UC San Diego

The first two decades of the 21st century were marked by protracted wars fought by the United States. In addition to killing and displacing millions of Afghans and Iraqis, these wars called to question long-standing assumptions about the US military and its personnel. They challenged conceptions of patriotic obligations by relying on an “All-Volunteer Force,” a first for a prolonged conflict, and they challenged conceptions of military masculinity with the inclusion of women in combat roles. One response among some military veterans is seen in the rise of so-called “VetBros.” A VetBro is a stereotype, often used dismissively, to represent overbearing and aggressive veterans who interpret everything through their veteran identity and who express themselves with conspicuous displays of masculinity and patriotism which they see as linked to militarism and violence. VetBros show the effects of broader problems in the relationship between state, society, and military that emanate from tensions in military culture with the waging of, at the time, seemingly endless wars of occupation by a democratic society. In this dissertation I examine different ways VetBros have expressed their understandings of the military, patriotism, masculinity by looking at how they express their veteran identity in war memoirs, a streaming video comedy network, military-themed lifestyle branding, and political campaigns. Through these various media I show how VetBros construct an identity and image united by similar styles of fashion, communication, and their assertions that they represent an authentic veteran identity. Military veterans have traditionally received a great deal of cultural capital to define matters like patriotism and masculinity and, as my analysis shows, VetBros believe that they have a privileged place among veterans to define these matters. Importantly, they see masculinity and patriotism as inextricably linked to militaristic beliefs and the justification of violent action. Due to the culturally symbolic position of veterans in the US, the VetBro visions of aggressive patriotism and masculinity may give legitimacy to support greater militarization of US society, justify war crimes abroad, and encourage vigilante violence at home.