By Rachel E. VanLandingham & Geoffrey S. Corn
Many Americans were undoubtedly dismayed by the news that as many as 20% of participants in the January 6th insurrection – a percentage about ten times greater than the percentage of Americans who volunteer to serve in the military – were current or former members of the armed forces. And for good reason. The active or even passive participation of those who have sworn an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, is especially damning.
As disappointing as the deeply-flawed judgment of these men and women may have been, even more troubling would be a failure of the military institution to seize upon this moment as an opportunity to take a hard look at how and why the corrupted message that inspired this insurrection produced such appeal …