Lt Gen Rod Bishop, CAPT Tom Burbage, COL Pat Hueman and many others recently signed a letter to the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff, GEN Mark Milley.
STARRS, Calvert Group, and West Point alums expressed grave concerns about the politicization of the military by means of the radical promotion Critical Race Theory, support for the neo-Marxist Group Black Lives Matter, and enthusiastic implementation of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity (DIE) throughout the military to the detriment of readiness, unit cohesion, and morale.
“An excellent commentary on the joint letter by the Washington Examiner is at ‘Veterans write to Milley to protest ‘woke’ political agenda” according to a STARRS spokesperson.
The letter is included in its entirety below:
11 February 2022
General Mark A. Milley
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
9999 Joint Staff Pentagon
Washington, D.C. 20318-9999
Dear General Milley,
As the President of Stand Together Against Racism and Radicalism in the Services (STARRS, Inc.), I represent thousands of veterans, concerned citizens, and supporters who would like to draw your attention to what we consider a grave national security issue — the infiltration and acceptance of racist and radical ideologies in our armed forces.
We are shocked by this development and can no longer sit silent and allow our military to become a tool for political activism.
You and l, along with many STARRS’ supporters, served in a military that was apolitical. We assumed it would always remain so. We took the oath and remain steadfast servants of the United States, accountable to the American people to “support and defend” the U.S. Constitution. We were strictly forbidden, by statute, from participating in political activism. Unfortunately, this is changing under your leadership.
We find it inexcusable that the “woke” political agenda has found its way into the military. Most concerning is the indoctrination of our soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen and guardians in the principles of Critical Race Theory (CRT).
This theory segregates people by skin color into racial oppressors and those they oppress and presumes the legacy of past discrimination can only be remedied today by discriminating against the oppressors—whites. This is documented by the core authors of CRT.
We are observing these radical ideologies rippling through the force and seeing the damaging effects on readiness and morale.
As a matter of social science, the elements of CRT are unsound. CRT, and its elements, are not rooted in facts. Instead, they are merely activist assertions dressed up in deceitful language. They also run counter to our Constitution and the 14th Amendment.
Additionally, Title Vll of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits any discrimination based upon race or ethnicity. Why would we subject service members to theories that violate the law?
Even more alarming, these theories work to destroy the trust, unity, and cohesion that are so vital for effective teams. By judging members of our armed forces by skin color, and openly advocating for new forms of racism and discrimination, the promoters of CRT pit certain groups against others. Their goal is “equity” — equal results for all races — which is antithetical to the ideals of meritocracy that recruits, develops, and promotes the best.
General Milley, I know the SECDEF has said that the military does not teach CRT. Unfortunately, that is not accurate. The tenets of CRT are appearing in classrooms, guest lectures, training programs, and stand-down briefs. We have hundreds of examples to prove the point, which we will gladly share with you to help you understand the scope of this problem.
I know that you take seriously your duty to ensure our military is ready to fight and win our nation’s wars. Our fear, however, is that you are not fully aware of this more subtle “domestic enemy” who is doing more damage under your watch than any potential pacing threat.
It is time to address this head on, uproot these racial and radical ideologies, and refocus the military you lead on the fundamentals of military training and warfighting — before our military suffers irreparable damage.
Our military has a proud history of leading the nation on the integration of race, ethnicity, and gender. Until recently, this integration has been productively aimed at creating a unified force to win wars.
But something has changed. Our military is now pursuing a new kind of “diversity”. And this new “diversity” is driven by racial and gender discrimination.
In other words, we are going backwards. This is already eroding morale, trust, unity, and cohesion, which will destroy military readiness. The time to act is now.
We at STARRS formally ask you to enact strong measures to permanently rid the force of these corrosive narratives and influences.
Please know that we remain champions of the United States military and that we have a shared commitment with you in preserving the premier status of our U.S. Armed Forces.
//SIGNED//
ROBERT D. BISHOP JR, Lt Gen, USAF (Ret)
President and Chairmen of the Board, STARRS
Stand Together Against Racism and Radicalism in the Services, Inc.
//SIGNED//
Thomas Burbage, Capt USN (Ret) President of the Calvert Group
(Founded to Combat Wokeness at the United States Naval Academy)
//SIGNED//
Thomas Patrick Hueman, Col USA (Ret)
Leader of Army/West Point Officers & Air Force Officers
CC: The Honorable Lloyd J. Austin Ill Secretary, Department of Defense
CC: Senator Jack Reed, Chairman, Senate Armed Services Committee Senator James Inhofe, Ranking Member, Senate Armed Services Committee Representative Adam Smith, Chairman, House Armed Services Committee Representative Mike Rogers, Ranking Member, House Armed Services Committee
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