Two US veterans organizations have announced their intent to strip the membership of those found involved in last week’s storming of the Capitol.
The move comes as multiple active and former US service personnel were found to have been a part of the pro-Trump mob that attacked the Capitol on January 6 when the counting of Electoral College votes for the presidential election was taking place.
What ensued was a violent confrontation between the group and security forces protecting the building, leaving five people dead, including a police officer.
“[W]e are saddened that any veteran would desecrate our nation’s capital and will take immediate action to initiate the removal of any DAV member found guilty of committing illegal acts against our nation,” said Butch Whitehead, national commander of Disabled American Veterans, which has one million members nationwide, to Stars and Stripes.
“Such behavior is a disgrace to our national values and must not be tolerated.”
Similarly, America Veterans commonly referred to as AMVETS, which has a membership of 250,000, announced the expulsion of members found “engaged in violence” in the incident.
So far, no member of either organization has been found to have taken part in the riot. “No matches yet, and we hope it stays that way,” said Todd Hunter, assistant national communications director for DAV.
Air Force Veteran Who Served In Iraq Arrested
One air force veteran, Larry Rendell Brock, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been arrested in Texas on multiple counts, including knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building and of violent entry.
A psychological operations officer, Captain Emily Rainey, who led a group of people from North Carolina to the rally in Washington, is being investigated concerning her role in the riot by the army.
Rainey, who was posted at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, had reportedly resigned from her post when she took part in the rally, but her resignation had not yet been processed and she was still on active duty at the time of the incident.
Army Investigating Role of Other Soldiers
The US Army is investigating how many, if any, soldiers from Fort Bragg accompanied Rainey and whether they were part of the crowd that stormed the Capitol.
Among the five people that died was 35-year-old Air Force veteran, Ashli Babbitt, who was reportedly shot in the chest by a police officer as she was trying to climb through a window into the congressional chambers.
A Capitol Police officer, Brian Sicknick, who died from injuries while repelling the attack, was also an Air National Guard veteran, Stars and Stripes wrote.