One of the lead organizers of the Charlottesville white nationalist rally has been identified as a former Marine, one who apparently began leading his white nationalist organization while he was still in the U.S. Marine Corp. From CNN:
The Military Times and the
Guardian reported that former Marine recruiter Dillon Ulysses Hopper is the leader of Vanguard America -- a group which helped organize the "Unite the Right" protest in Charlottesville, Virginia, that turned violent over the weekend. The Anti-Defamation League identified Hopper as the leader of Vanguard America, which ADL labels a "white supremacist" group, and said Hopper began leading the organization in "early 2016."
According to Hopper's service records, he was a member of the Marine Corps from July 10, 2006 until January 30, 2017. If ADL is correct, that would mean he began leading the white nationalist group while still technically in the Marines.
Terrorist James Fields Jr. was photographed holding a shield with the Vanguard America logo before he apparently made his way to his Dodge Challenger and drove at full speed into a crowd of counter protesters.
U.S. Marine Corp Commandant Robert Neller was quick to react to the news that one of their own is running a white nationalist organization. His response also seemed to counter Trump’s bizarre, hateful response to questions about Charlottesville.
Gen. Mark A. Milley, Commander of the U.S. Army Forces also issued a stern statement rejecting racism:
Neither directly called out Donald Trump by name, but it seems clear the top military leaders in this nation felt compelled to speak out and counter the message from the current occupant of the White House. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein is also weighing in:
Admiral John Richardson, Chief of Naval Operations, was the first to weigh in after the events in Charlottesville:
Meanwhile, here is live reaction of Gen. John Kelly, Babysitter-in-Chief, during Trump’s press conference: