Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Having struggled to maintain enlistment levels in the wake of an unpopular war in Iraq, the U.S. Army has relaxed the enforcement of rules designed to keep neo-Nazis and white supremacists out of the ranks, according to an investigation by Salon.com. The failure to scrutinize new recruits harboring racist sentiments has resulted in neo-Nazis being charged with crimes inside the military, and others being linked to recruitment efforts for the white right.
A recent Department of Homeland Security report (Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment) revealed that white supremacists are using the Army to secure training for a future domestic race war, while others have enlisted to go to Iraq and fulfill their duty to kill “hajjis.”
Another report, produced in 2005 by the Department of Defense, characterized the military as having a “don't ask, don’t tell” policy pertaining to extremism, allowing racist soldiers to remain as long as they don’t make their “extremist opinions overt.” Carter F. Smith, a former military investigator, told Salon, “When you need more soldiers, you lower the standards, whether you say so or not.”
The Salon article cites the example of one white supremacist who had no difficulty signing up for the Army, and remaining in it, even after revelations surfaced about the soldier’s racist affiliations and beliefs. “I hate Arabs more than anybody, for the simple fact I’ve served over there and seen how they live,” said Forrest Fogarty, a former member of the 3rd Infantry Division. “They’re just a backward people. Them and the Jews are just disgusting people as far as I’m concerned. Their customs, everything to do with the Middle East, is just repugnant to me.”
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Neo-Nazis are in the Army Now (by Matt Kennard, Salon.com)
Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment (Department of Homeland Security) (PDF)
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