Former Navy vets troubled by Trump administration's actions

The inclination to keep her political views close to her vest when it comes to military affairs has not waned much for Alicia Saunders, even two decades after her honorable discharge from the Navy.

But she has thoughts about the current administration’s foreign policy even though she weighs them carefully before revealing them.

Saunders was a Naval Support Equipment Technician during the Iraq War, enlisting not just because she came from a family steeped in military service but because she felt a patriotic duty after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.

“It was already a source of pride for me when you can trace our family’s military history way back,” Saunders says. “I might even be a Daughter of the American Revolution. After 9/11 I think I was in the recruiter’s office by October.”

Though President Trump ran for President in 2024 proclaiming himself an “America First” candidate, he has not hesitated to push American power around the globe and the first year of his second term has seen his foreign policy shift to aggression and intervention – recklessly, his critics suggest. He helped instigate the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with aerial attacks against Caracas. That followed a series of drone attacks on Venezuelan fishing boats the administration claimed were carrying drugs into the US. 

Trump acted unilaterally, bypassing Congress in taking those actions.

The administration has promised to oversee and run Venezuela while a new government is forming.

Trump has gone on to threaten Greenland, stating that the US will take control of the country “whether they like it or not.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also recently threatened Cuba with invasion.

Saunders is aware of the false pretenses for the United States’ invasion of Iraq, and worries false pretenses once again threaten to put our soldiers in harm’s way. 

“Personally, I think the number one issue is we need to make sure we’re being very clear and have a clear mission,” Saunders says. “We need to have a clear exit strategy. We didn’t have one in the Middle East, and we were there for twenty years. Too many American lives were lost. 

“Americans should be our number one concern, not Venezuelans.”

Saunders calls the administration’s rationale for involvement in Venezuela “recycled reasoning,” saying that its similarities to Iraq give her what she calls “an ick feeling.”

Ben Murray, who served 13 years in the Navy, called out Trump for contradicting the platform he ran on and questioned his rationale for his actions in Venezuela.

"President Trump's invasion of Venezuela was counter to everything he campaigned on and is illegal," he says. "He put troops in harm's way for a lie. This isn't about drugs. He has pardoned multiple drug traffickers.  This is Iraq without the propaganda build up."

In March, Saunders was vocal in her condemnation of the administration’s cut of 80,000 people from a Veteran’s Administration that already struggles to meet the needs of former service members, many of whom endure long waits to receive medical care. For Saunders, the special concern was for critical delays in mental health services. She noted at the time veterans’ inordinately high rate of suicide.

Purposely apolitical

But while she didn’t hesitate to speak out on behalf of veteran services, she’s more reticent when it comes to military action itself.

“The military is purposely apolitical,” she says. “I mean, the leadership is civilian and that’s for a reason, too. But it is the responsibility of the Commander in Chief to make sure he is making good decisions in regard to our military because our military is a great big hammer. We’ve got to be careful with where we’re slinging that hammer.”

Specifically, Saunders worries about the members of the military itself. They make the ultimate sacrifice, she says. They have no say in the actions of their leaders.

“I was that person at the bottom of the totem pole,” she says. “So if they told you to go here, you go here. When you raise your right hand and you take that oath of enlistment you are making an enormous sacrifice. Because there are a lot of things you miss out on. You miss out on holidays. You miss out on your children’s first steps, their first words. Birthdays and Christmases. I myself missed out on my grandmother’s funeral.

“It is a blank check you are handing over, saying, this is my life, here you go. I believe the President is responsible for holding that check in his hands and making smart decisions with it.”

Saunders says she is also extremely bothered by the administration’s threats against Sen. Mark Kelly for publicly reminding military personnel that they are obliged under law not to follow illegal orders from their superiors. Trump accused Kelly of treason and has threatened everything from execution to court martial. Secretary of State Pete Hegseth has issued administrative proceedings to censure Kelly and to deny him retirement benefits.

“Mark Kelly served 30 years honorably in the United States Navy,” Saunders says. “He retired as a captain. What he did was tell active-duty members – literally – to follow the UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice). He told them to follow the law. That’s all he did. I do not agree with the Pentagon threatening him for basically telling active-duty members to follow the law.”

Murray, too, pointed out that Kelly's statements were warranted and legal.

"Secretary of Defense Hegseth is acting childish," Murray says. "Senator Kelly broke no laws. All he did was remind service members that the UCMJ exists. He said what my Chief taught me in boot camp. It is absurd that he is under scrutiny for this."

Saunders still professes deep love for her country and says if called to serve she would.

“But I would definitely think twice about volunteering again,” she says. 

 Former Navy vets troubled by Trump administration's actions © 2026 by Kelly Fenton is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0