it the right way if it was going to be done. >> jay leno now is being replaced and this is the second time this has happened. >> yes. >> i mean it's crazy. he's being replaced by a younger, late-night talk show host. what could possibly go wrong? state your name. >> do solemnly swear. >> do solemnly swear. >> to support and defend. >> to support and defend. >> the constitution of the united states. >> the constitution of the its. >> against all enemies. >> against all enemies. >> foreign and domestic. >> foreign and domestic. >> so help me god. >> so help me god. >> it is estimated that over our nation's history, somewhere between 40 million and 60 million people have taken that oath.

and around 1.2 million have paid the ultimate price for it. while there are a million different opinions in our military as a whole, we celebrate the individuals who wave flags, go to parades, offer them solemn moments at games. we call them heroes and patriots. but of those who return, many are never the same, and all too often we leave them alone to bear the pain. we say it all the time, but in reality, how well do we actually support our troops? ♪

>> san diego, california. a dichotomy. on the one hand, it's known for being laid back and mellow, a sunny, sleepy hamlet. but on the other hand, there's this. not sleepy or mellow at all. san diego is home to the navy, marines, coast guard, and air force. it's got three carrier groups, the largest concentration of active and retired military personnel in the u.s., and -- let me check my notes -- a tra zillion dollars in american military hardware. yep, san diego, where they train seals and s.e.a.l.s. as a nation, our military is intertwined into almost every aspect of our lives from little league baseball to mattress sales to movies and video games. we are taught to idealize the military and at the same time we are told to stay the hell out of

its business. but the military is ours, literally our job as civilians is to get all up in its business because the u.s. military is diverse, complicated, and dealing with the same issues of rights, representation, justice, and too many white dudes at the top telling everybody else what to do that we're all dealing with. >> he doesn't know, but he's become a de facto mentor for me because there are so few black generals. dana pet ard has been a north star. >> is it weird to call him dana? >> i'm really soaking it in right now. dana, dana, dana as much as possible. >> dana petard and mary tobin. both are graduates of west point and combat vets. mary now works at senior adviser for ameri corps and wounded warrior project. >> dana retired as only a handful of two-star black generals. he was so trusted during the clinton administration, he was

charged with carrying the nuclear football. i guess that's a good job. but even with all those accomplishments, the military never let them forget one thing. >> being black in this country, there's a lot of things you try to do or want to do, but you sort of know that racism is going to get in the way. at least in theory, the military is based on meritocracy. >> i say it all the time. it is as close to a meritocracy as we can get. what you don't account for is all the other flaws, the human flaws. a few weeks ago, someone who i respect highly, white male, west point graduate, he goes, mary, you're a black patriot. well, i'm a patriot. you know? and in that moment, i said, man, we do have a ways to go because even my service to this country has an identifier. >> yeah, because the military is still based in a place called america. >> yeah. it's a reflection of america.

you know, that famous photo now of the oval office with all the four-star commanders and chiefs of staff of the military. and it was all white. >> i think this picture made me snow blind. here ou america breaks down by race and gender. of our 331 million citizens, less than 1% serve in the military. that breaks down like this. race numbers aren't bad, but the gender numbers, ugh. here's the breakdown for the officer class. and for the top brass. so much for meritocracy. >> if all leadership is white sis gender protestant men, there's a reasonable expectation that the decision-making, the promotion system, the respect for certain culture is going to reflect that of the dominant culture, which is the leadership. >> one of the things i've learned is whenever i meet somebody who has served in the military, i say, thank you for

your service. >> well, it's appreciated, so oftentimes we'll say, well, thank you for your support. but let's talk about that, and how do we really thank someone for their service? african-americans have served our country every war we've had, but america hasn't always served us. >> yes. >> i mean there's five different things on west point named after robert e. lee. there's robert e. lee barracks, robert e. lee housing, robert e. lee housing area. >> it's not like he's one of the secret confederates. >> it's culture. we have to work on that. two months before graduation as a senior at west point, i went to two of my classmates, their room. i thought i heard something but couldn't have heard that. one of them ran out of the room and said, dana, i'm sorry for calling you a -- the n-word. you know, we have worked together as freshmen and plebes and we are two months of graduation and you still -- all you see me is as a nigger.

>> i believe that the majority of my white brothers and sisters in arms serve this country because of what they believe this country to be. the majority of african-americans serve this country because of what we hope this country will be. >> that's powerful. >> that's it right there. >> yeah. >> we're trying to turn this country into the myth of what this country says it is. >> yes. >> yes, patriotism is a big draw. but let's be honest. there's another big reason that many people join the military. >> the serviceman's readjustment act of 1944, better known as the g.i. bill of rights. >> money. money for college, for a house, for your family, for health care. an economy built for the few but not the many basically equals a de facto draft of the poor. i'm not judging those people. they got to put their butts on the line just like the people who signed up for love of country. but no matter why you sign up, once you do, you're giving up

your basic legal rights to these guys, who, again, thought this photo was a good idea. >> there's just too much deference to the generals and admirals. you know, every time generals and admirals testify, it starts out, i want to thank you for your service. if you want to thank somebody for their service, thank the junior enlisted who are actually risking their lives day in and day out. >> colonel don christianson is the president of protect our defenders, the preeminent human rights organization in the fight to end sexual violence, sexual prejudice, and racism in the military. his calendar must be packed. dwight sterling is a national guard jag officer, and a leading scholar on military ethics. >> what we don't hear from often are the privates. if you're a junior enlisted, you don't have a lot of rights and protections. >> fortunately and unfortunately, our legal system is the most powerful resource

for change and social justice, but it is also largely unavailable to the ranks of enlisted soldiers because of something known as the ferris doctrine. you can die to defend the rights of others, but you can't lawyer up to defend yourself. >> this is the only class of american who is locked out of court. it's those folks who protect our rights. >> you get injured in combat, there's a v.a. system to take care of those injuries. but when you're injured from negligence or from intentional misconduct like being raped by your commander, that you can't sue your commander, it's insane. >> it seems very similar of the way that if you go to prison -- >> it is. >> -- you lose a lot of your rights. >> in fact, if you're a prisoner, you have more rights. >> wow. >> because if you're a prisoner and you're assaulted by, you know, a colleague or by a prison guard, you get to go to court and make your case whereas if you serve our country in uniform, you don't. so we give more rights to those who have engaged in crime than

we give to those who protect us in our beds at night. it's a matter of discrimination. >> yes. let's dig into that. discrimination is not just about race. it's by definition the denial of rights to one group that you provide to everyone else. the military is made up of black, white, asian, latinx, people of all genders from all walks of life that don't share the same rights as the rest of us. the only recourse our troops have to fight discrimination, no matter what military leadership says, is us. voting and demanding justice and equality. that's supporting our troops. i don't know if you can tell me how i got this message, that the military is none of my business. >> it's bizarre because that's what we're supposed to be about is civilian control of the military. we have a civilian commander in chief, civilian secretary of defense. >> patriotism is not blind faith. true patriotism is demanding

this country live up to the myths it taught us. mary and dana are patriots. they want us to know that the military, like the country, has problems, and they won't stop pointing that out. >> it's a part of my loyalty and love that i challenge us to be better. like, no, i'm not going to let my military, my army that i proudly serve be racist or sexist or homophobic because that's not the best of us. >> america, i still believe, is the greatest nation in the world. but we have a history, and i do not want to leave this earth without making that difference for future children, grandchildren. >> i keep getting hung up on black patriot. that sounds like a b-level superhero from the '70s. black lightning, black panther. here comes black patriot.

ok, at at&t everyone gets our best deals on all smartphones. let me break it down. you got your new customers — they get our best deals. you got your existing customers — they also get our best deals. everyone. gets. the deals. questions? got it. but, why did you use a permanent marker? because i want to make sure you remember. i am going to get a new whiteboard. it's not complicated. only at&t gives new & existing customers the same great deals on all smartphones. get up to $700 off our latest 5g smartphones. never seen anything like it. garnier brightening serum cream. i'm obsessed with vitamin c. one product and it does it all. yay, spf! garnier brightening serum cream. already more than 1000 5 star reviews.

by garnier, naturally. ♪it's, oh, so quiet♪ ♪shhhh shhhh♪ ♪it's, oh, so still♪ ♪shhhh shhhh♪ ♪and so peaceful until...♪ ♪you blow a fuse♪ ♪zing boom♪ ♪the devil cuts loose. zing boom♪ ♪so what's the use. wow bam♪

♪of falling in love?♪ plant-based surfactants like the ones in seventh generation detergent trap stains at the molecular level and flush them away. it's just science! just... science. seventh generation tackles stains.

♪ ♪ so, kamau and t.j., welcome to total raptor experience. this is sophie, the falcon. sophie is going to be our hostess today. have you worked with falcons or hawks? >> nope. i've worked with parakeets. you've done this before, right? >> i have flown a few times. you're not scared, though, right? i'm here for you. >> i appreciate that. >> tj is a navy veteran who currently works as a civilian comptroller for the navy. it's his job to protect your tax dollars. but today he wants you to know he speaks for himself, not the navy. >> if you want to give her a

nice stable place to hang out, up heyou go. that's a good, good, bird. >> now what do i do? >> you just hang there with her. there you go. here she comes. stick out your glove. fabulous. >> i couldn't look. if i look i'm going to flinch. i feel like i'm on the cover of billionaires monthly. >> if you haven't noticed, i've had like a perma-grin on my face since we started flying. >> what is it doing for you? >> i think it just grounds me, you know, being a transgender man in today's society is super-duper stressful. >> mm-hmm. it also is very sort of calming out here by the water. >> oh, it's beautiful. it's nice to be in san diego with still the navy presence here. my blood runs navy blue. my family has been in the military since the revolutionary war. but really i joined the military out of necessity. i grew up pretty poor, so they were offering everything i

needed. >> what were the challenges? >> where do i begin? the biggest challenge was hiding who i was. i got out before don't ask, don't tell was lifted. >> in 1993, president bill clinton enacted don't ask/don't tell, banning the discrimination of enlistment based on sexual orientation. it required gay and lesbian service members to keep their identity secret so as not to disrupt military readiness. >> it is my duty as commander in chief to uphold the highest standards of combat readiness and unity cohesion of the world's finest fighting force. >> good order and discipline. if you look through the history of military discrimination, these are the rationalizations you will hear again and again, first used to prohibit everybody who wasn't white, then women, then gay folks, then trans folks. >> i guess i should clarify that

i joined the navy, female-bodied. i didn't transition my gender until a year after i got out. it kind of makes you split your life. and i got very good at it. i'm very good at compartmentalizing. >> because we're don't asking/don't telling. >> exactly. i couldn't hide my wife, and i shouldn't have had to. that's what really kind of sparked us to say, okay, you know what? this isn't going for you. this isn't good for us. i knew since i was a kid that i always wanted to -- i used to pray to god at night to wake up and be a boy. >> so when you left the navy, it was like i need to get out of here because i can't be myself. >> a year later, i walked into my boss' office, and i said, can i be frank? and he said, sure. what's on your mind? i said, no, i want to be frank. >> that's how you did it? >> that's how i did it. now it's about being grounded in who i am and being confident in who i am. >> it seems to me such a sad irony that, as you said, you got a lot of strength from your

transition. that if the military had allowed you to do that when you were in the military or made you feel like something that was possible, you would have been a better person for the military. >> nathat is an actual truth. >> in total, more than 13,000 service members were discharged under don't ask/don't tell until president obama put an end to it in 2011. and while the military has been making strides to be more lgbtq+ inclusive, out of nowhere and with zero support from the military brass, president trump banned transgender service members in 2017, citing -- you guessed it. >> it erodes military readiness and unicohesion. >> while president biden has since reversed that ban, frustratingly the debate rages on. >> we talk about this country. one thing the military is supposed to be doing is protecting our freedom. >> yeah. >> and it feels like that you were in the military not being allowed to be free. >> i was fighting for someone

else's freedom. i work with all these young sailors and they'll be talking to me. one female sailor, she's like, oh, me and my wife, blah, blah, blah. i'm like the grinch where my heart just grows two more sizes. am i a little envious? of course. of course. but seeing other people makes the sacrifice worth it. i had to live through this so you don't have to.

with voltaren arthritis pain gel, my husband's got his moves back. an alternative to pills, voltaren is the first full prescription strength gel, for powerful arthritis pain relief. voltaren. the joy of movement. ♪ sometimes you wanna go ♪ ♪ where everybody knows your name ♪ ♪ ♪ and they're always glad you came ♪ ♪ you wanna be where you can see(ah-ah) ♪ ♪ our troubles are all the same (ah-ah) ♪ ♪ you wanna be where everybody knows your name ♪ ♪ you wanna go where people know ♪ welcome back, america. it sure is good to see you.

never seen anything like it. garnier brightening serum cream. welcome back, america. i'm obsessed with vitamin c. one product and it does it all. yay, spf! garnier brightening serum cream. already more than 1000 5 star reviews. by garnier, naturally.

in the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought by the military industrial complex. >> that's an american president and five-star general warning us all about the threat of a militarized nation, dependent on the war machine. and yet we have been at war for 35 of the 60 years since he left office, culminating in our longest war ever in afghanistan. why? because despite eisenhower's warning, we have become that militarized nation. >> you have a whole industry that profits every time we drop a bomb. and if we pointed to that in any other country, you would have people saying, oh, of course, these people are corrupt. i'm not here to say that there aren't really geopolitical threats.

but we have 800 foreign military bases while the rest of the world has 70. >> brittany debar oes is a combat veteran who served in afghanistan. she is a member of about-face, an anti-war group formed by and for veterans. >> thank you for suffering through the outside. is jerry there? >> yeah. >> hey, what's up, jerry? >> hey, kamau. >> as a service member vocal against the wars in iraq and afghanistan, brittany has received both praise and pushback, including being told she was going native, which is racist for meaning she cares. >> and they described it almost like a mental health problem, where you had started empathizing too much with the people of the land that you were sent to. >> well, even in saying that, you're talking about -- you're expressing empathy with the afghan people. >> i got there a true believer. i was young. i was bright-eyed. i believed that we were the good guys. i came back in 2013 really

confused. i felt clear when i came home that i had done nothing but participate in harm, and it struck me in that moment that i had a responsibility to be speaking up. >> yeah. >> we need to address nationalism because people are so conditioned to hide behind the flag. my name is brittany ramos debarros. i'm a woman. i'm white. i'm latina. i'm black. i'm queer, and i'm a combat veteran. >> i had annual training orders in 2018, and i prepared 14 facts that i scheduled to post on my twitter and my facebook each day for the 14 days that i would be on duty. day one, at the current rate, the u.s. drops a bomb every 12 minutes. day two, the u.s. military burns 10,273,000 the 972 gallons of oil per day. day three, on any given day, the

u.s. is actively bombing seven predominantly black/brown and muslim countries. day five, defense corporations made contributions to 496 out of 535 members of congress. >> and that's all put together from information that the military has put out in the world. >> the military or the government. >> and you got in trouble for googling? >> the recommendation that was given was a recommendation to court martial me for conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman, which is still actually the full title of that charge. >> you say, yes, all my conduct is unbecoming a gentleman. >> yes. i'm very ungentlemanly. officers stand in their uniforms and support the war all the

time, every day in congress. and so the question for me was raised of, if i'm allowed to stand in my uniform and support the war, why am i not allowed to stand in my uniform and not? these wars are not only continuing, baugh they've gotten even more destructive. >> it sounds like you would agree this is not one party who has done this. >> the fact that these wars have spanned multiple presidential administrations across both parties now says it all. war and this military industrial complex is one of the most bipartisan things in america. >> this is important. these wars are our wars. our money, our people, our morality and our legacy in the eyes of history and the world. we are responsible for making sure that if we do go to war, that there's a damn good reason besides putting more money in rich people's pockets. in 2019, the u.s. spent

$732 billion in defense, which is higher than the next ten countries combined. how many of our own neighborhoods could be rebuilt with that money? our priorities are awful. >> we need to change what supporting the troops means. it's not this empty, plastic patriotism that we're groomed to believe in, right, with all of the sporting event fanfare and the empty thank-yous for your service. we're never going to get that like really beautiful, just world that i believe is possible if we continue to invest in death and destruction. [ suspenseful music ] ♪ hey, you wanna get out of here? ah ha. we've got you. during expedia travel week, save 20% or more on thousands of hotels. just book between june 8th and 12th to plan your escape with expedia.

expedia. it matters who you travel with. your mission: stand up to moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. and take. it. on... with rinvoq. rinvoq a once-daily pill can dramatically improve symptoms... rinvoq helps tame pain, stiffness, swelling. and for some, rinvoq can even significantly reduce ra fatigue. that's rinvoq relief. with ra, your overactive immune system attacks your joints. rinvoq regulates it to help stop the attack. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious infections and blood clots, sometimes fatal, have occurred as have certain cancers, including lymphoma, and tears in the stomach or intestines, and changes in lab results. your doctor should monitor your bloodwork. tell your doctor about any infections... and if you are or may become pregnant while taking rinvoq. take on ra. talk to your rheumatologist about rinvoq relief. rinvoq. make it your mission. if you can't afford your medicine,

never seen anything like it. garnier brightening serum cream. your medicine, i'm obsessed with vitamin c. one product and it does it all. yay, spf! garnier brightening serum cream. already more than 1000 5 star reviews. by garnier, naturally. plant-based surfactants like the ones in seventh generation detergent trap stains at the molecular level and flush them away. it's just science! just... science. seventh generation tackles stains.

over the past 20 years, the so-called war on terror has seen us stumbling in and stumbling out of a series of failed wars. just ask the 37 million people who have been displaced by the wars or the 800,000 people, including 7,000 u.s. troops and 335,000 civilians that have died because of the wars, or maybe just ask this guy since he was there. what does the word "patriotism" mean to you? >> patriotism to me means love. i think it's an expression of love. but it can be turned into something dangerous, which is called nationalism. you know, nationalism is when we

put ourselves above everybody else. >> yeah. >> river rainbow hague is a navy veteran and a tv producer who was a combat cameraman in iraq and afghanistan. he also volunteered to fight isis in northern syria alongside the kurds. i know. you can find his film about it "the volunteers, part 1 and part 2" on youtube. how do people who are not of that region end up over there fighting for the kurds? how does that happen? >> i was humbled to stand with the kurds. i was honored, but isis drew me there. i am pissed off when i watch people getting burned alive and our histories being plundered and destroyed and knowing that i participated in the creation of that. >> in february 2003, secretary of state and retired four-star general colin powell through some half truths and speculation and a little razzle-dazzle convinced the world that iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. and a month later, a u.s.-led

coalition rolled across the country to overthrow the government. spoiler alert, there were no weapons of mass destruction. >> i went in 2005, spent serve months with first and third platoon in anbar province. when i saw boots on the ground in iraq, it was awful. what we did was wrong in the first place and america wanted out because they knew it was wrong. then when obama pulled out, it was even wronger. >> in the wake of the destruction we wrought on iraq and the power vacuum we left behind, the islamic state of iraq captured vast swaths of northern syria, and isis, the islamic state of iraq in 15syri was born. >> did you understand what it meant to fight? >> yeah. i went there specifically to show that conflict.

>> all right. we just got ambushed. >> i just started turning the camera and just talking to it, just for my own because it was just overwhelming, you know? like what's happening? we set up a medical training unit because we realized right away nobody had any training. >> river and other volunteers spent months fighting the kurdish offensive in the city of manbij, which was controlled by isis. >> you've never seen nothing like it. it's feterrifying. >> okay. i see it. >> and the things that happened there are terrible. >> we're move ing you right now. we're going to get to the ambulance, okay? >> what did they do to me? >> i know. it's okay. >> i know this is hard to watch. let's be real.

we actually cut out the worst part of this. >> can you drive them out? >> but war is violence. we have to own that. just like we have to own the effect it has on our veterans when they return home. all of this is ours. >> war is murder. and you know what it's like when you really get into war? it's just killing. it's just killing, and it's gross. and ain't your ideology. it airport your country no more. it's just kill or die, and that's it. taking a lot of time thinking about this because you can't escape it. and once you go to a place like that and experience those things, you can't never come back. and that's -- that's what they don't -- they don't let you know in the rhetoric, in the video games, in the movies.

i have horrible nightmares, like every night. i wake up in the morning, and i could be really [ bleep ] up. and the ocean is something that is helping to heal me some. man, it's -- it's like i can breathe, right? i've come to the conclusion you can never take back the bad you've done. you know, and i want to say this because it's important and america needs to know. what we did there was wrong. we knew there was no weapons of mass destruction. we knew. we all knew. you know, the moral bruising is different than ptsd. the moral bruising is knowing that i witnessed civilians being killed. i mean i love this country, and i'm watching this country [ bleep ] kill people, and it breaks my heart. >> so do you think there is ever

a reason for war? >> [ bleep ] yeah. >> okay. >> yeah. we need to kill isis. they needed to die. >> yeah. >> but should we have created them? so it's a real catch-22, isn't it? >> yes. yes. so i mean i don't know if you -- >> i'll tell you what the solution is. >> okay. >> we need to invest in peace, not bombs. we need to invest in peace, infrastructure, opportunities. >> what does that mean? what does that look like? >> instead of sending our kids to the middle east to die, you know, let's send them to build schools and roads and hospitals. >> as we pull out of afghanistan, we have to remember the lessons of iraq, isis, syria, the kurds, and the civilians caught in the middle. otherwise, this is all going to happen again, and our citizens, our troops, and the people of the world will be forced to ask the same sad questions of war. what did we kill and die for?

what exactly was the point?

with voltaren arthritis pain gel, my husband's got his moves back. an alternative to pills, voltaren is the first full prescription strength gel, for powerful arthritis pain relief. voltaren. the joy of movement.

♪ sometimes you wanna go ♪ ♪ where everybody knows your name ♪ ♪ ♪ and they're always glad you came ♪ welcome back, america. it sure is good to see you. welcome back, america. ok, at at&t everyone gets our best deals on all smartphones. let me break it down. you got your new customers — they get our best deals. you got your existing customers — they also get our best deals. everyone. gets. the deals. questions? got it. but, why did you use a permanent marker? because i want to make sure you remember. i am going to get a new whiteboard. it's not complicated. only at&t gives new & existing customers the same great deals on all smartphones. get up to $700 off our latest 5g smartphones. the harry's razor is not the same.

our razors have five german engineered blades designed to stay sharp, so your eighth shave is as smooth as your first. and we never upcharge you for high quality. harry's. available in store and at harrys.com. remember the term "shell shock"? it was the clumsy way we described how the horrors of world war i affected soldiers. eventually we had terms like ptsd and tbi, but they were associated primarily with combat. now we know that ptsd is caused

by a whole host of events that aren't limited to combat. guess what's especially traumatizing? going through something awful and not being able to get help. tell me about these two. >> this is logan. we've been partnered for three months now. >> and who's this? >> this is larry. i never thought i'd end up with h him. what i wanted was a hypoallergenic dog. >> so are you on all the allergy medicines possible? >> i am. you can't say no to that face. >> alex and richard are navy veterans who have both transitioned out of the military in the last year, and they're still in the process of re-figuring out the civilian world. it's larry and logan's job to make it as easy as possible on them. next step service dogs brought them all together. and, again, these ain't lap dogs. these dogs are working, although sometimes that means being a lap dog. >> larry is always looking for me in the house, always has to have eyes on me, especially being out in public. because of my condition with

ptsd, i lock myself inside the house a lot. >> the isolation is 110% real, and the fact that richard and i are sitting here telling you our experiences -- >> yeah. >> -- is due to these creatures right here. >> i don't have a history of service in my family. you know, only less than 1% of americans serve in the military, so i understand there's a real misunderstanding about what it is to be a veteran and how our military treats veterans. >> i don't care what alignment you have. the people who are in charge are not doing it right. >> i was medically retired the end of may, and so i'm still, to this day, feeling lost. i felt like i didn't have the support when i really needed it. i think i may have acquired the

majority of my ptsd when i was boots on ground in iraq, and there was a lot that happened, stuff i saw that haunts me. >> it seems like if anybody would understand that, it would be the military because they have seen people like get ptsd. >> but they stigmatize it and they push us to the side. and my experience is not combat trauma, but it's military sexual trauma, which is something that we definitely push far, far under the rug. but it's -- it's out there, and it happens more than you think. i pushed mine so far under, i felt completely [ bleep ] apart, and i had a suicide attempt, and that was it for me. >> thank you for sharing. so you and i share the same thing. i'm also a survivor of military sexual trauma.

i didn't say anything when it happened to me. i kept it hidden because of my rank. what would it sound like for someone in my level to say, you know, i was also a survivor? >> you didn't do anything wrong. >> you feel like you did, though. >> yeah. yeah. >> how can you tell them, this happened and, oh, also i didn't report it because i was scared of the payback, of the retribution. i was terrified. >> one of the great tragedies of our military -- and there are more than a few -- is that alex and richard's stories are way too common. nationally only 35% of all sexual assaults are reported. but with active-duty military personnel, that number drops to between 15% and 30%, or about 6,200 reports in 2019. of those, only 363 went to trial with only 138 convictions, or just 2.3%.

this is less than half of the conviction rate for the whole u.s., which on its own, is at a pathetically low 4.9%. and while anyone can be a survivor, women in service are 12 times more likely to receive severe retaliation than to see their assailant punished. and remember thanks to the feres doctrine, they have no legal recourse, and the military uses that like a weapon. >> so the second time that i was assaulted because if people didn't know, your rate for continued trauma goes up the more you experience it. >> so you were assaulted twice? >> um, yes. >> okay. >> it was my supervisor. so i reported it. >> and where did he end up? >> um, well, the military court trial system prevailed. he got to stay in the military. >> wow. how does that -- how does that

feel? >> to know that he's still in and i'm out is -- is a kick in the ass, but i wouldn't trade a day of my life in the military for anything. >> and what about you when you look back on your life in the military? is it a positive? >> i love the military. i joined the navy because i wanted to give back to the country that gave me my citizenship. i did what i needed to do, and i made these sacrifices for my country. where's my support? >> i want to see results. don't tell me. show me. contact your congress people. >> yeah. >> look into your local v.a. vote. for the love of god, vote. >> since we filmed this episode, an independent civilian review board has recommended taking the prosecution of sexual assault cases out of military control. secretary of defense lloyd austin says it will be considered. still many in military leadership are refusing that notion, citiing unit cohesion.

>> i really appreciate your vulnerability and revealing that you both have dealt with sexual trauma is a big deal because none of us talks about that enough. >> if one person

♪ ♪ they build a pier and pound the ball in and then tore down the pier. the amount of money and energy -- >> see the dolphins. >> are there dolphins? >> yeah. yeah. >> the pastor is the founder of the border church that conducts church services through the u.s. and mexico border wall, and now

they are going to bring in the second wall, the 30-foot wall. >> that's the trump wall. >> imagine the deported vets looking at that and thinking you're actually keeping me out. >> i think what is hardest to understand for me, first, you can enlist not being a citizen and also you can serve and somehow i would assume the minute you sign the papers to serve, also here's your papers for u.s. citizenship. but that's not how it works. like all vets they too carry issues that at times run them up against the law, and the difference is after their serve their sentences in the u.s. they face the terrifying specter of exile to a country they barely even know. >> it's a major slap in the face to the community that is here.

>> normally as american citizens, we cross the mexican border quickly for a conversation, have border beers and tacos, and thanks to covid and our last president, it ain't that easy. for these vets crossing to see us is not an option either as they continue to fight for their status, and for them the discussions through the wall are common. >> hello? >> hi, how's it going. >> how are you doing? my name is w. kamau bell. >> thank you for supporting the interests of the deported veterans. >> the director of the unified u.s. deported veterans resource center. >> is that alex i see? >> yeah. >> alex is a deported navy veteran, and the two others are u.s. deported army vets.

alex decided to do his story. >> thank you for your service. >> of course, bro. i am just a kid from phoenix, arizona, and i am just trying to get back home. we're u.s. soldiers. what is more american than a u.s. soldier. i got deported around christmas of 2011, and i was charged with a nonviolent cannabis offense in 2009, and i served 37 months federal time, and i fully expected to go home. >> so you served 37 months in prison, you did your time, man, right? >> all the soldiers get to go home after they serve their time, and we don't get to go home again, and at the end, the judge said i will go on record and say your service to your country is to be commended, thank you for your service, and i will have to deport you. >> what was it like when you

heard you tkpwere going to be deported? >> it's not just us. you take us away from our country but you affect our whole family. >> knowing what you have been through, how do you feel about your military service? >> they cannot take that away from us. we just need to keep fighting, bro. we're not going to quit, man. they trained us too good as u.s. soldiers, and they trained us to never, never quit. we're always going to get back home. >> you hear a lot of politicians say, support our troops. how can we do a better job of supporting our troops? >> we say support our troops, let's not deport our troops, then. my message to america, fight for us, make them bring us home. we fought for you. >> i am not in the military, but feels like you just gave me an order, so yes, sir. >> right on. >> over the last year or so many people have been learning what

it means to be an ally, and many people think allies just stand on the sidelines and cheer the people doing the work, and in the military an ally fights next to you and for you when you can't fight for yourself. allies don't just say thank you for fighting, and they are supposed to get their hands dirty and raise their voices and not stop until the battle is won. we have to educate ourselves and get involved and say no, no to wars that destroy innocent lives, and no to the confederate in every day, and no to homeless vets, and no to discrimination and justice and hate in the ranks, and for god sakes, no to deportable those who fought for our freedom. let's bring them home. >> that's our motto. >> now that i know, i will make

sure we don't leave the deported veterans behind. we're coming for you. >> we appreciate it very much. >> we won't leave you behind! you're coming home! hello and welcome to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. my name is michael holmes and we appreciate your company up here on cnn "newsroom." >> a dramatic turn of events in texas. lawmakers failing to pass a bill that would restrict voting options. what happened and why the controversial measure is not dead yet. israel might be on the verge of a power shift. we're live i