Before Forrest Fogarty attended the military counter-insurgency school, he attended Neonazi rock festivals as lead singer in a hate rock band. “Before the U.S. military made Matt Buschbacher a Navy SEAL, he made himself a soldier of the Fourth Reich” (Holthouse). Before James Burmeister, Malcolm Wright, and Randy Meadows were discharged from the military, they discharged bullets into the bodies of a black couple.
For Michael James and Jackie Burden, December 7, 1995 was another Thursday. The couple was simply strolling along a dirt road in the neighborhood of Campbell Terrace when three white men came up to them. One had a 9-mm semiautomatic pistol. Those white men were the last humans James and Burden ever saw.
When authorities entered …show more content…
The Fort Bragg murders, found on the covers of major newspapers across America, triggered revisions in policies regarding “extremist activities by active duty personnel” (Holthouse).
Prior to 1996, there had been a myriad of cases where Neonazis were “caught diverting huge arsenals of stolen firearms and explosives to neo-Nazi and white supremacist organizations, conducting guerilla training for paramilitary racist militias, and murdering non-white civilians” (Holthouse).
Executive Order 11785 forbade “knowing membership with the specific intent of furthering the aims of, -or adherence to and active participation in" a group which "unlawfully advocates or practices the commission of acts of force or violence to prevent others" from exercising constitutional rights”” (Hudson, 36).
However, the Army’s directive and policy on extremism explicitly stated that passive participation was “not prohibited” (Hudson, 37), so there was little framework for the military to pursue any direct action against soldiers who were open Neo-Nazis or white supremacists. Furthermore, there were no regulations detailing punishments for supposed ‘active’ participation in extremist …show more content…
From rank-and-file soldiers, racist attitudes remain a permanent part of the military, as in the rest of society.
“"Most of the white guys are like that, but they hide it," said a 26-year-old private from the 82d Airborne who would let only his first name, Leo, be used. "You can tell when they talk to a Latino or black guy; they talk down. I'm Mexican, and so they all call me 'Chico’” (Charles).
After the Fort Bragg murders, the attitude of the military towards racism shifted from disregard to a stricter crackdown. Outdated policies regarding extremist activity among active-duty soldiers were reworded, and new regulations and punishments were laid out.
Then-Defense Secretary William Perry depicted the updated regulations on extremism within the military. “"Department of Defense policy leaves no room for racist and extremist activities in the military," Perry stated. "We must -- and we shall -- make every effort to erase bigotry, racism, and extremism from the military. Extremist activity compromises fairness, good order, and discipline. The armed forces, which defend the nation and its values, must exemplify those values beyond question””
For Michael James and Jackie Burden, December 7, 1995 was another Thursday. The couple was simply strolling along a dirt road in the neighborhood of Campbell Terrace when three white men came up to them. One had a 9-mm semiautomatic pistol. Those white men were the last humans James and Burden ever saw.
When authorities entered …show more content…
The Fort Bragg murders, found on the covers of major newspapers across America, triggered revisions in policies regarding “extremist activities by active duty personnel” (Holthouse).
Prior to 1996, there had been a myriad of cases where Neonazis were “caught diverting huge arsenals of stolen firearms and explosives to neo-Nazi and white supremacist organizations, conducting guerilla training for paramilitary racist militias, and murdering non-white civilians” (Holthouse).
Executive Order 11785 forbade “knowing membership with the specific intent of furthering the aims of, -or adherence to and active participation in" a group which "unlawfully advocates or practices the commission of acts of force or violence to prevent others" from exercising constitutional rights”” (Hudson, 36).
However, the Army’s directive and policy on extremism explicitly stated that passive participation was “not prohibited” (Hudson, 37), so there was little framework for the military to pursue any direct action against soldiers who were open Neo-Nazis or white supremacists. Furthermore, there were no regulations detailing punishments for supposed ‘active’ participation in extremist …show more content…
From rank-and-file soldiers, racist attitudes remain a permanent part of the military, as in the rest of society.
“"Most of the white guys are like that, but they hide it," said a 26-year-old private from the 82d Airborne who would let only his first name, Leo, be used. "You can tell when they talk to a Latino or black guy; they talk down. I'm Mexican, and so they all call me 'Chico’” (Charles).
After the Fort Bragg murders, the attitude of the military towards racism shifted from disregard to a stricter crackdown. Outdated policies regarding extremist activity among active-duty soldiers were reworded, and new regulations and punishments were laid out.
Then-Defense Secretary William Perry depicted the updated regulations on extremism within the military. “"Department of Defense policy leaves no room for racist and extremist activities in the military," Perry stated. "We must -- and we shall -- make every effort to erase bigotry, racism, and extremism from the military. Extremist activity compromises fairness, good order, and discipline. The armed forces, which defend the nation and its values, must exemplify those values beyond question””