An interesting Quora thread about racism in the military

[Beringia]

https://www.quora.com/What-would-happen-if-a-military-service-member-was-discovered-to-be-a-member-of-the-Ku-Klux-Klan

What would happen if a military service member was discovered to be a member of the Ku Klux Klan?

Michael Hatherley
worked at United States Armed Forces (2001-2011)

In 2002 I was in the Marines and we had just completed a field training exercise lasting about a week in June.

We were disgusting, tired, hadn't showered in 7 days and had just gotten back to our barracks. We were outside doing weapons and gear maintenance prior to being released for the weekend.

Our Platoon Sergeant ordered us into formation and then ordered us to strip to our underwear outside where the whole world could see us. None of us questioned it, especially when our Corpsman (like an Army medic, but Navy) was walking down the line doing a tick and rash check. We didn't question why our Platoon Sergeant and Platoon Commander were walking with him.

We found out a couple hours later, that a Marine in Weapons Company had recently gotten a very racist tattoo while home on leave and they discovered it when he took his blouse (jacket) off.

So the tick check was actually to see if we had similar tats.

That Marine was gone immediately. Within a month he was handed a Bad Conduct Discharge and almost literally shoved off base.

If your hypothetical Service Member is a proven member of the Klan, he or she would be gone so fast it would take a week for the paperwork to catch up. Especially in today's climate.

The military has exactly zero time, patience and tolerance for that kind of shit. I'm a white male and I could be in a fighting position with a Hispanic guy on my left and a Black guy on my right. I don't need to be wondering if these guys are going to let me die because of my skin color when shit breaks bad and they don't need to be wondering that about me.

When you join the military, you might be a closeted racist, but you're going to be faced with your beliefs quickly. You're going to learn that Black people aren't ghetto thugs screaming kill whitey and Hispanics aren't worthless or lazy people. They are as American as any other person and they won't hesitate to fuck someone up who's trying to hurt you. They'll also learn that some of their beliefs are wrong and 99.9% will adjust those beliefs accordingly. The 0.1% being the Marine that was tossed out on his ass.

Racism simply has no place in the military. That doesn't mean it doesn't exist, but when it’s discovered, it’s ripped out violently.

David McFarland
Nuclear I&C Instructor (2019-present)

This depends on how it is presented and what their actions are.
If they set their differences aside and do not act in a “klanlike” fashion, not much. Any coworkers who know might vilify them, but this also greatly depends on the coworkers.

Odds are, he’ll lose a lot of friends, if he had any. He might be able to redeem himself, if he can say outwardly he realizes that being racist/a member of the clan is obviously not the route to go, and that he has learned to be different than the way he was raised - some may respect him for this.

If the individual actually acts the way klan members do - racist - he will be dealt with swiftly and harshly. Racism has no place in the modern military. Any who disagree have no clue what the military is about. Racism degrades the military. The US Military knows this. They have no qualms with getting rid of military members with racist sentiments who act upon those sentiments.

If you’re racist but can treat others with respect and there is no visible effect of your personal opinions and you can do your job, no problems.

The second you start being racist - really racist, not just what modern SJWs consider racism (which is often racism itself) - you’ll rapidly find yourself talking to a Command Equal Opportunity Officer. If you cannot be convinced to not act or speak upon your views, you get the boot. If you degrade the military with racism, have fun not being in the military.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

1. Well, those are some nice fairy tales.

[LeftInTX]

2. The military is pretty strict because it is fully integrated and people reside in close quarters..

Someone can't refuse a living situation, work assignment due to someone's ethnicity.

I think there are racists who keep it to themselves. Oath Keepers and other paramilitary recruit from them.

[qazplm135]

3. I can tell you my experience from 1992 and basic training in the Army

we had a Klan kid (I say kid because I don't think he was older than 18).

I am AA, and he was white, and we actually had a couple of non-negative interactions.

But in some way, not sure how, but it was also instantly known by everyone it seemed, it turned out that he had ties to the KK.

He was gone with 48 hours. Before that, he was isolated in a room and basically he was there til he outprocessed.

And this was in 92, when racism was worse than now in some ways.

I'm not saying there isn't racism, sexism and homophobia in the military, of course there is.

But, joining an extremist group like the Klan is a pretty easy one way ticket out of the military. If you want to be a racist and survive in the military, you better at least keep a shell of deniability and not be openly so. I'm not saying that's a great thing, just addressing things like being a member of a hate group.

[TomSlick]

4. Army Regulation 600-20 (Army Command Policy) forbids membership in extremist organizations.

Military personnel must reject participation in extremist organizations and activities. Extremist
organizations and activities are ones that advocate—
(1) Racial, sex (including gender identity), sexual orientation, or ethnic hatred or intolerance.
(2) Creating or engaging in discrimination based on race, color, sex (including gender identity), national origin, religion, or sexual orientation.
(3) The use of force or violence or unlawful means to deprive individuals of their rights under the United States Constitution or the laws of the United States, or any State.
(4) Support for terrorist organizations or objectives.
(5) The use of unlawful violence or force to achieve goals that are political, religious, discriminatory, or ideological in nature.
(6) Expressing a duty to engage in violence against DoD or the United States in support of a terrorist or extremist cause.
(7) Support for persons or organizations that promote or threaten the unlawful use of force or violence or criminal activity.
(8) Encouraging military or civilian personnel to violate laws or disobey lawful orders or regulations for the purpose of disrupting military activities (subversion).
(9) Participating in activities advocating or teaching the overthrow of the U.S. Government by force or violence, or seeking to alter the form of government by unconstitutional means (sedition).
(Para. 3-12(a)).

Violation of the Regulation is punishable under Article 92, UCMJ.

[Beringia]

7. The Rules laid out, thanks

[TuskMoar]

5. I Never Served in the Military, but

my dad served in VietNam and my family has deep southern and racist roots. My progressive dad credits the military with ending his own racism. He tells the story of one black guy who saved his life, even after he used the n-word to the dude's face. There were a couple of other stories. The point is he got to know people who were black, put his live in their hands, and so on and so on. The war changed him in bad and good ways, but I know he went to war with racist beliefs and came home without them.

[Beringia]

6. Thanks for sharing