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Connecting White Extremism in the Armed Forces to the Military's Culture
From Draft NOtices, April-June 2021
Connecting White Extremism in the Armed Forces to the Military's Culture
— Isidro Ortiz, PhD
The revelation that nearly one in five of those charged in the assault on the U.S. Capitol on January 6 had served or were currently serving in the U.S. military has catalyzed analyses and recommendations by military and political institutions, advocacy organizations, and peace advocates; regrettably, only the last have connected the insurrectionist involvement to the culture of militarism.
The initial institutional action occurred one week after the rioting when the Joint Chiefs of Staff issued an "unprecedented" memorandum informing service members that the January 6 assault on the capitol represented "an attack on the constitutional process of the United States." Going against the hopes of the insurrectionists that the military might support their insurgency, the Chiefs declared that the U.S. military would "obey orders from civilian leadership, support civil authorities to protect lives and property, ensure public safety in accordance with the law, and remain fully committed to protecting and defending the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic." Eliminating any idea that the inauguration of the president-elect would not occur as scheduled, the Chiefs further declared that President-elect Biden would be inaugurated and become the Commander in Chief. They also urged military members to continue in a state of readiness and observation.
As noted in an earlier issue of Draft NOtices, last spring the family of Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen organized rallies outside Fort Hood Army Base and initiated a social media campaign (#FindVanesssa) to pressure officials at Fort Hood to investigate her disappearance. The soldier had informed the family that she was experiencing sexual harassment but had not reported it due to a fear of retaliation. The family’s actions spurred an internal investigation that revealed she had been murdered by a fellow soldier and an accomplice. After the discovery of her murder, the family continued to struggle for accountability and justice. The effort generated extensive attention and support and catalyzed, among other things, the introduction of legislation by members of Congress. Leading the charge was Congresswoman Jackie Spier, who on September 16 joined other members of Congress to introduce the “I am Jessica Guillen Act of 2020.”
As a feminist I believe sexism is the model for all other oppressions. I am not satisfied, nor do I think it makes sense to let this issue take a back seat to others. This world view is frequently referred to as radical feminism. So as a feminist, in fact a radical feminist, many people are baffled as to why I work in the anti-draft movement, which appears to be mainly of concern to men. I think this is a dangerous misconception, however, that desperately needs to be corrected. I would like to take this time to examine how the draft directly affects women, and also the crucial links between this issue and other movements for social justice.
