at us like we're all insane. Fire may be the only remedy at this point.
I disagree with the timeline. I'm old, and things were already in motion when I was born. This has been a long train wreck with so many false points of hope and promises of change tricking and deluding us.
I have the same take on humanity as a whole. It's been a long road of disappointment with lots of missed exits to possible better times.
I need a more direct tag than Canadian
Edit: Canadian Troglodyte, got it
So we should tag you American Nazi Enabler?
Brother, you're tagged as UK Troglodyte — your hatemongering is also invalid.
Probably not from the UK.
I'm keeping it because it pisses them off, mending ignorance be damned
I don’t actually care mate.
Frankly I’m more offended by your implicit support for fascism.
Ah yes, telling someone not from the U.S. to stop hatemongering about the U.S. simply means I'm a fascist.
You fucking extremists are a plague
Doing nothing while fascism takes over means you're a fascist.
Yes, because you know everything about me — like I said, extremists (you) are a fucking plague.
I know enough to know you aren't doing shit to resist fascism and actively fight against efforts to do so.
Says the guy who doesn't even fucking live here.
Extremists (you) are a fucking plague.
Every death is partially on your hands enabler.
Spoken by the arbiter of truth, hatemongering across the ocean.
Guess what dipshit, the U.S. isn't Nazi Germany and there are many reasons why. If you can't understand that, let me be clear — you are a dentbrained troglodyte and you should focus on the shit going on in your own backyard.
Okay Nazi enabler.
Ok extremist
Oh look, they did another execution in the streets today!
Good job doing nothing, you’re saving lives.
Imagine thinking this is a take.
Like I said, extremists are a plague.
Being against fascism is not an extreme take unless you’re a fascist.
No you're an extremist for assuming every and anything you want about me to fit your worldview.
You're an extremist, and braindead.
I am fucking offended. How dare you call me British.
I'm keeping it
Staying in has consequences too, it means he's a Nazi soldier fighting against Americans.
What are the consequences if they don't?
The national guard is both state and federal, and can be subject to penalties under the Uniform Code of Military Justice at times just like active duty troops.
If you just stop showing up, your unit declares you AWOL, and this can carry criminal penalties under the UCMJ. They may ask local law enforcement to bring you in. Jail time is a possibility in aggravated cases.
You could claim certain types of mental illness, that you're experiencing gender dysphoria, or fake a disqualifing medical condotion and you may or may not be discharged or face a court martial based on wether or not they think you're lying.
Depends on the branch, but you could try gaining weight and failing your PT test, however the process of getting discharged could take months/years.
Failing a drug test would probably the be the fastest way out, but you're potentially going to get dishonorably discharged, which can be treated as equivalent to a criminal conviction in some regards.
Declaring yourself a consciencous objector could work, and is probably the closest to simply quitting, but the process of being discharged could be lengthy and involve some investigation to make sure your beliefs are "sincerely held". Again, you may be dishonorably discharged or face other penalties if someone really wants to be an asshole about it.
EDIT: After some googling. If activated under federal orders or participating in their annual training and therefore subject to the UCMJ, the consequences for a National Guardsman found guilty of desertion could be as severe as death. However, this is historically rare in the modern era.
When not activated, most states have their own code of military justice, which often mirrors the UCMJ.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/885
Some other relevant reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Slovik