After a chaotic few weeks that saw active-duty troops deployed domestically in Los Angeles and a troubling mixture of politics with military celebrations at Fort Bragg and in D.C., military families were operating in unprecedented territory. Then on Saturday, things began to sound eerily familiar. President Trump delivered the news that he had unilaterally ordered the bombing of Iran without seeking authority from Congress.
Military families are intimately familiar with the costs of war - not in headlines, but in homecomings that never happen, in the ripple effects of trauma, in the hearts of caregivers and survivors, and in the years stolen from our loved ones.
As tensions with Iran escalate while our community attempts to heal from the last 20 year war, we’re watching a dangerous pattern repeat: politicians talking tough while leaving our service members to carry the burden. We know how this goes. We’ve been here before.
While we stand with our skilled and talented service members, we can also speak up to demand peace and accountability on their behalf. And it’s not just us: lawmakers and citizens on both sides of the aisle have raised alarms about the U.S. getting involved in this conflict. It’s not “strength” to rush into a conflict. It’s not “supporting the troops” to initiate another conflict without a clear mission or exit strategy. And it’s not “defending America” to withdraw from diplomatic agreements to ignite another war in the Middle East that risks dragging in more families, more suffering, and more loss.
It’s a challenging time with so many issues feeding the headlines, like the Senate pushing forward with the One Big Beautiful Bill and the administration targeting immigrants including military families. But can’t afford to let Congress and the public avoid this topic. Our voices carry weight and we must mobilize for peace and accountability, for our military-connected community and for our neighbors and our country.
Our voices as military families are powerful, particularly in this moment. Here are this week’s calls to action for military families:
Mobilize to support a war powers resolution and our military community
U.S. involvement in the Iran-Israel conflict is painfully reminiscent of the start of the 2003 Iraq War — questionable authorization, unclear information on weapons of mass destruction misinformation, and talk of regime change. Congress must maintain its authority as a balance against the executive branch and consider a war powers resolution before any further action is taken.
Things are scary right now, especially for military families. Don’t go this alone. Reach out, ask for help if you need it, connect with your community. Or load up on ice cream and connect with your favorite TV characters. Either way, just remember to take five minutes to call your members of Congress this week to share your concerns.
What can you do?
Call your members of Congress to demand that they support a war powers resolution and prevent the Trump administration from launching the U.S. into another endless war without a clear mission and strategy.
Write a letter to the editor to help shift the narrative away from politics and toward people. Share your perspective as a military family and remind the public what war really costs. Need help writing or pitching? Have a letter to share with us?
Share your thoughts on social media
Share this post encouraging others to speak up or draft your own post expressing concern over another conflict in the Middle East without authorization or accountability.
Check in with yourself and your fellow military families. Let’s take care of ourselves and each other.
Resources
Push back against the harmful provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill.
Congress continues to push ahead with the One Big Beautiful Bill, which contains many harmful provisions like cutting federal SNAP funding by about 30% - the largest food assistance cut in history - while also increasing work requirements for SNAP participants. It’s terrible news for the thousands of military and veteran families who use SNAP, Medicaid, and other programs under attack by this legislation. It’s a big bill with big consequences, for military families and for our communities.
What can you do?
Call your representatives to tell them your concerns about how this legislation will impact military families and our communities.
Speak up on behalf of military families being detained and deported.
Last week, ICE agents in New Orleans detained the wife of a Marine veteran while she was attending her immigration appointment. Immigration officials also violently detained a landscaper and father of three Marines in Southern California.
ICE has deported Shirly Guardado, a military spouse and mom of a 11-month-old baby boy. She did everything she was supposed to do to stay in the US legally: her husband‘s petition for her was approved by USCIS in 2023, she has a SSN and employment authorization.
Last month, Nicolle Saroukos, an Australian citizen and wife of a U.S. Army lieutenant, was detained and deported when attempting to visit her husband at his duty station in Hawaii. Despite previous visits without issue, she was strip-searched and detained, before being denied entry without clear justification.
The wife of an active-duty Coast Guardsman was arrested at the end of April by federal immigration authorities inside the family residential section of the Key West Naval Air Station.
What can you do?
Share their stories on social media to raise awareness.
Call your representatives to tell them to stand up for vulnerable military families and ensure they have the support they need to navigate complex immigration issues.