#U.S. Air Force Airman

[xtruss]

Pro-Palestine demonstrators gather during a vigil for U.S. Airman Aaron Bushnell outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, on Feb. 26, 2024. Photo: Tom Brenner for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Aaron Bushnell, Who Self-Immolated For Palestine 🇵🇸, Had Grown Deeply Disillusioned With The Military! “I have Been Complicit in The Violent Domination of The World And I Will Never Get The Blood 🩸 🩸🩸 Off My Hands.”

— By Nikita Mazurov | February 28 2024

Aaron Bushnell, the active-duty U.S. Air Force Airman who set himself on fire Sunday to protest Israel’s war on Gaza, appears to have grown disillusioned with the U.S. military and his own role as a service member, according to posts on the online forum Reddit under a handle matching one used by Bushnell.

Bushnell, 25, made international news when he professed that he would “no longer be complicit in genocide” and recorded himself shouting “Free Palestine!” as he burned to death in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington on Sunday. “I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest,” Bushnell had announced on a livestream before his self-immolation, “but compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers is not extreme at all.”

The Reddit posts, by a user named acebush1 and mostly from the past four years, chronicle a young person’s experience struggling with money as the pandemic took hold. The Reddit poster turned to the military and was initially enamored with the Air Force, but quickly came to denounce it.

In the months leading up to Bushnell’s act of self-immolation, several of acebush1’s posts showed how sharply their view of the military had shifted. On the r/Airforce subreddit, a user asked veterans whether, in hindsight, they would still choose to join the military. Acebush1 answered, “Absolutely not.”

“I have been complicit in the violent domination of the world,” they said, “and I will never get the blood off my hands.”

The Intercept analysis linked the acebush1 Reddit account to Bushnell by analyzing his social media activity. In a post on Facebook the same day as his self-immolation, Bushnell had posted a link to the video streaming platform Twitch with the username LillyAnarKitty. Using a Twitch username history tool that identifies a user’s prior account names, The Intercept found that the same Twitch User ID number used by LillyAnarKitty previously employed the handle acebush1.

A Reddit user with the same username — acebush1 — posted over a thousand times since 2014. The Reddit posts mention details that align closely with Bushnell’s life, including being in the Air Force, having a friend who was a conscientious objector, and studying computer science.

As this story was being drafted, acebush1’s posts started to be removed from Reddit. The posts were archived and, though Reddit instantly deletes posts from their new interface, visiting the old-style Reddit user profile page reveals their recently deleted posts.

“A Regret I Will Carry”

The acebush1 Reddit user joined the military soon after posting about their financial struggles at the beginning of the pandemic. On March 19, 2020, acebush1 inquired about becoming an Uber Eats driver. The following month they posted asking for financial help: “HELP – Can’t get stimulus or unemployment benefits, about to run out of money.”

In May, acebush1 posted a photo with the caption “My Dad getting suited up to give me a goodbye? hug before I leave for BMT” — basic military training. According to Bushnell’s LinkedIn page, he enrolled in “Basic & Technical Training” in the Air Force in May 2020.

Several months into enrollment, acebush1 appeared excited by the Air Force, reposting a video of a military aircraft in August 2020 and giving it a heading that said: “Man, the Air Force does some cool-ass shit.”

Acebush1 also regularly posted in various video game Reddit communities, including one dedicated to the video game “Valheim.” In Bushnell’s self-immolation livestream, the liquid container he is carrying has a sticker with the slogan ‘the bees are happy,’ a meme from “Valheim.”

In November 2021, acebush1 made multiple posts asking about advice in pursuing a computer science degree. Bushnell’s LinkedIn profile, which has been memorialized “as a tribute to Aaron Bushnell’s professional legacy,” lists him as having been in the process of pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer software engineering.

Nearly a year later, acebush1’s posts shifted from largely video game-based content to posts with titles like “Solidarity with Prisoners!” with a link to a Guardian article about an Alabama prison strike, and to reposting a meme image of anarchist philosopher Max Stirner. In 2023, acebush1 made a post with the title “Free Palestine!” and linked to a video of an activist takeover of UAV Tactical Systems, a drone company operated in part by the Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems.

“I Didn’t Realize What A Huge Mistake It Was Until I Was More Than Halfway Through.”

Shortly after the pro-Palestine post, in June 2023, acebush1 wrote, “I’m sticking it out to the end of my contract as I didn’t realize what a huge mistake it was until I was more than halfway through, and I only have a year left at this point. However it is a regret I will carry the rest of my life.”

The poster mentioned a friend who left the armed services on the basis of conscientious objection; Bushnell’s friend Levi Pierpont, according to the Washington Post, objected and left the military.

Acebush1’s posts became more stridently pro-Palestinian as Israel’s war in Gaza got underway. In one, they denounce Israel as a “settler colonialist apartheid state,” and exclaim that there are no Israeli “civilians” because the entire country is engaged in oppression. They refuse on several occasion to denounce armed Palestinian resistance, saying in the apartheid post that they “work for the air force and would also have no right to complain about violent resistance against my actions.”

In November 2023, acebush1 made another post describing “the moral necessity of getting out.”

In the last few months, acebush1 accelerated their posting across various anarchism-related Reddit communities, as well as on other various communities. “Piracy is always ethical,” acebush1 posted. “If you think that you’re making a difference with who you do and don’t choose to give your money to, you don’t understand how markets work.”

Acebush1’s last Reddit post was on February 24, expounding on how “whiteness erases culture” — a day before Bushnell’s self-immolating direct action. In an earlier post, acebush1 had written, “I’ve never been one for bullshit.”

[usarmytrooper]

[military1st]

Senior Airman on board a C-130 Hercules aircraft prepares to execute a bundle drop over the Federated States of Micronesia during Operation Christmas Drop 2016.

The U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Delano Scott/Released (2016).

[petnews2day]

Nylabone Sponsors Reunification of Retired Military Dog with Former Handler

New Post has been published on https://petnews2day.com/news/pet-news/dog-news/nylabone-sponsors-reunification-of-retired-military-dog-with-former-handler/?utm_source=TR&utm_medium=Tumblr+%230&utm_campaign=social

Nylabone Sponsors Reunification of Retired Military Dog with Former Handler

Nylabone, an iconic brand in the Central Garden & Pet portfolio, partnered with American Humane to sponsor the reunification of a retired U.S. Air Force explosive detection dog with his former handler, a Senior Airman in the U.S. Air Force. (Photo: Business Wire) NEPTUNE CITY, N.J., July 02, 2024–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nylabone, an iconic brand in the […]

See full article at https://petnews2day.com/news/pet-news/dog-news/nylabone-sponsors-reunification-of-retired-military-dog-with-former-handler/?utm_source=TR&utm_medium=Tumblr+%230&utm_campaign=social #DogNews #Nasdaq, #AmericanHumane, #CentralGardenPet, #CentralGardenPetCompany, #Nylabone, #NylaboneProducts, #Reunification, #SeniorAirman, #USAirForce

[usafphantom2]

Legendary Pilot Bob Pardo, Who Pushed A Damaged F-4 With His F-4 Over Vietnam, Has Died

December 20, 2023 Military Aviation

Bob Pardo

Bob Pardo in a 2017 photo by Senior Airman Ridge Shan. In the background, Pardo's Push in an artwork by S.W. Ferguson.

Bob Pardo passed away earlier this month at the age of 89. With his Phantom, he pushed a crippled F-4 outside the enemy airspace in one of the most heroic missions in the history of military aviation, known as “Pardo’s Push”.

“Pardo’s Push” is the name of an incredible maneuver carried out during the Air War over North Vietnam that, over the years, has become the symbol of heroism and a demonstration of courage and contempt for danger.

March 10, 1967.

Captain Bob Pardo is flying in an F-4C with Weapon Systems Officer 1st Lt Steve Wayne. Their wingman is the F-4C flown by Captain Earl Aman with Weapon Systems Officer 1st Lt Robert Houghton. The two Phantoms of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, based at Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, are assigned the task to attack a steel mill in North Vietnam north of the capital Hanoi.

During the approach to the target, both F-4 is hit multiple times by enemy’s anti-aircraft fire. The North Vietnamese flak causes significant damage to Capt. Aman’s aircraft whose fuel tank begins to leak fuel forcing the crew to abort the mission. While hit too, Pardo’s F-4 is able to continue its mission.

On their egress route, at 20,000 feet, Aman and Houghton determine that they do not have enough fuel to reach a tanker or Laos, where they could eject and avoid capture. Although his F-4 is still efficient and has enough fuel to reach a tanker, Pardo decides to remain with his wingman.

At a certain point, while still inside North Vietnamese airspace, Aman’s Phantom flames out. To save Aman and Houghton, Pardo decides to do something he believes no one has ever done before: he attempts to push the other F-4 to Laos.

Initially, Pardo tries to push the other F-4 by gently making contact with the drag chute compartment. However, turbulence interferes with the maneuver and after several failed attempts, Pardo opts for an extreme solution: he instructs Aman to lower his tailhook, then he positions his F-4 behind the other Phantom leaning his windscreen against the tailhook. The contact is made but the “solution” is quite unstable and, as a consequence of turbulence, Pardo needs to reposition his F-4 every 15 to 30 seconds. Nevertheless, the push works and rate of descent of Aman’s Phantom is considerably reduced.

As if the situation was not complicate enough, Pardo’s F-4 suffers an engine fire, forcing him to shut it down.

Try for a second to visualize the situation: a flame-out F-4 is somehow pushed by means of its tailhook by another F-4 powered by a single engine. In enemy airspace. Incredible.

Ezoic

Pardo pushes Aman’s F-4 for another 10 minutes until his Phantom runs out of fuel too. With both planes safely inside Laotian airspace, at an altitude of about 6,000 feet, the aircrews of both F-4s ejects (they will be rescued by SAR helicopters and evade capture).

Although he saved another aircrew, Pardo was initially reprimanded for not saving his own F-4. Until 1989, when the episode was re-examinated and both Pardo and Wayne were awarded the Silver Star.

Retired Air Force pilot Lt. Col. Bob Pardo poses in front of a static display model of an F-4 Phantom II, one of the many fighter aircraft he has flown, at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., Dec. 12, 2017. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Ridge Shan)

Pardo and Aman both continued serving and retired from the U.S. Air Force in the rank of lieutenant colonel. Years later, after learning that Aman had lost his voice and mobility because of Lou Gehrig’s disease, created the Earl Aman Foundation that raised enough money to buy Aman a voice synthesizer, a motorized wheelchair, and a computer. The foundation later contributed to raise funds to pay for a van, which Aman used for transportation until his death. In other words, Pardo never left his wingman behind, not even after retiring.

Ezoic

Noteworthy, as told by John L. Frisbee in his 1996 article for Air Force Magazine, Pardo’s push was not the first time a U.S. pilot pushed another jet out of enemy airspace: in 1952, during the Korean War, fighter ace Robbie Risner pushed his wingman out of North Korea in an F-86. However, pilots were ordered to refrain from attempting the hazardous maneuver again, and the episode had faded from memory and was almost completely unknown within the Air Force by the time Pardo and Wayne pushed Aman and Houghton outside of North Vietnam’s airspace.

Bob Pardo passed away aged 89, on Dec. 5, 2023. His courage and ingenuity, along with the legendary “Pardo’s Push“, will be remembered forever.

About David Cenciotti

David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.

@Aviationist via X

[shoshiwrites]

Women's long-sleeve button-front spread-collar blouse (shirt) constructed from World War II U.S. Army Air Forces silk fabric escape and evasion maps of western Europe, via the Smithsonian Institution.

The story behind this blouse can be found in the article "An Airman's Memento," here.

[destielmemenews]

"A spokesperson for the U.S. Air Force confirmed to Task & Purpose that the man in uniform is an active-duty airman. The airman’s identity has not been confirmed."

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[sometimes-men-need-help-too]

Woman who poisoned husband’s coffee gets probation

The woman caught on camera trying to systematically poison her husband will serve three years’ probation and undergo a mental health evaluation.

Melody Felicano Johnson accepted a plea agreement and admitted to poisoning her U.S. Air Force husband’s food and drink, including spiking his coffee with bleach.

Airman Roby Johnson, however, suspected something was wrong. He planted cameras in the couple’s kitchen and caught her on video. Johnson believes his wife was trying to kill him to collect death benefits.

According to court documents, Roby Johnson noticed the odd-tasting coffee in March of 2023 when the couple was living in Germany. He pretended to drink the coffee.

He set up cameras in their kitchen once they moved to Tucson, Arizona, last summer. After tests of the coffee showed traces of chlorine, he notified police.

Melody Johnson was arrested in July and jailed. Roby Johnson asked the judge for leniency for his wife because they have a child together.

So I first saw this on instagram and (some of) the comments were disappointing

First of all, to go back to what was mentioned in the article, I'm sorry but it's kind of baffling to me to that the husband wants leniency for her. Why? I would hope she's never around that child again because you never know what might happen

Besides, the fact that she's having no real consequences is just...I don't even know. It's crazy

People really need to understand how inappropriate these well what did he do comments are. You see these when men are getting abused, too. If she snaps and gets physical, you have people wondering what he did to make her mad and to get to that point

It's disgusting and it's victim blaming

[thesobsister]

Aaron Bushnell, an active-duty USAF airman, set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in D.C. on February 25 to protest what he termed the “genocide” being perpetrated by Israel against Palestinians and the U.S.’s complicity in this.

Anyone remember or even aware of the same thing happening in front of the Israeli consulate in Atlanta in December?

Bushnell set up a Twitch channel to stream his act. The Amazon-owned platform removed the video and shut down the channel. However, it’s available on a variety of other platforms.

The short video shows him, wearing service fatigues, walking down the street to the Israeli embassy as he explains his views. He then sets down the camera, walks to the gate of the embassy, empties the contents of a bottle—presumably, the flammable liquid—over his head, puts on his cap. The video is blurred out at that point, but the audio is intact. He screams “Free Palestine” until he succumbs. It is extremely disturbing, and I do not offer that characterization lightly.

At the start of the video, as he walks down the street, he says this:

I am an active duty member of the United States Air Force. And I will no longer be complicit in genocide.

I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest. But at the hands of what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers, it’s not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal.

On the Facebook post that linked to that deleted Twitch stream, he wrote:

Many of us like to ask ourselves, “What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow South? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?”

The answer is, you’re doing it. Right now.

[because--palestine]

Active-Duty U.S. Airman, Inspired by Aaron Bushnell, on Hunger Strike Outside White House over Gaza

Active-duty soldier in the U.S. Air Force on hunger strike to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Senior Airman Larry Hebert is on day three of his hunger strike outside the White House, where he has been holding a sign that reads "Active Duty Airman Refuses to Eat While Gaza Starves." "It's just completely wrong and immoral for civilians to be starved and bombed and targeted in any manner," says Hebert. "I'm hoping that other active-duty members will be more public with their concern over the atrocities happening in Gaza." Hebert was inspired by the actions of Aaron Bushnell, a 25-year-old active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force who set himself on fire in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., in February to demand a Gaza ceasefire. "What really infuriated me was the silence thereafter. … I don't know a single member of our government or leaders in the military that really spoke on Aaron, even uttered his name," says Hebert, who is now looking to leave the military after learning more about U.S. foreign policy. "I can't see myself continuing service."

[garudabluffs]

Active-Duty U.S. Airman, Inspired by Aaron Bushnell, on Hunger Strike Outside White House over Gaza APR 02, 2024

Democracy Now! speaks with an active-duty soldier in the U.S. Air Force on hunger strike to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Senior Airman Larry Hebert is on day three of his hunger strike outside the White House, where he has been holding a sign that reads “Active Duty Airman Refuses to Eat While Gaza Starves.” “It’s just completely wrong and immoral for civilians to be starved and bombed and targeted in any manner,” says Hebert. “I’m hoping that other active-duty members will be more public with their concern over the atrocities happening in Gaza.” Hebert was inspired by the actions of Aaron Bushnell, a 25-year-old active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force who set himself on fire in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., in February to demand a Gaza ceasefire. “What really infuriated me was the silence thereafter. … I don’t know a single member of our government or leaders in the military that really spoke on Aaron, even uttered his name,” says Hebert, who is now looking to leave the military after learning more about U.S. foreign policy. “I can’t see myself continuing service.”

"But what really infuriated me was the silence thereafter his actions. I don’t know a single member of our government or leaders in the military that really spoke on Aaron, even uttered his name. But I had seen people in Yemen and in Gaza, you know, holding up his picture and sending their condolences. And I even saw the official statement from Hamas, who is a deliberate enemy of our military and our government. They issued an official statement sending their condolences to Aaron and his family. So, it really broadened my perspective to see, you know, even our adversaries speaking out and sending their condolences to our own military members."

LISTEN VIDEO READ MORE Transcript Active-Duty U.S. Airman, Inspired by Aaron Bushnell, on Hunger Strike Outside White House over Gaza | Democracy Now!

[usarmytrooper]

[military1st]

U.S. Air Force Airman during a combat airlift operation within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

The U.S. Air Force 🇺🇸 photo by Tech. Sgt. Daniel Asselta (2023).

[nocternalrandomness]

"Aerial Photographer"

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Matthew Bruch, an aerial photographer with 1st Combat Camera Squadron, takes a self portrait during a flight in an F-15D from the 65th Aggressor Squadron flying in support of the Air Force Weapons School over Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., May 17, 2012.

[alwaysbewoke]

A man set himself on fire on Sunday afternoon outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. A U.S. Air Force spokeswoman, Ann Stefanek, confirmed on Sunday night that the man was an active-duty airman. Officers with the U.S. Secret Service extinguished the fire outside the embassy, in northwestern Washington, around 1 p.m., said Vito Maggiolo, a spokesman with the city’s fire department. The man was taken to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries and remains in critical condition. No embassy staff members were injured, and all were accounted for, according to Tal Naim, a spokeswoman for the embassy. The man appeared to have filmed the protest and livestreamed it on the social media platform Twitch at the time that the police said they responded to the incident. The New York Times could not confirm who was behind the account that posted the video, but the video featured a man walking toward the Israeli Embassy in Washington. “I will no longer be complicit in genocide,” a man said in the video, echoing language that opponents of Israel’s military action in Gaza have used to describe the campaign. “I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest.”

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