Not since the Reagan-era Grenada invasion has the United States military made such an impression as they did when they recently landed on the dirt and sand of the U.S.-Mexico border.
In ’83 it was about 7,000 members of the United States Marines, Army and Navy that stormed the tiny Caribbean island to ostensibly save hundreds of American medical students who were learning their craft while their host country’s government imploded under the weight of power grabs and coups.
Uncle Sam’s security team operated swiftly in punishing the 2,000 or so Grenadians and Cubans who tried to defend their 134-square-mile home in the Cold War era. The island kids were just no match for the shock and awe of American military firepower, tenacity and bravery.
Thirty-five years later — in the midst of the War on Terror — Marines and infantrymen are taking up positions along the United States border.
Afraid that hungry, weary, frightened men, women and children walking from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador to the United States via Mexico in search of jobs and asylum, U.S. President and Commander-in-Chief Donald Trump ordered more than 5,000 of his military to reinforce the National Guardsmen and DHS personnel already stationed at the border.
While their role is to provide support to border law enforcement by building barriers, installing concerntina wire and flying helicopters near the border, Trump did authorize his military to use lethal force against migrants if necessary.
Shock. And, uhhhhh…
A 2007 story in the military-oriented publication Stars & Stripes estimated the cost to bring a soldier to basic training was about $18,000 — but that was in 2006 dollars and did not include the subsequent cost of salary and training. And housing. And feeding. In 2018 dollars.
Given the defensive posture Trump is adopting and the taxpayer money the fiscally mindful billionaire is spending, it’s clear the president is scared. Of what, however, I’m not sure.
Throughout all the coverage of the migrant caravan’s trek to the United States I have yet to see images of Central Americans escorting missiles or walking alongside tanks that will be used to cross the border and invade the U.S. I have not seen battalions of mothers with rifles slung over their backs or teenage boys practicing their war-faces on the way to wage battle against us. In the interviews I have seen I have not heard anyone claim they were on their way here to replace us, as some white nationalists seem to assume they are.
I’ve seen desperate people. Some fearful. Some opportunistic. But Trump is afraid of them and there must be a good reason. Why else would he spend tens of thousands of dollars daily having troops on the border and costing local San Ysidro businesses millions in sales when he shuts it down for a day. Trump is scared and thinks we should be too. Are you?
