Quote:
Originally Posted by glatt
Well then I'm completely opposed to that. Give the troops entertainment, but not politics.
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That's not how AFN (armed forces network) works. The idea isn't to give them state-approved, uncontroversial, milquetoast media... The basic premise is, "if we're asking you to give up your liberty, your home, your acquaintances, and potentially your life, to go live or fight in a foreign country, we are going to give you the amenities of American life as best we can to make up for it." That's why commissaries/BXs/PXs carry books or magazines or products that may be distasteful to or disliked by some people - including politically-related material. Because it's meant to give the troops what they want in the context of what they're sacrificing by living on-base, predominantly overseas.
Any of our stateside military folks can help clarify, but that's my understanding of AFN's guiding principle, at least overseas. Keep in mind that I
had AFN TV (and I assume radio if I'd looked for it) while I was living in Taiwan.