.png)
Morale Plummets Among Troops and Marines in L.A. Deployment
- Vets Serve
- Jun 12
- 2 min read
A significant number of National Guard soldiers and Marines assigned to Los Angeles amid protests targeting the Trump administration are deeply dissatisfied with the assignment, according to several military family advocacy groups. Roughly 4,000 federally activated National Guard members and 700 Marines arrived without approval from California's governor, driven by concerns of potential violence—a threat that has not materialized. The majority of protests have remained peaceful, confined mainly to downtown, and primarily managed by local law enforcement.
Sources from veterans’ organizations such as the Chamberlain Network report low morale among the deployed personnel, who believe their mission veers sharply from traditional national defense roles into domestic political theater. They describe inadequate accommodations—including sleeping on concrete floors, lacking food access and sanitation, and facing uncertain conditions. Families are worried about both the physical welfare of deployed service members and the moral implications of their assignment.
Organizers of military family advocacy groups like Vet Voice Foundation have expressed alarm at the deployment, emphasizing the institution’s historical neutrality and its intended use strictly as a last-resort mechanism. They argue that this domestic mission not only threatens that neutrality but risks militarizing civilian areas and blurring essential distinctions between military and law enforcement functions.
Historical precedent underscores their concerns. For instance, during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, miscommunications between police and Marines nearly led to armed conflict. Critics fear a recurrence of similar errors under the current deployment.
The deployment has triggered widespread backlash. Political leaders and military families are pursuing legal remedies to challenge the administration's unilateral use of federal military authority over state objections. Polls indicate that a majority of the public disapproves of both the troop presence and the administration's immigration strategies. Notably, the ongoing legal challenge (Newsom v. Trump) in federal court centers on whether the president exceeded his legal powers under Title 10 and the Insurrection Act by federalizing the National Guard and deploying active-duty Marines absent the governor’s consent.
