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The Army reportedly is investigating an apparent incident of politically driven hazing within its ranks, a troubling development that comes as Donald Trump and his followers have sought to portray the armed forces as a tool for the president’s personal political agenda.
The incident revolves around Staff Sgt. Thomas Mitchell, a Georgia-based drill sergeant who posted a video of Army trainees performing exercises underneath a “This Is Ultra MAGA Country” flag, according to Military.com.
Per the outlet:
The Army has launched an investigation after a drill sergeant posted a video showing soldiers being hazed beneath a MAGA flag, which runs afoul of multiple military regulations prohibiting partisan political activity in uniform and on federal property.
Staff Sgt. Thomas Mitchell on Friday uploaded the video to TikTok, showing a group of trainees performing push-ups and burpees in full body armor under a banner that read, “This Is Ultra MAGA Country.” The video was later deleted. But shortly after, Mitchell posted a second video showing the same exercising in the same location, this time with the flag removed. The caption: “Cry about it.”
The outlet reported that an Army spokesperson said an investigation is underway:
“The U.S. Army is an apolitical organization,” Jennifer Gunn, a service spokesperson, said in a statement. “Displaying partisan political materials in government facilities, including training areas, is prohibited under Army regulation. We will investigate this matter and address it in accordance with established policies to ensure compliance with standards of conduct and to maintain an environment free from political influence.”
This news follows various attempts by Trump’s authoritarian-style efforts to deploy the military as his own personal force to mete out political conflicts. He has sent the military to crack down on protests in California, and his administration has said it was meant to “liberate” Los Angeles from Democratic leadership. Trump also recently used the military to stage an anti-immigrant publicity stunt in an L.A. park, and he gave a nakedly political speech to troops at North Carolina’s Fort Bragg last month that, as political scientist Stephen Saideman wrote for MSNBC, helped pull the military into “the partisan fray” and constituted “a serious step toward ending American democracy.”
For democracy to survive, Americans need to have confidence that their military exists to serve their interests — not the political interests of the wannabe king currently occupying the presidency. Hazing incidents like this apparent one in Georgia obviously raise serious doubts.