A recent report stated that about 2,000 veterans have signed up to join the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline.
For those that aren't aware, NoDAPL is a protest aiming to stop the construction of a crude oil pipeline. It not only runs through sacred land of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, but it also has the potential of damaging their main water supply. An earlier proposal of the pipeline ran though Bismark, but their population voted it down due to the same risk to their water source.
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As one of the largest gatherings of Native American tribes in hundreds of years, this protest has gained a lot of traction in the media as well as with public figures.
The presence of veterans at Standing Rock is a lot different than that of a celebrity. Veterans are honored governmental servicemen. Noticeably, most Americans take pride in being a veteran, and most people hold them in very high regard, as they should.
However, we may talk of our respect for veterans, the statistics for those who served our country aren't reflective of that. The way we treat our veterans is incomparable with respect to how we speak of them. High percentages of homelessness, PTSD, unemployment, substance abuse, and many more conditions are seen among veterans in the United States.
In some ways, veterans and Native American tribes are the same. Strip them both of the superficial and you have groups of people used and then forgotten by our government. For them to stand together makes perfect sense.
So how will the paid protest resistors react to the veterans standing alongside people they've gassed and hosed down in freezing temperatures? Will they do they same to the people who fought for their freedom? Or will they understand that veterans are still continuing the fight for freedom---a freedom for all.
UPDATE--- NPR website states "The Army Corps of Engineers has decided to deny the easement for the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline"
While celebrating the apparent success, it's important to note that construction of the pipeline on another route is still possible, and the risks remain the same.
