What 4 Generations of Veterans Think of Trump’s War in Iran

What 4 Generations of Veterans Think of Trump’s War in Iran

From How Is This Better? by COURIER

March 6, 2026 · 33 min

About this episode

The episode explores the perspectives of five veterans from different generations on the implications of America's wars and the current political climate regarding military engagement.

Are we at war or not? According to Trump, he's scoring a 15 out of 10 "on the war front," and Department of War Secretary, Pete Hegseth, says the fighting in Iran has "just begun." Yet House Speaker Mike Johnson insists "we're not at war." Instead of debating the political spin, Akilah wanted to sit down with the people who've been asked to fight American battles. On this episode of How Is This Better?, Akilah sits down with five veterans across four generations – from baby boomers who fought in Vietnam to an Iraq War veteran and a Gen Z and Millennial veteran who filed for conscientious objector discharges based on their objections to the war in Gaza. Some enlisted out of patriotism. Some out of faith. Some just wanted the uniform, or way to pay for student loans. But all of them describe a moment when America’s wars stopped making sense to them. Across fifty years of military experience, they all come back to the same question: Are young Americans about to be asked to die for something no one can clearly explain? Get unlimited premium wireless from Mint Mobile for just $15 a month at https://www.mintmobile.com/courier Show Notes: Check out Veterans for Peace, Common Defense…

People in this episode

Host: Akilah

Guests: Joy Metzler, Juan Betancourt, Ben Feibleman, David Lucier, Ed Anderson

Topics covered

  • veterans
  • war
  • politics
  • generational perspectives
  • military experience
  • conscientious objection

Keywords

  • Trump
  • Iran
  • veterans
  • war
  • conscientious objector
  • military
  • politics
  • Vietnam
  • Iraq War
  • Gaza

Sponsors

Mint Mobile

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Veterans for Peace, Common Defense, Friends of Fisher House, Phoenix

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