Is ISIS Targeting U.S. Military Veterans?

Prepare for a smart-ass answer to this question.

Memes and rumors spread like wildfire via social media, and the most dubious sources are claiming that ISIS is encouraging their supporters to go out and specifically target U.S. military veterans. First off, any idiot on an anonymous Twitter account can post anything they want. A Twitter post does not mean that ISIS has made a deliberate strategy decision. The wing-nut blogs out there love to take non-news items like this and blow them out of proportion.

“This story has everything! The evil Muslims are now coming after us. Us! The loyal, red-blooded, gun-owning American war veterans!”

So let me answer this question once and for all.

Of course they are targeting you, dumbass. And it isn’t just ISIS. As a soldier or veteran, you are a political target for many, many organizations and non-state actors around the world. That’s why every time I see you fools getting on an airplane with your tactical assault pack I roll my eyes.

“That’s the first dude they are going to whack when Johnny Jihad hijacks this plane,” I think to myself.

Yes, you are a target. You were always a target. You were a target before ISIS, and you will be a target after they’ve been wiped off the face of the earth. Pull your head out of your ass.

An American soldier or veteran will always be a viable target to terrorist organizations. To suddenly freak out because some jihadist makes a Twitter post or because some disreputable news site hypes the issue shows a profound lack of situational awareness. Strangely, I find that the people most concerned with being targeted for being a veteran are the same people with their DD214 on the rear window of their pickup truck.

(Featured Image Courtesy: International Business Times)