US Soldiers Do Not Want To Die For Israel

As the US-Israel war on Iran enters its twenty-sixth day and US President Donald Trump orders the deployment of thousands of additional sailors and Marines to the Middle East, the troops he is counting on appear increasingly wary of the conflict. 

Still, according to news reports, 2,500 Marines have been ordered by the White House to deploy next month to raise the region's troop posture. Already, an additional 2,200 Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), have departed San Diego in California, USA aboard the USS Comstock (LSD-45), the USS Boxer (LHD-4) and the USS Portland (LPD-27), part of the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), on March 18, 2026. 

And as mentioned in my March 20 blog post "Donald Trump Rages at News Outlets Over War Coverage", the contingent of 2,200 Marines and sailors from the 31st MEU, aboard the USS Tripoli (LHA-7) are reportedly in port at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean as at March 24. 

These deployments will bring the total US military presence in the region to approximately 50,000 troops. 

Interviews with active duty soldiers, reservists, and advocacy groups focused on service members found some US troops who are unavoidably caught up in the war are already reporting vulnerability, overwhelming stress, frustration and disillusionment to the degree they may leave the military. The reservists and active duty soldiers spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation or because they were not authorized to speak to the press. 

A military official who is treating service members evacuated from the Middle East to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany amid Iran’s retaliation said troops are suffering from “inadequate force protection and planning” and already reporting a severe, destabilizing toll from Iranian ballistic missiles and drones that have been repeatedly striking American military facilities. Thirteen troops have been killed amid the war so far, seven due to strikes, and at least 232 have been wounded. 

A ground operation would be “an absolute disaster… we don’t have a plan for that”, the official said earlier this week. “We can’t even fully defend a single land base in the theater”. 

A veteran and reservist who mentors younger officers told HuffPost her contacts are expressing a loss of faith to a new degree. 

“I’m hearing out of service members’ mouths the words, ’We do not want to die for Israel – we don’t want to be political pawns”, she said. 

Another reservist in touch with current troops separately reported hearing similar comments. “I’ve shared conscientious objector information six times in the past two weeks and I’ve been in the military almost 20 years – I’ve never had people reach out this way”, the first reservist continued. 

Mike Prysner, the executive director of the Center on Conscience and War, said his group would in past years hear from between 50 and 80 troops annually. The month of March has seen a 1,000% increase, he added, saying at least one new service member now contacts the organization daily. 

On Friday, he wrote on X that his group is handling “expedited” objector applications by Army, Navy and Marines personnel who were told they will be deploying this weekend. 

And Matt Howard, the co-director of the group About Face: Veterans Against The War, said his organization has been helping more active duty troops understand their options for dissent. 

Most service members now exploring registration as conscientious objectors point to the February 28 strike on a school in the Iranian town of Minab as a breaking point, Prysner said. The strike killed at least 175 people, including dozens of schoolgirls. Sources familiar with the Pentagon’s investigation of the murderous incident have told HuffPost the US likely bears responsibility. 

[Don't twist it – the US is responsible, period!] 

Anyways, there is no indication of a mass exodus from the United States’ 1.3 million-person military over Trump’s illegitimate war. Sources described anger, but also a sense of resignation among many troops. 

And meanwhile, the US-Israel war against Iran continues unabated.