Can The Army & The Marines See Eye To Eye? | Middle Ground 

I love how when they brought up military funding only one person came forth but after hearing him everybody slowly joined in

Hey everyone!! I'm Elliott from this video :) I see a lot of comments wishing a female Veteran was involved. PSA......they did invite a female Veteran to be a part of the episode but she couldn't make it to the filming the day we filmed so we were forced to film without her. If you'll notice, there is only 5 of us in the video. The 6th seat was for her but she couldn't make it. Don't get mad at Jubilee. They TRIED to include a female Veteran. SHE couldn't make it. Not Jubilee's fault :)

Suggestions: - Do this episode again with women vets - Do an officer vs enlisted episode or vs civilians

peter is so intelligent, empathetic and well-spoken. if he had a podcast i would totally listen to it.

I wished they could've asked more about civilian deaths, wartime sexual violence, and the ethics of involving the US in foreign wars.

The big question that should have been asked: Are the reasons the US has gone to war just?

Drone warfare SHOULD scare anyone and everyone. Imagine an army of desensitized soldiers who have been conditioned to dissociate the emotional (physically pulling the trigger) and destruction (loss of lives), whom may put warfare vis a vis video games, and not be able to genuinely feel the consequences of their action behind the screen. That's a solid recipe for massacres from unfeeling killers.

Hi all! It's Mahadi from the video :) Wanted to address another thing many of you have brought up as to why this is a middle ground episode when we're all just veterans, because our branches of service aren't that relevant to the questions asked. Originally, the episode was more in line with current and former military (younger vs older, etc). Casting changed a lot last minute, but the producers felt that the conversation and questions asked were still valuable to bring up. I appreciate all of the love and support since this episode was released!

I really appreciate how kind Peter was and how carefully he chose his words when speaking about the Trans soldier. I wish everyone had that support, and had someone to be that respectful to them. Even when they're not in their presence.

I find it really interesting how these guys said they were really bad in school, and yet are so so intelligent and well-spoken. Just goes to show that the school system really fails some ppl.

The blonde guy is awesome, i really liked his point of view and was very balanced

Peter was my Drill Sergeant in 2018. He trained me up through basic. Bravo 3-10. He’s an incredible leader. I love getting to know him and his viewpoints even more now. It was an honor to have him teach me the proper ways of being a soldier and being a leader 🇺🇸

I love how the argument for using drones is it saves the soldiers from PTSD. Thats a recipe for disaster. Soldiers will treat wars like video games.

Honestly, this should be done every month with a different set of veteran's from different branches, bring in all female veteran's for another one.... I would go myself just to see what I can learn from other experiences, while also sharing my own

Very powerful moment when they started walking foward as Mahadi was talking about military spending. He was aware he was the only one in the middle and sounded apprehensive to speak, but I'm glad he did.

A soldier fights not because he hates what's in front of him, but because he loves what it behind him.

I think what Danny is forgetting is that there are repercussions for taking a life. Nobody should be exempt from these reprecussions. If you feel like killing humans, that are essentially fighting for the same reasons you are, should come without baggage and should be a "game" you are slowly becoming a sociopath.

Marine Corporal here: thanks for this display of our cultures and relevancies. I would hope to see more discussion like these and hope to expand more minds, as exhibited by these fine upstanding brothers here.

Military funding is for all the haircuts they give

Factual Inaccuracy by Peter THE ONLY COUNTRY TO HAVE EVER USED NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN COMBAT IS THE UNITED STATES, TWICE, BOTH TIMES AGAINST JAPAN: NAGASAKI AND HIROSHIMA. Pakistan and India have never once used a nuclear weapon against any country, let alone each other.

I get what Danny is saying about drone strikes, but his claim on mutually assured destruction (corrected by a commentor) as a deterrent does not reign true when we are striking countries who don't have weapons of mass destruction. The economic repercussions don't exist when you are nation who has literal territories making more money than 95% of the nation's. Drone strikes take out the self affecting cost associated with war and without cost who is to say we don't become more daring.

For the ptsd part, I've met tons of veterans on the streets. It sucks that these people and people like them no longer get the human respect and honor they deserve. People like giving the excuse similar to police where "they signed up for it" & "its their job",but that doesnt mean they deserve not be treated like human beings, nor should it stop them from getting the mental health help they need.

The country could probably benefit if some of that money was spent public infrastructure and health care

They spent most of the video talking about how the military messed them up, but would encourage their kids to join because they can't afford to send them to college? Wtf?

I lost my home to a drone strike. The roof literally collapsed over me and my family, but at least Danny isn't scared of them.

These guys almost made me tear up. The military needs constant sessions like this to help service members

This guy who doesn't understand the difference between watching destruction vs drones blows my mind. If I slap someone across the face I feel the contact vs if I press a button. The psychological difference is great. It's harder to be desensitized by war while being BOG vs not.

Let’s be honest, the US military has an over budget.

my boy mahadi looks like he's just made 10k on a trade deal, not in the army lmfao

I don't care how patriotic you are. The US government definitely over spends on the military. I see alot of people saying that taxing the rich would improve things when y'all know very well the government would waste that money on the military fighting senseless wars

One of my favorite Middle Ground episodes. It would be interesting to do an episode for each branch.

Being past military, I love loved this. Just hearing the interactions between each service member. Just the way they spoke to eachother, brings me back to my time in. This video was awesome

Boy did I prematurely judge Dave at the beginning of the video. Glad I was wrong. What a stellar group.

I admire the respect and maturity expressed between all these men. More content showing the experience of veterans is so important. These people go through so much that most us will simply never understand so allowing more people to hear their stories, thoughts, and experiences can really help bridge the gaps.

I'm leaving the military amd I think what was hardest for me was realizing how much of a cult atmosphere we are. Preying on 18 y/o who don't know what to do with their lives or were poor, sending them to war, and using scare tactics to keep them in. Seeing this among the numerous other issues that got people killed made it easy for me to leave; but I worry for the ones I'm leaving behind.

There is a fine line between over-spending and investing

I don't understand why this isn't a "do all military folks think the same?" video instead of middle ground? Isn't middle ground for opposing sides to be able to try to understand one another? Soldiers/veterans vs anti-military would be more interesting than this. Also It would be better to include women too.

Spectrum and Middle Ground, still my favorites! Nothing like having real conversations, and disagreeing with respect. Love it!

Please do Second Wave/Old-School Feminists And Third Wave/New-School Feminists

The welcome home at the end warned my heart respect to all those casted.

I love blue shirt guy he brings the philosophies of pain and Thanos and I agree with him so much. When it becomes easy to pull a trigger that's when we lose no one wants to experience pain if my dad could take away all the PTSD and pain he wouldn't cause it reminds him of the cost of war

I understand why only one of them went up, but it’s ridiculous to think the military doesn’t receive too much funding. When you consider the fact that NASA has a budget 25bn dollars whereas the military has 600bn, it’s pretty clear the military has too much, when it brings little reward (as other countries have far less military spending).

The thing I love about this is how different it is from some of these, because end of the day you could have asked about almost anything, and they could have disagreed the whole time, but at the end of the day they would not be enemies. They have experiences that means no matter what else happens, they can still sit and discuss things civily.

Danny is a wall street guy now. He was in a wall street middle ground episode. Honestly so happy that he put time and energy into learning a new skill and found financial freedom

I would say that Danny needs to be diagnosed by a specialist, because his take on drone warfare was just nuts

The self awareness from dave is super admirable. To admit you are the issue on a socially contentious issue is very difficult. Even if he has some boomer tendencies.

it's actually so scary how easily and open these people talk about killing innocent people for profit of the rich

I have mad respect for all of the service members and veterans. I really enjoyed this episode of middle ground.

My father had to operate drones while he was in the Army. He says he is ok but I can really see and feel that he is not. Especially when you here the statistics of how accurate the drones actually are(not very accurate at all). He said something once like he did the statistics and the average percent of accuracy was around 20%. That is absolutely terrible. I feel terrible for them but I know I need to be proud of how brave they are. Me feeling proud, however, does not mean I am patriotic. I hate war. What is does to people is just wrong. I will never be ok with the military. It is a hate hate relationship. I will never go into the military. I will stay as far from it as possible for the rest of my life.

As an Army Veteran if my kids join I want them to enlist in the Air Force.

One of my best friends ended his life, stationed in Japan. He was a Marine. He had lost just months before he ended his life his friends in the Sumo 41 accident. RIP Seth Witherup. We will remember you and Sumo 41

Even just cutting the military budget by 2% would fund SO MANY THINGS. Law enforcement and the military definitely overspend

The military funding thing is so true. How do we spend so much, but our gear is still hand me downs from previous wars? It’s almost like the funding always ends up in the wrong place.

This Danny guy clearly went into his service with a bloodlust.

That "not against or for anybody" was spot on. I'm not a soldier but Ik many veterans and they all have opinions(cuz they are human ofc) but they are truely for the ppl.

"The only people who experience the effects of drone strikes are operators" ????¿¿??¿?¿¿?¿?¿¿??¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?

They should have brought in anti-war vets. These guys are just arguing the details or agreeing. What about the fundamental nature of the military itself? A discussion of US foreign policy and the military’s role in that? This video could have been a lot better and actually show two sides instead of a couple variations of the same side

All of these men are very eloquent and intelligent. Easily one of the best conversations I've ever seen on here.

I would really like to see the uncut versions of all of these posted.

This was a fantastic conversation and I enjoyed watching it very much

When the Marine spoke about helping veterans navigate the VA "gauntlet", I so wish I had someone like him where I live. I served a little over 5 years, active duty Army, and I got out in June of 2011. I'm writing this in March of 2022. I still have not received my disability benefits. I have applied numerous times, told I need to wait because it's a "process", be patient, etc. Then when I call to check on it again, I am told I never applied in the first place. I have now taken my gigantic box of medical records to a Staple's or Kinko's and made copies of the entire thing at LEAST 5 times. I was medically discharged, even though I wanted to stay active duty. I had PTSD and didn't tell anyone. I had three surgeries while I was in, and those surgeries started to take their tolls and make it so I couldn't do PT anymore. I still wanted to stay in, but I couldn't. I have been on the verge of homelessness for the last 8 years straight. If it wasn't for my family letting me stay with them, I would be on the streets. Every time I call an organization to help me, it's always the same thing. Friendly people who are willing to help, but the effort I have to make on my end is too much for me to handle. The day of my appointment, I'm having a super bad pain day and can't get out of bed. Or I have no transportation (there are no VA affiliated companies anywhere near my city so the closest one I know if is about a 20-25 minute drive). Or my PTSD is making me incredibly paranoid. Or I just straight up don't have the money to get gas. These things are all my fault, I know, but I just wish there were other options. I have moved and been kicked out of so many places at this point, I don't even know what happened to my DD214 anymore. The VA now owes me 11 years of back pay (although I know I won't get that because you only get backpay from the date you apply for disability, which they claim I have never done, even though I have applied and had 4 different physical examinations for the process).

We need more of these please!!!!!!

As a vet and R&D engineer who was in acquisitions, we definitely didn't choose the lowest bidder every time. Bc we were often the ones asking for new tech, our spending was so much more for that first one to be developed than anyone else piggybacking and not having to spend on all that R&D. We spent a lot of money to try and get best value.

These are the types of conversations Americans need to be having. Thank you Jubilee

Blonde guy in glasses happily surprised me

My husband is a second generation army veteran, nothing to do with his dads enlistment, he joined to pay for college. There was no other way to get out of the small small west va town from poverty. The military banks on this.

Seems like none of them joined because they *wanted* to, but because they *had" to. It feels as if it's beneficial for the military that schools don't prepare kids for adult life and college is inaccessible. In my country serving is mandatory, so I didn't have a choice, so it was interesting to hear why people who 'have' an option still do.

Sociopathic Danny isn’t scared of drones because he’s personally unaffected by them. All those poor civilians in the Middle East are terrorized by drones.

This brought tears to my eyes for two reasons: -I’ve had ptsd since I was 7, and I’ve been medicating for 6 years with cannabis. Watching and hearing what they feel/experience with ptsd makes me remember what it was like before and why I smoke so much I can barely walk straight. The alternative is so much worse. -I also came from a poor family with military members in it, and didn’t serve. We should give people an alternative at home, have a way to build OUR communities, instead of having to go overseas or serve just for an opportunity. That’s how the world will heal

India and Pakistan have NEVER used nuclear weapons. The only country that has is USA. @Jubilee needs to fact correct this video ASAP.

Can we get a part two, theres so many more questions that could be asked. Include a female veteran as well. Loved the episode!

the discourse here is great. seem like intelligent people who can have a dialogue even when they disagree.

The drone prompt was interesting because how they feel drones desensitize the horrors of killing, you could say the same about the evolution from sword to firearm. Imagining how absolutely gruesome hand-to-hand warfare was is almost unimaginable. Seeing axes in comrade's faces, screaming wounded just laying on the battlefield as they are trampled, men screaming in rage as they run at you with spears

The minute Danny said “nuc-you-ler” weapons and “mutual self destruction” after taking such a cruel/selfish stance on drones I was very over him

I’ve seen so many of the Middle Ground videos and have always learned something. But holy guacamole this did something to me… As a future soldier shipping later this year who’s process of getting to that point was 3 years, and because of it, had nothing but time to mull over what I was getting into and the info I’ve learned about all these topics brought up here…it was a lot for me to take in. The self awareness on display here is just immense and I applaud this so much. There’s so much I love about this, and I don’t even know if I can hit them all, but the power that all 5 were united in that trans should be allowed to join and that Mahadi was able to make his case about military funding and the other 4 wavered and joined him…just wow. This video should be required watching for service members, vets, and civilians alike. Truly, this is what the internet was created for 💕💕💕💕💕💕 Heck I’d want to be in the female version of this down the road if there is one planned!

Would’ve been nice to have a female veteran. We have a story to tell.

One of the best episodes of Middle Ground! :)

omg.. i love hearing the voice of the older brown gentleman with the red vest…😅

This helps. Thought I was the only one. I respect the realism, as opposed to hiding it behind dark jokes as I've been doing, yet it chips away at you when you're alone and freshly out. Thank you for the great content, and thank you for your service gentlemen 🙏🏽

That title though. Do we spend too much on cookies? Oreo and Chips Ahoy debate this.

That was so powerful how that one guy changed every single one of their minds on how much the US spends on the military.

My brother just came from basic training, and he was telling me how much brand new stuff everyone was throwing away. Shampoos, blankets, bags, etc. He said there were piles of it.

one of my most favourite groups so far :)

I’m not just doing it for myself but for my family. I’m willing to put my myself on the line for a better life for them 💪

Can we all agree that Peter was awesome?

Will you guys be uploading more middle grounds from India? it was very interesting seeing different countries!

This was a great episode, Jubilee 👏🏾

Amazing video as a 20 yo guy considering joining the military very informative and a great listen.

I wonder how they feel being lied to into war and continuing that war for about 20 yrs.

Wish they thought more on drones, because no one ever asks: "What happens when the enemy steals the keys?" When the things they built to keep us safe are turned against us, that's when they figure it out: Drone warfare can be turned very easily unlike conventional warfare.

Aweee I love them 💖💖💖💖 Bring them back for sure!

One of the best parts of the video was to see these servicemen hug each other at the end. Salutes and respect always to these men (as well as other men and women) who put their lives in jeopardy, for a country that doesn’t always have their best interest at heart, particularly after their release from the military. And that’s the truth 🫡💯‼️

Don't tell me that Danny is the same guy from the investing video. He's combative AF, physically and argumentatively.

Please do a deaf versus hearing middle ground! I think it would be incredibly interesting

This is the most Civil discussion on this platform. I loved the community you got for this topic

This was a very interesting one. I enjoyed it very much.

I'd love to see reserved parents and musician (predominantly hip hop) discussing whether music promotes violence/crime.

This should've been Navy vs Marines, that would be a sight to see

Such a melancholic vibe...

Veteran here. Beautiful episode. Thank you.