To all that have been waiting patiently for updates, I truly appreciate it. There have been many things going on behind the scenes since the last update on this blog, and I assure you that the case is still on going.
So, lets begin with some of those updates. As many of you know, I'm still a member of the armed forces, and serve as a paratrooper in the Colorado Army National Guard. Over the summer, I was sent to assist with the East Troublesome wildfires in the mountains. I can tell you the sigh of relief many of these people breathed when they saw our convoy roll up to the Emergency Operations Center in Grand County seeing that we were ready, and there to help in any way we could. Although we may not have done much besides help supplement the Sheriff Deputies and allow them to finally get some rest, lending a hand and helping our local governments is truly why the National Guard exists. As we assumed security operations around Grand Lake, just the sight of American soldiers with American flags on their uniforms was enough for people to regain trust in their neighbors, their government, and their country; even if it was only in a small part of our great nation during a natural disaster.
The holidays were quiet, and I hope that you all got to spend sometime with close family members in this era of COVID-19. I believe we are all learning the value of relationships, our neighbors, and the fabric of our society that binds America together. As you may have guessed, with the previous administration being voted out of office, most of the things concerning my court case have gone quiet as things have transitioned to a new political party. There is not much we can do with that besides wait until things settle down, and continue to wait for the 10th District Court of Appeals to make a decision on the state of play of my case against the United States Air Force Academy.
One thing I would like to briefly discuss are the Capitol Riots. As many of you many have seen over the past few weeks, over 26,000 National Guardsmen from every state and territory deployed to the Washington D.C. area within 72 hours. I was selected to serve on this Task Force, and it was an absolute honor. As members of the military, we must remain A-Political. However, I will openly condemn the actions of January 6th, as they do not represent what our country stands for in terms of protecting our constitutional rights, our right to peacefully protest, and to uphold the democratic process. I stand with the Joint Chiefs of Staff of our nations military as guardians to those who will ensure the peaceful transfer of power. Whatever you may feel on this issue, know that I swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, against all enemies foreign and domestic. I will uphold that oath.
It felt different as I was walking through the Capitol, and witnessing first hand some of the damage that was caused to one of our most treasured buildings. No matter what side of the political spectrum you may fall on, I believe that we as Americans can all agree that attempting to destroy property and cause irreplaceable damage to artifacts that form the thread that sews the fabric of this nation together is simply abhorrent and reprehensible. Fortunately, the show of force performed by the National Guard went without incident, and I was able to return home by order of Governor Jared Polis soon after. Mission accomplished.
Now we need to talk about something important. As you may know from this case, Lt. General Michael Gould was the once who has ensured that my degree and commission have been withheld for over a decade from the USAF Academy. Although Michael Gould is now retired, he still holds an important position in the Air Force Academy alumni community. That position is the Corporate Executive Office for the Air Force Academy Association of Graduates. Recently during the Capitol riots, an Air Force Academy Graduate was discovered illegally storming the Capitol with a tactical vest, tactical helmet, and zip ties. I believe most graduates from the USAF Academy would agree that this is not an A-Political stance, and does not represent the values of our Air Force Academy.
Unfortunately, Michael Gould did not immediately condemn the attacks, nor the Academy graduate who performed these acts at the Capitol. This immediately threw many red flags, and caused heated debate amongst many alumni. What this began to highlight for me is that there are some graduates from the Academy who may have forgotten their oath, and may be only trying to benefit themselves from the title of "Academy Graduate" versus understanding the very essence of servant leadership.
Although technically I have yet to receive my degree from the Academy, I truly believe I am trying to help make the Air Force Academy a better place, and have always advocated for Cadets over the last decade; much more than many Academy graduates have in the past. I have been in contact with the current Superintendent, Lt. Gen. Richard Clark, and truly believe he is a leader that is willing to admit that the Academy isn't perfect, and that we can make it a better place. I am confident in this.
What is important to recognize with Michael Gould is that it took an outraged group of alumni, an article in the Denver Post, and finally the New York Times, to finally take a stance that represents the oath all graduates have already taken; one that is supported openly by the current Superintendent and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It was unacceptable and does not represent our values as members of the armed forces, nor our Constitution.
We need to be able to admit that the Air Force Academy has made mistakes; that graduates have made mistakes, to include Michael Gould. He made a mistake of protecting NCAA Athlete's. He prevented their prosecutions of sexual assault and rape in order to protect the revenue generated from ticket sales. He made a mistake of withholding my degree and commission, but utilized this to disband the Air Force Office of Special Investigations Under Cover Informant Program during Operation Grid Iron to protect those athletes. He made a mistake in not immediately condemning the Capitol Riots as the CEO of the USAF Academy Association of Graduates. I hope that now, the general public can see that this man has made many serious errors, and it is not too late to hold him accountable for those actions. In fact, it is our duty as Americans to do so.
Over the past six months, the Honor Hill Media team and I have conducted over 38 hours of intensive interview of former cadets, current cadets, staff, and officers from the USAF Academy. It is time to expand upon my story and demonstrate the decades of systematic failures the USAF Academy has made, and what we can do as Americans to fix it. The trailer to Dark Sabre is live now, and the first two episodes will drop this week. You can find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify for free. Denver 7 will also be doing an investigative journalism piece with Lead Investigative Reporter Tony Kovaleski in the near future, so stay tuned.
Thank you all for joining us on this journey. I look forward to providing you more exciting updates soon. Together, we can make a difference.
Comments