- The Democratic National Convention pulled out of control after two U.S. Army soldiers were filmed with U.S. Samoa delegates during a vote on roles.
- The presence of the two uniformed soldiers, who turned out to be junior enlisted soldiers, raised concerns about the army apolitically in a highly charged election season.
- But the recent controversy also highlights the differences experienced exclusively by U.S. citizens, and the often overlooked service of military veterans coming from U.S. territories, such as American Samoa.
- “Unfortunately, we have to use our bodies to get off the island, but that is the reality of life,” a former U.S. Army combat medicine from American Samoa told Insider.
- Visit the Business Insider website for more stories.
A video of the Democratic National Convention’s television vote on Tuesday drew control after two uniformed troops appeared behind U.S. Samoa delegates as they cast their vote for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
The presence of the two uniformed American counterparts, who turned out to be junior enlisted soldiers, raised concerns about the army appearing to support a political party in the partisan events.
A U.S. Army spokesman confirmed that it had investigated the incident on Wednesday, adding that the uniformed service providers were in fact members of a U.S. Army reserve unit.
The Department of Defense has a long-standing policy of members of the military and federal staff acting in their official capacity to refrain from engaging in “activities that the [Defense Department] with every partisan political campaign as an election, candidate, cause or issue. “
While it encourages its staff to vote and express their views on political candidates, the Department of Defense adds in its regulations that active duty troops “may not participate in partisan activities such as questioning or participating in partisan fundraiser activities … or speak before a partisan meeting. “
“All military members, including National Guard and Reserve forces, are prohibited from wearing military uniforms during political campaign events,” the Department of Defense said in a 2019 memo.
A spokesman for the Democratic National Committee called the incident a “oversight.”
Incidents such as the roll call vote have been a frequent democratic point of contention against the Trump administration. President Donald Trump has long been accused of politicizing the military and federal institutions for his own partisan agenda – his most recent controversy stemming from his plan to officially accept the Republican presidential nomination from the White House lawn.
Samoa-based U.S. Army reservists train with automatic weapons.
US Army Spc. Nadya Langkilde
‘We need to use our bodies to get off the island’
But the recent controversy also highlights the differences experienced exclusively by U.S. citizens, and the often overlooked service of military veterans coming from U.S. territories, such as American Samoa.
American Samoa became a U.S. territory in 1900, but unlike other islands such as Guam, its population is considered a U.S. citizen, not a U.S. citizen at birth. Samoans have no congressional representation and are not excluded from voting in federal elections.
Despite the lack of representation, U.S. citizens from the territory still flocked to serve in the military. More than 14,000 military veterans live in both American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and the US Virgin Islands, representing 5.6% of their people over the age of 18, according to a 2010 census.
Americans who serve in the military represent about 0.5% of the total U.S. population.
A U.S. Army Recruitment Station in American Samoa became the first place to produce recruits, hitting more than 880 other stations in the U.S. in 2014. More Samoans also received casualties from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan per head of state than any other state or territory.
A Democratic spokesman referred to the contributions made by American Samoa and said that their video was a representation of their military service.
“Each state was asked to highlight issues and values that are most important and the U.S. Samoa delegation wanted to highlight its commitment to military service when filming its segment,” a Democratic spokesman said in a statement to Insider.
A retired U.S. Army medic who grew up in American Samoa told Insider that the limited job opportunities were a primary reason why people joined the Army.
A running joke throughout American Samoa, he explained, is that the island produced three goods: tuna, football players, and American soldiers.
“Most of the young people who leave to leave the island are through an educational scholarship football, or joining the army,” said the combatant medic, who asked to remain anonymous because he was in ‘ the government is working, Insider said. “One of the easiest ways to get off the island is to join the army. Many Vietnam veterans returned home and became one of the richest people on the island.”
“Unfortunately we have to use our bodies to get off the island, but that is the reality of life,” he added.
