On a day when Americans traditionally pause to honor the brave service members who made the ultimate sacrifice, MS NOW opted for a different approach: publishing an opinion piece accusing the U.S. military of wrongdoing in the ongoing conflict with Iran.
In her Memorial Day article entitled "The Pentagon can honor our military dead this Memorial Day by committing to fight the right way," retired Air Force Lt. Col. and MS NOW contributor Rachel E. VanLandingham argues that the best way for the Pentagon to honor fallen troops is by “owning the mistakes” that have killed Iranian civilians, restoring the Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response program allegedly dismantled under the Trump administration, and launching transparent investigations into U.S. strikes.
VanLandingham highlights incidents such as a U.S. strike that reportedly killed nearly 200 Iranian schoolgirls and teachers, along with damage to approximately 22 schools and medical facilities. She criticizes the lack of formal U.S. acknowledgment, explanation, or apology for certain events, while citing estimates of over 1,700 Iranian civilian casualties.
Notably absent is significant emphasis on American troops who have been killed and wounded in the Iran conflict.
VanLandingham is no neutral military analyst. She has repeatedly and sharply attacked President Trump on military policy, rhetoric, and interpretations of international law.
She has argued that Trump’s threats of “indiscriminate attacks” and bombing civilian infrastructure in Iran — such as power plants and bridges — could constitute war crimes under international and U.S. law. She has claimed such rhetoric creates a dangerous “stretching effect” in identifying lawful military objectives and increases civilian suffering.
VanLandingham has also criticized Trump’s pardons of military personnel accused or convicted of war crimes, saying they dangerously intensify national misunderstanding of the laws of war.
She has co-authored pieces protesting what she described as Trump’s “initial assault on the role and rule of law in the military,” including the firing of senior military officers. She has characterized Trump as employing "classic fascist strategy” to consolidate power through extreme nationalism by pitting the military against Americans.
VanLandingham has discussed the ethical dilemma she believes Trump places on U.S. officers — forcing them to choose between disobeying orders or committing war crimes. She has also called “Trump’s War” in Iran unlawful and unconstitutional from its inception due to the lack of congressional authorization.
This Memorial Day piece fits squarely into VanLandingham’s consistent pattern of using her platform to warn against the supposed dangers of Trump’s leadership over the military.
Traditional Memorial Day observances focus on gratitude for American sacrifice — not litigating civilian casualties on the enemy side while downplaying U.S. losses. MS NOW’s decision to run this piece on the holiday itself underscores a persistent editorial priority: framing Trump-era military actions through a lens of alleged wrongdoing rather than remembrance and support for the troops.
