The Fire For Effect Project

Mike Cone is a United States Marine Corps infantry veteran who served as a mortarman and FAC/FO in Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines.

Do you think the commander in chief needs to have served in the military ?

I believe it’s helpful for the president to have military experience to draw on when making military decisions. However, I don’t think it needs to be a mandatory requirement. Any intelligent president will surround themselves with an experienced and qualified Secretary of Defense, strong Joint Chiefs, and other experienced lifelong military leaders who won’t be afraid to advise objectively. A good example of this is FDR during World War II.

When Trump first got elected — either time — did you think it was going to go this way?

From the time I became aware of who he was, as a teen in the early 80s, I thought he was a horrible excuse for a human being. When he got elected the first time, I didn’t expect anything good from the failed businessman with no moral compass who only cares about himself. I knew it was going to be a shit show. I only expected it to get worse this second term. Which is exactly what’s happening. We now have the most corrupt president in the history of our country.

What’s it like watching him as commander in chief now, especially with Iran?

It angers and disgusts me to no end. He dodged the draft during Vietnam, called Marines who gave their lives at Belleau Wood “losers,” and constantly tries to belittle or fire any career military officer who doesn’t agree with him. The man has no right to send anyone to war — especially an illegal one — or to be commander in chief for that matter.

Walk me through your read on Iran — how we got here, how it’s being handled, where you see it going.

This illegal war started with Trump’s ego being played by Netanyahu and Mohammed bin Salman. They got him to start the war they’ve been wanting for the last 47 years. Trump and his sycophant Hegseth went into this with no clear plan or objectives. They underestimated Iran and their capabilities. They had no plan for the Strait of Hormuz and its effect on the global economy, regardless of the lies to the contrary. Hegseth, who is unqualified for his position, has now fired over a dozen senior officers and replaced them with unqualified yes-men.

And now they’re talking boots on the ground, which will change this war completely. What Trump and his cronies fail to realize is that Iran is larger, more topographically challenging, and more internally unified than either Iraq or Afghanistan — both countries the U.S. already invaded without achieving its initial objectives. Geography and history together suggest that air power alone is unlikely to decide this conflict, and any large or small scale invasion would face brutal logistics against an opponent who knows the terrain and has been preparing for decades. Unfortunately, I do believe we will put troops on the ground, and more soldiers and Marines will die because Trump’s ego will not allow him to pull out at this point. And through all of this, we have a Congress with no spine, unwilling to even attempt to stop the escalation.

What do you think civilians don’t understand about what this looks like from where you’re standing?

I don’t think most understand what it takes to serve. They think that by paying lip service and thanking you for your service they’re doing their part, even when they’re sincere. I don’t think they understand the psychological and physical toll that war — especially an illegal one — can have on an individual. I don’t think they understand the difference between obeying a legal order and an illegal one. I don’t think they can comprehend the logistics and the cost of war. And I don’t believe they understand at all the feeling of being ordered to war by a commander in chief who has no respect for the military. Let that one sink in.

Anything else you want people to hear?

I have one question of my own — for veterans who served or are still serving and still support Trump, this administration, and this war: How could you?