There has been a trend of racism within the military and the National Guard has recently taken action against two men who have alleged white supremacist ties. Brandon Trent East said that he received a separation notice from the Alabama National Guard on Dec. 14, NBC News reports. A spokeswoman for the Georgia National Guard also said that Dalton Woodward has been removed. However, she did not receive any additional details pertaining to Woodward no longer being a member.
The two men’s removal from the Army National Guard stems from the Atlanta Antifacists group publishing a report earlier this year saying that East and Woodward were both leaders of the Norse pagan group Ravensblood Kindred, which is part of the Asatru Folk Assembly that is believed to subscribe to racism.
East was forced to resign as a jailer, while Woodward was on active duty when the article was published. Woodward returned from deployment in June and came face-to-face with an investigation into his connections with white supremacy, which concluded in October, according to NBC News.
East was given 45 days to dispute the investigative findings. He was then recommended for a general discharge, which is below a traditional honorable discharge. This means that East’s level of discharge indicates that he was removed because of “unacceptable conduct not in accord with military standards.”
East insists that he is not racist and claims that he is simply interested in worshipping his ancestors. “The whole race thing started with me finding Asatru or Odinism or whatever you want to call it and seeing that as a better option than Christianity as a spirituality,” he said.
Ironically, he and Woodward attended a speech by white nationalist Richard Spencer at Auburn University in 2017. There are photos to prove it.
Both men were holding signs. East’s read, “The existence of our people is not negotiable,” while Woodward’s said, “We have a right to exist.”
East also said he attended the speech because he thought it was about “the recent removal of Confederate monuments.” “That’s something I wanted to hear. And it turned into a something a little worse obviously,” he said.
The former National Guard said that his actions cost him his jailer job and other jobs at well.
Just a few weeks ago, a white supremacist hand gesture was made by cadets during a televised Army-Navy football game. The gesture was known to be associated with the “white power” movement. We previously reported that two cadets from West Point and one Naval Academy shipman were seen doing the gesture.
https://twitter.com/NeoSoul87/status/1205882079742959617
A spokesman for West Point said that they were “looking into” the gesture and was uncertain of the students’ intentions. A commander for the Naval Academy echoed similar sentiments. However, Twitter was flustered about what there was to “look into” as the motive behind the gesture seemed clear.
“That is extraordinarily atrocious. A young cadet proudly and belligerently displaying his racism and hate. That cadet needs to be removed from academy. Not fit to serve or lead,” said one person.
Meanwhile, others suggested that the cadets were playing the “circle game” or were holding up the “Okay Hand Gesture.”
The Navy and West Point concluded their investigation agreeing with the latter, saying that there was “no racist intent” behind the students’ actions.
The masses, however, were not convinced.
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