More US troops have died in Trump’s insane war of aggression against Iran, so of course we’re seeing a bunch of phony bullshit from American warmongers about what a heroic sacrifice these soldiers made in order to justify further escalations. “Godspeed, heroes. Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve,” tweeted Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in response to the news that two US troops were killed with one soldier missing after Iranian retaliatory strikes on a US base in Jordan. But they weren’t “heroes”, and they did not make any “sacrifice”. A hero is someone who risks danger taking noble action for the benefit of others. A sacrifice is when you give up your life for a higher cause. This was neither of those things. Those soldiers were killed in response to US airstrikes on civilian infrastructure in a stupid, evil war of aggression waged by a Zionist president to please his billionaire Israeli megadonor. Those US attacks destroyed a desalination plant, cutting off an essential water supply for thousands of Iranian civilians. They did not die defending the United States. They did not die protecting the American people. They did not die for freedom, for democracy, or for any of the other bullshit reasons you’ll see imperial spinmeisters saying they died for. They died for Israel, for the military-industrial complex, and for US imperial agendas of global domination. And for nothing else. I said this online and someone tried telling me “They died for their country and Fuck You for pissing on that.” I told him no, they did not die for their country. The Iranians are dying for their country. The Americans are dying for Israel, for money, and for geostrategic control. Not a single American life in the United States is being protected by the actions of US service members in the middle east. They’re not defending their homeland, they’re attacking people who are defending theirs. This isn’t worthy of praise, it’s worthy of anger and outrage. There’s this bizarre, cultish belief among Americans that you have to play along with the idea that every US soldier killed in action died doing something heroic which benefited the American people, even when every reasonably intelligent person knows that’s objectively false. I reject this whole-heartedly. All this does is make it easier for the US military to recruit more soldiers and to manufacture consent for more depraved wars of aggression. Those soldiers killed in Jordan did not die doing anything noble. They died meaningless, undignified deaths for an immoral and unworthy cause. Those soldiers weren’t killed by Iran. They were killed by Donald Trump. They were killed by the oligarchs and empire managers whose decisions sent them to die in yet another middle eastern war based on lies, and will never lose a wink’s sleep over it. Everyone thinking of joining the US military should refrain from doing so, and everyone who is already in the US military should do everything they possibly can to get out. Because there is nothing worse than killing and dying for rich bastards who will never give a fuck about you.