Conversely, Iraqi Kurds are considered more legitimate by the United States than their Syrian brethren. In Iraq and Syria, there are variety of semi-organized groups committed to fighting ISIS, but their status can be questionable the Kurdistan Workers Party has begun attacks against ISIS fighters, but the group has been listed as a terrorist organization by the United States since 1997, due to Turkey’s place in NATO. Rhodesia, while condemned by the international community, was still the de-facto government Americans who fought for them were part of an organized national military chain of command. But Americans going abroad to fight ISIS in direct combat could complicate things. is officially involved in the fight against ISIS with Operation Inherent Resolve, providing air and logistical support for the Iraqi government, as well as establishing training programs for moderate Syrian opposition groups. Now, all these decades later, the emerging conflict with ISIS has present similar issues with Americans serving in foreign military formations. Such a situation would have put the United States government in a difficult position, both in regards to their policy on Rhodesia, and the Cold War implications of an American found fighting forces supported by Soviets in a war that the U.S had condemned. In the case of Rhodesia, the communist-backed organizations the fledgling nation was fighting against often had support from the Soviet Union, in the form of military advisors and material.There was a possibility, however likely or unlikely, of an American fighting under Rhodesia’s flag being captured by groups supported by the Soviets. The service of Americans in Rhodesia presented a complicated problem for the United States government's foreign policy. Seven Americans, including John Alan Coey, died in service of the Rhodesian armed forces. Most of the Americans left soon after a few, like Ken Gaudet, were folded into South African special operations units. The Rhodesian Bush War ended in 1980 with elections ousting the regime, and the establishment of the nation of Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe. The United States supported the economic sanctions levied against Rhodesia, mindful of supporting a white-minority regime in the era of the Civil Rights Movement. law did not explicitly prohibit American citizens from fighting in Rhodesia, it was a thorny issue for policymakers. They also mainly joined existing units like the Rhodesian Light Infantry, Special Air Service, and the Selous Scouts there wasn’t a foreign “volunteer” unit that could be characterized as a mercenary force. Many of the foreign nationals who fought for Rhodesia were characterized as mercenaries, but the military required a three-year minimum term of service, and most were paid the same as any other Rhodesian trooper. Dubbed the “The Crippled Eagles” by author Robin Moore, Coey and Gaudet were among roughly 300 Americans who decided to travel to Rhodesia and fight. Gaudet, who had served two tours in Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne Brigade, found he missed the military life, and wanted to get back to professional soldiering. Coey viewed the American withdrawal from Vietnam as a betrayal of the United States’ commitment to fight communism. Coey, who was an ardent anti-communist, was set to become a commissioned officer in the Marine Corps when the U.S. But for some men, like John Alan Coey and Ken Gaudet, it went deeper than that. The American military was at a cultural low point, and the inflation-based economic woes of the late 1970s presented many vets with an unfavorable employment market. Decades ago, after the end of the Vietnam War, a few American servicemen found themselves on the battlefields of a tiny former African nation: Rhodesia.Īs Vietnamization took hold and American involvement dwindled, many Vietnam veterans found themselves uncertain about what their future held. But this isn’t the first time American veterans left their country to fight outside the purview of the military. Many of these foreign volunteers see combating ISIS as simply an extension of the missions they were tasked with in Iraq and Afghanistan. Lions of Rojava itself is partly run by a former Army soldier named Jordan Matson, who lives among Kurdish fighters. There are now ongoing online recruitment efforts, such as those by the Lions of Rojava, which is actively seeking foreign fighters. The ongoing conflict between the terrorist group the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and various other groups within the region have begun to attract veterans from both the United States and its allies.
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