Thread by @AdamNoahWho

1. So I see that the nation & #civmil twitter is discussing extremism, radicalization, & White supremacy in the US military. I have no formal expertise in this area but I was a Jewish enlisted Marine so I will share some things that I observed.

2. I cannot reiterate enough that I am not an expert on this particular issue nor am I drawing from data beyond personal experience & anecdotal observations. But I think sharing some of my observations could offer some insights to those thinking about these questions.

3. First, my experience is that the military is still very hierarchical with good command and control and that the subculture where the radicalization is occurring is more so among veterans than those actively serving. But this is based only on my personal perception.

4. Overt antisemitism in the USMC was rare. It is also rare in the veteran community but a little more common. There is at least one Marine that I closely served with who became what I would consider a Neo-Nazi (at least for a time). It felt like a betrayal.

5. There are antisemitic FB groups that I see veterans interact with. These pages are obviously antisemitic to Jews & participants but remain cryptic enough to evade FB detection. E.g., they use phrases like "good Goy" to describe a non-Jew who allegedly serves Jewish interests.

6. These pages engage in Holocaust denial & use phrases like "muh 6 million" to mock what they feel is the Jewish weaponization of the Holocaust to undermine White America. At times these pages outright celebrate the Holocaust. Plenty of vets participate.

7. What about other conspiracies & radical messaging? Over the last year, I began to see some veterans I know become obsessed with QAnon messaging, particularly regarding child molesters. COVID-19 conspiracies also gained currency among vets I know.

8. Is this a reflection of something unique to veteran or military culture in the US or is it simply the result of more veterans being exposed to certain types of right wing politics due to veteran demographics? I don't know but the question should be explored.

9. IMHO the Boogaloo Bois was probably the trend within veteran culture that was most misunderstood & exaggerated by outsiders. For most vets it took on a form of dark & even violent humor that I disagreed with but did not interpret as a serious attempt at organizing.

10. Boogaloo Bois memes were widely popular among veterans last year, including vets who didn't have strong positions in support of Trump, gun rights, etc. Did this radicalize some folks into taking action? Probably so. Did it look like an organized movement? I don't think so.

11. Going forward I think it will be important to consider what distinguishes active military culture from veteran culture? What drives radicalization? It will be crucial not to exaggerate the degree to which vets have become radicalized or further stigmatize veterans.

12. But it is also important that the military and veterans refrain from denying that a problem exists. A problem clearly exists.