Camouflaged Sacrifice in Times of Uncertainty An ethnographic account of the former U.S. Soldier belonging amongst the United States Army in Germany

Abstract

The United States Department of the Army Civilian, a former soldier and his existence structured through the acquiescing of the oscillation of the benevolence and hegemony of the nation-state. This thesis shall convey the interconnectedness of the sovereign power, in regards to the former soldier s mandated mobility, the acquisition of economic sustainability, and the philosophy of belonging to the U.S. Military. Additionally, the challenges former migrant soldiers have endured to receive citizenship rights, while defending the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Department of the Army Civilian has willingly submitted himself to comply to sacrifice, believing to be in control of his live decisions, which has been molded by national economic circumstances, quite often due to economic instability and/ or ethnic minority status. Therefore, a false sense of being in control has been created, as there have not been adequate alternatives offered. Once the soldier is part of the military society through the indoctrination as early as basic training, he has become a soldier for life. Perhaps, confined in the mentality and thinking processes of being entrenched into the sub-society of the U.S. Military and unable to separate or return to the former civil society.