Author: Hunter DeRensis

On the latest episode of Deep Dive, ret. U.S. Army Lt. Col. Daniel L. Davis spoke with Sgt. Dan McKnight, a former U.S. Marine and Idaho National Guardsman and founder of Bring Our Troops Home.

Davis and McKnight discuss the founding of the organization, and why they believe more veterans are becoming involved in the movement to pull back on Washington’s chronic interventionism.

Particular focus is given to McKnight’s cornerstone project, the Defend the Guard Act, which just passed the New Hampshire House of Representatives. This bill would prohibit the deployment of National Guard units into active combat without a declaration of war from Congress.

McKnight reveals how activists can effectively achieve their goals in state legislatures in contrast to Capitol Hill, and what the next step is for the Defend the Guard movement.

For more information follow @DanielLDavis1 and @TroopsHomeUS on Twitter and visit DefendTheGuard.US for more information.

Prior to his passing on Friday, Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg endorsed the work of Bring Our Troops Home, a non-profit led by veterans of the Global War on Terror committed to ending America’s endless wars in the Middle East and Africa. This organization is the spearhead of the Defend the Guard movement.

During an October 16, 2020 interview with Antiwar.com Editorial Director Scott Horton, Ellsberg said: 

“We’ve heard so much about – for the last 40 years – support the troops. In those 40 years the way to support the troops was to bring them home from the war they were fighting and should not have been fighting. You’ve brought to my attention recently, Scott, a group called Bring Our Troops Home. Sounds very good to me.”

You can watch the full clip on YouTube and Sovren.