Weak links in the U.S. Air Force Academy’s long blue line
As U.S. Air Force Academy graduates, we condemn the eruption of right-wing white supremacy violently disrupting and intimidating elected representatives and staff at the U.S. Capitol. It is particularly distressing that fellow graduate, Lt. Col. (Ret) Larry Rendall Brock, Jr, is accused by police of participating in the event that terrorized Congress, the very body that nominated him for an appointment to the Academy. We urge leaders at the Academy and Association of Graduates to condemn anyone involved with the insurrection.
It should not surprise anyone that calculated deception about electoral irregularities fueled this desecration of the Capitol. This included false accusations from newly elected House representative and Academy graduate August Pfluger (R-TX).
Brock’s family members reported to The New Yorker that in recent years he has expressed white-supremacist views and traveled to Washington “willing to get in trouble to defend what he thinks is right.” In what appears to be a video of Brock on the floor of the Senate, he was recorded advocating for information warfare during the insurrection, and the FBI subsequently arrested him.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff rightfully condemned the violence and cited the military’s support for the rule of law; however, they stopped short of addressing the unacceptable and growing fire of bigotry, racism, and home-grown extremism within our ranks.
A survey last year by the newspaper Military Times reported that 36% of active-duty military members have personally witnessed examples of white nationalism and racism within the ranks of the military, including stickers supporting the KKK and Nazistyle salutes. In February the House Armed Services Committee held a subcommittee hearing titled “Alarming Incidents of White Supremacy in the Military — How to Stop It?”
The Southern Poverty Law Center Chief of Staff Lecia Brooks stated in her testimony, “Because servicemembers often possess unique training and capabilities, those who are indoctrinated into white supremacist ideology may represent a significant threat to national security and the safety of our communities.” It is clear this was on full display at the Capitol, and rooting out these perverted ideologies among current and former members of the armed forces represents an urgent matter of the highest degree.
We are also aware via social media of other Academy graduates attending the insurrection, including a former Cadet Wing Commander. While we have no evidence that any other than Brock crossed barriers or violated the law, the mere presence of Academy graduates sporting Air Force garb, posting smiling selfies at one of the most notorious events in our nation’s history should be concerning to all graduates. We call on any graduate that attended the event to disavow the lawless behavior of others and the incitement by our 45th president.
It is clear from the actions of these graduates that the Academy must look within (as should the entire military) to better ascertain the “how and why” we have produced extremists among our graduates that would threaten the republic and Constitution to which we all swore an oath. Perhaps focusing an upcoming National Character and Leadership Symposium, our Academy’s flagship event leadership, on this subject would be appropriate.
In conclusion, we the undersigned, condemn the actions those who were involved in this heinous act and call on the entire graduate community to do the same.
The following Academy graduates co-signed: Richard Rauschkolb, Col (ret), Class of 1970; Irv Halter, Maj Gen (ret), ‘77; Michael G. Donatelli, Lt. Col.(ret), ‘79; Richard S. Haddad, Maj Gen (ret), ‘81; Randy Worrall, ‘81; Kathryn L Smith, ‘82; Jeffrey Quiggle, ‘87; Dr. Brian H. Williams,, ‘91; Luis Linares, ‘94; Jennifer Parenti, Lt Col, USAF (ret), ‘95; Rep. Casey Weinstein, 2004; Christian Evans, 2008; Shankar Kulumani, 2009; Berkley Davis, 2010.