Don’t Join the JAG Corps

There will be no pleading ignorance in ten, thirty, or fifty years when your children and grandchildren ask how you could join the military at the current moment. You are on notice, and there is no going back. Donald Trump has declared war on the “enemy within” and wants to train the military in “war-torn” cities like Portland and Chicago. He wants to kill his perceived enemies, even those who are your neighbors. He has expressed a desire to deploy the military to “dominate” protesters and has called for “retribution” against political opponents.

Trump's rhetoric mirrors strategies used by the Nazis, such as vilifying specific groups (e.g., immigrants, minorities, transgender folks) to consolidate power. The intent is clear in every action, right down to the silly renaming of the Department of Defense to the Department of War. Trump, who has expressed admiration for authoritarians like Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, and Viktor Orbán, has fired the top JAG officers so he can install yes-men to approve his illegal and immoral military actions, such as the brazen murder of fishermen or migrants in the Caribbean Sea (even if they were drug traffickers, which seems unlikely, their summary execution was a violation of numerous laws and norms; the perpetrators should be tried for murder). Hegseth called for troops to ignore “stupid rules of engagement,” essentially greenlighting war crimes. Trump has deployed Americans to Gaza, plans to build a casino there in the “Riviera of the Middle East.” You, as a servicemember, will be a part of that legacy. Especially as one joining in the current year, you cannot plead that you were already in and had no choice. You do have a choice, and it is clear. You may bleed, and you may die, and you will certainly compromise your morals so Trump can build a casino on top of the bodies of 30,000+ children in Gaza.

Trump has declared that he plans to use JAG officers as immigration judges so he can deport our neighbors and friends more efficiently, including those he has illegally targeted for exercising their free speech rights. So now you must ask yourself: do you want to be complicit in war crimes, or even commit them yourself? Do you want to take up arms to help Trump tear the fabric of this nation beyond repair? Do you want to try to explain how you were just following orders, like the Nazis did at Nuremberg?

Even before the current fascist moment, I would not have advised someone to join the service. Veterans are often destroyed by their service, both physically and mentally. There are so many better ways to use a good mind. Oh, and you will work for free during government shutdowns like we are currently experiencing. Thank you for your service, and good luck with your rent.

I understand the desire to serve. I did it myself. But knowing what I know now, and having experienced what I experienced, I cannot in good conscience recommend anyone join the military. The G.I. Bill ain’t worth your life and morals.

If you are still considering joining the service, I will buy you a coffee and talk through your reasoning with you. If I can’t convince you to change your plans, I will give you advice from my military years (for whatever that is worth).

Kirk Wolff is a Naval Academy graduate and U.S. Navy veteran

Photo Credits: Author

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Staff Editor — Kirk Wolff ’26

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