A few weeks ago, the U.S. sent an airstrike to Iran. This strike led to the death of Iranian Major General Qasem Suleimani and caused outrage among Iran towards the U.S. During Suleimani’s funeral, there were shouts coming from the crowd that translated to “Death to America.”

Since then, people on social media have shared threads and posts filled with memes and jokes of a possible war, many of the jokes expressing the idea of the re-implementation of the draft. While some find these comments comical, others find it distasteful.

“I always tell people that folks in the military are the first ones that understand that a war is a bad thing,” Lt. Col. Mark Rumph said. “No one in the military that has been involved in combat ever wants to see any combat.”

Rumph served as an airplane mechanic during operation Desert Storm. After retiring from the Air Force, Rumph came to Chapman to be the AFJROTC instructor. He began his career serving his country and continues to do that through his students every day.

Rumph blames technology and social media for many of the misunderstandings regarding the dangers of war and the effect that it has on civilians. 

“You have to be careful what you put online,” Rumph said. “It’s just not appropriate to make jokes about something so very deadly serious.”