Today, I was a guest on The Santita Jackson Show broadcast on WCPT 820 AM, Chicago Progressive Talk Radio. She airs weekdays at 6 AM. Motivated by the story of Army SPC Jarrett William Smith, she asked me on the show to talk about White nationalism in the U.S. military. Smith was recently charged with distributing bomb-making information over social media. You can hear and view my interview here on Facebook. To hear my portion fast forward to -4:07:06. Or listen to SoundCloud and fast-forward to 1:06:20.
I will write another fleshed-out post about the problem and history of White nationalism in the military, but I wanted to provide a few links for you to read now.
NPR story
U.S. Soldier Charged With Teaching Bomb-Making To Far-Right Extremists
September 23, 20196:46 PM ET
https://www.npr.org/2019/09/23/763544037/kansas-soldier-charged-with-teaching-bomb-making-to-far-right-extremists
Army Spc. Jarrett William Smith, stationed at Fort Riley, came under investigation in March
Inside the U.S. military’s battle with white supremacy and far-right extremism
May 25, 2019, 5:32 AM PDT
By Jeff McCausland, retired U.S. Army colonel and former member of the National Security Council
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/inside-u-s-military-s-battle-white-supremacy-far-right-ncna101022
Does the U.S. military have a larger problem with white supremacists?
This is a critical question and one that concerns both active duty military members and veterans. But to understand the current problem, it’s helpful to examine the history of the relationship between the U.S. military and extremism — especially white supremacy. Historically, the American military has not wanted extremists in its ranks, but it has failed to establish a comprehensive way to screen them out.
Military Times
Sep 12, 2019
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2019/09/12/lawmakers-want-closer-tracking-of-white-supremacy-nazi-sympathizers-in-the-military/
22 percent of service members who participated in the fall 2018 Military Times poll said they have seen signs of white nationalism or racist ideology within the armed forces. Among non-white service members in the poll, more than half reported witnessing incidents of racism and racist ideology.
08/07/2019 06:39 pm ET
After HuffPost Investigation, 4 White Nationalists Out Of U.S. Military — But Others Allowed To Remain And others are still under investigation.
By Christopher Mathias https://www.huffpost.com/entry/white-nationalists-military-kicked-out-huffpost-investigation_n_5d4b0f83e4b0066eb70b9945
Months after a series of reports exposed a dozen known or suspected members of white nationalist groups in the U.S. military, officials have confirmed that four of those servicemen have separated from the armed forces, while another four have been allowed to remain in the Army.
Four others remain under investigation, officials said.
