{"id":57180,"date":"2021-01-20T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-20T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/01\/20\/when-the-truth-and-the-constitution-are-threatened-military-personnel-and-veterans-have-a-responsibility-to-protect-both\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T12:08:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T12:08:53","slug":"when-the-truth-and-the-constitution-are-threatened-military-personnel-and-veterans-have-a-responsibility-to-protect-both","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2021\/01\/20\/when-the-truth-and-the-constitution-are-threatened-military-personnel-and-veterans-have-a-responsibility-to-protect-both\/","title":{"rendered":"When the truth and the Constitution are threatened, military personnel and veterans have a responsibility to protect both"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The events of Jan. 6 were surreal and heartbreaking for America \u2014 for most Americans, anyway. It was a horrible experience on many levels, seeing our Capitol attacked and defaced and hearing the news of people who lost their lives in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for me, the most gut-wrenching part of my experience of this horrific national tragedy was the realization that many of the rioters were military veterans<\/a> as their identities were revealed, one after another. Ashli Babbitt, who was shot as she attempted to climb through a broken window into the Speaker\u2019s Lobby, was a 14-year Air Force veteran. Larry Brock, who broke into the Senate chamber wearing tactical gear and carrying a handful of flex cuffs, is a retired Air Force officer and a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy. Mark Leffingwell, a former guardsman, has been charged with assaulting a federal officer. Even Jake Angeli, a.k.a. the \u201cQAnon Shaman,\u201d famously photographed wearing animal skins, horns, and face paint, is a Navy veteran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And now, in the aftermath of the attack, law enforcement is investigating how widespread military and veteran participation really was that day. Lawmakers are calling upon the Pentagon to investigate, as well. In light of reports that some Capitol police were complicit in the riots, some lawmakers are even questioning whether the members of the Guard who will protect Washington this week can be trusted not to have been \u201cradicalized.\u201d Something deeply, deeply wrong is happening within the military community \u2014 or at least, that\u2019s the perception. That\u2019s a serious problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his statement on the riots, former President George W. Bush described the rioters as \u201cpeople whose passions have been inflamed by falsehoods,\u201d and that characterization applies to the veterans who participated that day. I won\u2019t specifically address the veracity of arguments coming from political leaders prior to this event, but I do want to speak to the false information that is widespread throughout the internet. Some media outlets, like CNN and the Washington Post, have rightly reported that internet disinformation, like the QAnon conspiracy theory, was partly responsible for the radicalization of some of the veterans who participated in the riots. But the notion of propaganda aimed at veterans isn\u2019t new \u2013 various government agencies and private organizations started identifying these disinformation campaigns years ago. Congress, the Department of Homeland Security<\/a>, the Department of State<\/a>, the Department of Defense<\/a>, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and various other government agencies have acknowledged that the problem is real and are taking steps to address it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One noteworthy study is the two-year investigation by Kristofer Goldsmith of Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA)<\/a>. Goldsmith started to investigate internet disinformation campaigns targeting veterans in 2017, when he found social media accounts falsely posing as Vietnam veterans\u2019 groups<\/a>. He even found one that fraudulently posed as his own organization. He found that one page, \u201cVeterans of Vietnam,\u201d has had admins from Italy, Ukraine, and Russia. Likewise, he found that \u201cVeterans Nation\u201d had no American administrators and frequently shared content that was originally created in Russia. Another page he cites, \u201cVets for Trump,\u201d <\/a>was hijacked by a Macedonian businessman and used to spread disinformation. Pages like these are often aimed at fomenting discontent with the American government and specific elected leaders, and they are specifically designed to play on veterans\u2019 emotions and appeal to their patriotic values. It\u2019s been a cheap and incredibly effective form of psychological warfare, and the worst part is, it\u2019s so effective because we\u2019re helping them do it. In an era of unprecedented access to information and in a military rich with educational resources, this is unconscionable.<\/p>\n\n\n\t