re: "I'd Rather Be Russian" t-shirt guys defending themselves against claims of being traitors

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You're saying you'd rather be a Russian than an American.

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prefer to be russian than american

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find me evidence to prove otherwise. start with congress.

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Early life, education, and commission

Seth Wilbur Moulton was born on October 24, 1978, in Salem, Massachusetts, the son of Lynn Alice (née Meader), a secretary, and Wilbur Thomas Moulton, Jr., a real estate attorney.[1][2][3] Moulton grew up in Marblehead, Massachusetts, as the oldest of three siblings.[1] He graduated from Phillips Academy, a co-educational boarding and day university-preparatory school in Andover, Massachusetts in 1997,[4] and attended Harvard University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in physics in 2001. He gave the Undergraduate English Oration at his commencement, focusing on the importance of service.[5]

Moulton joined the Marine Corps after graduation, a few months before the September 11 attacks,[6] and attended the Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia. After graduating in 2002 with the rank of second lieutenant, Moulton was among the first service members to enter Baghdad at the beginning of the Iraq War.[1][5]

Military career

During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Moulton led one of the first infantry platoons to enter Baghdad. He served a total of four tours of duty in Iraq from 2003 to 2008.[1] Moulton took part in the 2003 Battle of Nasiriyah, leading a platoon that cleared a hostile stronghold. In that action, he went to the aid of a Marine wounded by friendly fire, and for his actions he was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for valor.[7] Moulton was active in combat against insurgent forces in Iraq, including the 2004 Battle of Najaf against the militia of Muqtada al-Sadr.[8] Over two days, he "fearlessly exposed himself to enemy fire" as his platoon was pinned down under heavy fire and then directed the supporting fire that repelled the attack. He received the Bronze Star Medal for his actions in this battle.[7]

He told only his campaign manager, a former Marine, about these awards, keeping them secret even from his parents. When Boston Globe reporter Walter V. Robinson disclosed in October 2014 that Moulton had earned the Bronze Star and the Commendation Medal, Moulton said that "[t]here is a healthy disrespect among veterans who served on the front lines for people who walk around telling war stories". He said he was uncomfortable calling attention to his own awards out of respect to "many others who did heroic things and received no awards at all." He asked Robinson not to refer to him as a hero: "Look, we served our country, and we served the guys next to us. And it's not something to brag about." The Globe reported that "his voice choked with emotion" as he added: "The greatest honor of my life was to lead these men in my platoon, even though it was a war that I and they disagreed with."[7]

In 2008, General David Petraeus requested that Moulton be assigned to work as a special liaison with tribal leaders in Southern Iraq during his fourth tour of duty in Iraq. Following that tour, Moulton was discharged from the Marine Corps with the rank of captain.[1][9][10]

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"I'd Rather Be Russian"

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Don’t you guys want to fundamentally change America into something that looks like 1980s Russia? Given your socialist leanings, I find your concern hollow.

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LSURussian

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