Military must focus on the mission first and foremost

Since the Civil War, the United States has been a nation not regulated by an internal militarized unit, exempting of course the National Guard and Coast Guard. The Army Times released a recent statement saying that the U.S. Army, as of Oct. 1, will be stationing an entire brigade of soldiers inside our borders for domestic uses such as helping with civil unrest and crowd control. The Posse Comitatus Act makes it illegal for the U.S. military to be stationed within its borders for domestic use. Yet, the Army Times magazine clearly states that after the 12-month deployment of the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, the mission will become permanent.

I was a veteran serving in Iraq under Operation Iraqi Freedom as part of a special operations team known as the Long Range Surveillance Detachment. I know that the military functions solely to accomplish its mission. So my question to the publisher of this newspaper and to the many students who read this paper is this: What exactly is the military mission within the US? Moreover, in a time where taxpayers are being looted by a failing monetary system and the rest of our money is being poured into a ceaseless imperialist expansion, where will we as citizens draw the line to stop the encroachment of our rights?

Justin Cooper

chemistry junior