There was an inspiring presence at this year's May Day
dinner when a speaker read a letter from a soldier organizing ICWP in the military.
"Tonight we let
the bosses know that in solidarity with our class brothers and sisters, we are
still bringing them the fight.
"It is also tonight when we commemorate the accomplishments
and advancements made by our party's brothers and sisters, who, through their
struggles and sacrifices, have paved the way for us. There is no better way to
pay homage to them than by continuing their struggle and paving the road for
future generations. Many of you are already doing so by struggling with others
in your workplace, in your campuses, inside the communities and even in your own
homes.
"The working class thanks you for this. The work you do is
ensuring the victory of the working class over capitalism in the future.
"I am speaking
to you tonight as a soldier doing work critical to our movement. I can tell you
first hand, that this place is ripe for the picking.
"Although we may be somewhat removed from civilian life, we face the same
struggles you face with your bosses. We, like you, struggle from pay check to
pay check to maintain afloat, dealing with cruel and harsh conditions we are
forced to work under to put food on the table, working entire days with no
overtime pay because we are on salary. A salary may sound good until you do the
math and find out that some of us are paid at far below minimum wage.
"We understand your struggle because we come from
working-class families. At some point, we may have studied beside you in the
classroom, or even worked next to you in a factory or warehouse. We are your
working-class brothers and sisters, and you should know that we have a common
enemy.
"Since we are
away from the party, we don't instantly hear about the feats you're organizing
in your jobs and campuses. We don't get instant news about what is going on
with our international brothers and sisters. Many of us don't get the opportunity
to write to express ourselves through the paper or get to sit down with others
to discuss ideas.
"Do not fear though, there is a solution to the problem, and
it's quite simple. The solution is to struggle with those capable of joining
the armed forces. To introduce the ideas of the party into this place, we need
more class-conscious brothers and sisters inside the bases doing the work.
"The more time
we waste overlooking this work, the more we hurt ourselves. We must rid
ourselves of the mentality that someone else will take care of it, and we must
start asking ourselves, 'What can I contribute?'
"Military brothers and sister are in need of your aid. Come
to their aid and ensure that one day we step off the shoulders of giants in
order to become giants ourselves."
In the midst of imperialist tensions that can quickly
explode into world war, this greeting from our red soldier puts this type of
work in the forefront. As capitalists are scrambling to control the Ukraine
crisis, officials like Col. Martin Downie, spokesman
for Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, are stating that the
"Texas-based 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division –the unit designated to
the NATO Reaction Force– could be deployed to the region to train with
allies in the east."
While the bosses talk of "peace" and "training," they are
preparing for war. This makes our responsibility of bringing communist ideas to
soldiers even greater. Red soldiers, struggling
politically with other soldiers,
can be a force in turning imperialist war into communist revolution. This
soldier is an embodiment of ICWP's commitment to guarantee communist work
inside the military. His question, "What can I contribute?" must be answered by
more people joining ICWP and joining the bosses' army to destroy their
capitalist system and fight for communist revolution.
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