Sorry to put more of this on your dashboards but i need y'all to know. Aaron Bushnell was trying to get out of the military prior to his action on february 25th. He was sick of being complicit and was trying to get out. His contract was almost over and he was trying to leave the air force.
When you join the military you sign a contract for a fixed period of service. It is likely he opted for a 4 year contract. You cannot “just quit” like a normal job. Attempts to avoid finishing your contract can result in felony charges and jail time. appealing as a conscientious objector is possible, but extremely difficult for noncombat roles.
He was trying to utilize the skill bridge program the DoD offers, to work for a civilian company for the last 180 days of his contracted service period. That would have let him cease his complicity even sooner.
This was the last act of a desperate man trying to draw attention to the horrors he felt he was complicit in, complicity he was legally barred from stopping.
He felt complicit, he was trapped in the military, he was trying to get out, and he couldn’t take it any longer.
The reactions i’ve seen to this are a mix of vets and people close to the military who know how this works, being shocked that civilians don’t know that “you just can’t quit”, and civilians who don’t know much about the military being shocked that this is the way the military functions.
This is why i made this post. I have the “benefit” of being raised in a military family, being taught the way things work by my father, and knowing that civilians like you and me aren’t typically aware of these facts. I saw the information about Aaron and i knew in a split second the situation he was in, and i knew I needed to share it.
People on the political left are quick to form snap judgements and call for death about anyone in the military without understanding the context of the situation those people are in. Do better, and strive to understand people before writing them off as “unsalvageable reactionaries”. The revolution that brought the world the soviet union would not have been possible without the support of the russian military. Things are more complex than the surface level easy explanations you have probably been operating under.
I should have included this in the first version of the post but:
if you or someone you know feels trapped in the military, there are ways to get out early, with varying levels of difficulty and legal risk.
The military, broadly, tries to cover these up and make it as difficult as possible to get out.
This podcast episode by leftist anti-war veterans discusses the various ways you can make your way out prior to contract termination.
You have options. You may feel trapped and complicit, but there are ways to get out. You are not alone. Regardless of who you are, and why you joined, if you feel sickened and shocked at the war in gaza, and want to leave the military, there are options for you.
