For many in the US Army, it's still not clear why the US is waging war against Iran. This is affecting the morale of the soldiers, and now some want to leave the army.
30-year-old Taylor Hyland decided to leave the army in the spring, after the US and Israel started the war against Iran. The specific reason was the attack on a girls' school on the first day of the war. More than 150 people died, most of them children.
Hyland (not his real name) told ARD that this shocked him. So he decided to learn about the options for leaving the army. "I wanted to find out if my beliefs matched the usual reasons for refusing military service."
Firmly determined to leave the army
Taylor Hyland is serving in Texas, where he lives with his family. The army paid for his medical studies, after which he has been a part of the US army for over ten years.
In his hometown, as the man tells the German public media, military service has always been considered "the pinnacle of patriotism". The young man needed money for his studies, and he also sincerely believed in these values. So joining the army seemed to him like a good opportunity to serve his country, which he accepts.
Now Hyland is waiting for the decision - whether his request to end his military service will be approved. He wants to continue working as a doctor, but not as a soldier. "I have helped many people recover, but it was always just about getting them well enough to get back in the way of bullets or to be able to shoot others." According to the American military, society does not take the damage suffered by civilians or soldiers seriously enough. That is why at some point you realize that you must leave the army. Even if no one follows you.
The number of those who want to leave is unknown
In principle, in the United States it is possible to leave the army on grounds of conscience, but the procedure is complicated. In most cases, it takes months for the applicant to receive a decision, explains ARD. For example, during the Vietnam War, hundreds of thousands took advantage of this opportunity to avoid military service. In 1973, draft service in the United States was abolished. That's why only active-duty soldiers can now leave the military prematurely for these reasons.
Taylor Hyland tells ARD that he knows 12 other soldiers who want to leave the military. And they, in turn, know others who have either applied or are considering doing so. That's not a lot, considering that there are 1.3 million people serving in the US military. It's also not known how many people apply for such applications each year. In principle, the refusal of military service by choice is not believed to be used often.
"I don't want to be part of an organization that does this kind of thing"
Bill Galvin, who works at a hotline for military personnel in Washington, told ARD that the mood among American soldiers is not good. He used to get one or two calls a week or two, but now he gets many soldiers calling every day to find out how they can resign. "The reason is mostly the attack on the girls' school - almost everyone talks about it and says: I don't want to be part of an organization that does things like that," Galvin explains to ARD.
In March alone - the very beginning of the war with Iran, Galvin's organization took on more than 80 new cases for consultation - that is, soldiers who want to leave the army. This is twice as many as it usually does in an entire year.
The impact of Hegsett's policy
Under the leadership of Defense Secretary Pete Hegsett, many changes have occurred in the army, ARD writes. He has spoken out against everything he sees as "woke", including efforts for diversity, equity and inclusion.
The administration has dragged the military into these cultural struggles that are taking place in American society, Cory Sheik of the American Enterprise Institute think tank told American public radio NPR. Hegseth, whom the US government calls "Secretary of War", is sarcastically called "Minister of Culture Wars". And according to Galvin, Hegseth's course is wrong. Based on everything that military personnel tell him on the phone every day, he has come to the conclusion that the secretary's policies are hurting the morale of soldiers.
Trump's operations are undermining morale
Critics say that morale has also suffered from the controversial operations ordered by the Trump administration - such as the deployment of the National Guard in a number of American cities, air strikes against suspected drug smugglers in the Caribbean, the offensive war against Iran. Many soldiers are skeptical about this conflict, Taylor Hyland told ARD. "They are not completely convinced why this is happening. That is why it is difficult for them to justify everything else related to this conflict," the soldier explains.
In principle, Hyland should have stayed in the army for another year. And because he wants to leave early, he will have to pay back his study costs. That would not be a problem with his medical salary, he told the German public media. And he recommends that soldiers who have doubts about their work seek advice.