(Video: Fox News)
A former Army Ranger recently discussed the “worrisome” behavior by politically motivated military leadership in wasting resources to address virtually non-existent extremism calling it “a slap in the face.”
Retired U.S. Army Master Sergeant Jariko Denman sat down with Fox News Digital to discuss what he had learned about extremism in the military over his 20-year career. Denman’s service from 1997 to 2017 included 15 tours in Iraq and Afghanistan totaling 54 months.
In his experience, “People come from all walks of life to come to the military. People that came in with some of those views – they were racist, they were sexist, they were homophobic – it didn’t take long for them to lose it.”
So, under the direction of Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Miley and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who reportedly spent over 6 million man-hours to promote leftist agendas, Denman expressed his view that leadership was not only failing to see to the real needs of the military, but was actively insulting service members as well.
“Seeing all these people of all walks of life, different races, different creeds, different sexual orientations, all this, doing great things together and then to have our government come in and say ‘the military has an extremism problem,’ it’s a slap in the face,” Denman told Fox News.
He explained that, “As an organization it’s apolitical…but I do think that a lot of the decisions are made or not made…with politics in mind.” Denman further suggested that oftentimes the generals in charge may be auditioning for future positions with corporations and organizations that might land them substantial incomes.
“They’re not doing their job of protecting that private on the line who’s been in the Army for six months, which is their job, to make policy that protects the military,” he added when those in charge put woke policies ahead of the actual needs of the military.
When discussing the “stand-downs” and investigations conducted by Austin to address extremism, Denman noted, “The fact that that investigation came up with less than 100 instances in the military makes me wonder why there was an investigation in the first place.”
Though a 2017 Military Times survey claimed almost a quarter of troops said they witnessed some form of white nationalism in the ranks, Denman reiterated the rarity of such opinions as found by the investigation. He added that in his experience, it wasn’t common to know what a fellow soldiers opinion was on any given hot-button political issue.
“You as an individual are not important. The mission is important, and your teammates are important. You always put your teammate before yourself,” he emphasized.
Pentagon spokesman Maj. Charlie Dietz suggested that even a few instances were too many when he told Fox News, “we owe all of our people an environment free from prohibited extremist activities, and we owe our country a military that reflects the founding values of our democracy.”
Vouching that he never saw extremism himself, Denman went on to conclude that, while he is not worried that America will be up to the challenge of facing any opponent, our armed forces shouldn’t waste resources on problems blown out of proportion.
“I just want our people that are currently serving to have all the time and energy and resources they need,” Denman said. “And for us to be focusing organizational energy within the military on problems that don’t exist is worrisome.”
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
- Notoriously ‘moderate’ GOP senator comically blasts MTG for ‘dragging our brand down’ - April 24, 2024
- Chip Roy voices concern over George Soros’ purchase of major radio company, potential impact on Texas - April 24, 2024
- Australian PM calls on social media platforms to ban memes that make fun of him - April 24, 2024
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.