As a former US Army soldier, I can attest to the inhumanity of the war machine. I've never been a good man (despite my best efforts), but I was never less human than after I finished my first year at my active duty unit. Coupled with the revelations I made myself aware of the deeper I got into anarchism about US foreign policy, it was devastating. I don't hold the illusion that armed personnel defending private property in a society without states won't be necessary. There will always be a demand for physical security. But the system that we have now dehumanizes individuals and destroys their moral compass.

War is a racket, and soldiers are fodder.