(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Dehumanizing presentation by “history expert” from commander’s church infuriates Sioux officer [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-08-15 In an astounding display of Christian nationalist bigotry, supremacy, and historical just-making-crap-up, a local so-called “history expert,” brought in by a military commander from his off-base evangelical megachurch to deliver a presentation on the history of the base, told a unit assembled at a mandatory gathering that the soldiers stationed at the installation in its early days were there to “domesticate” the Sioux Indians and bring them to Jesus. Now, as you might imagine, this “history expert’s” presentation did not go over well, to put it mildly, particularly with one of the unit’s officers who happens to be a Native American and enrolled member of his Sioux tribe. Describing the appallingly offensive presentation and the effect it had on him in an e-mail to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), MRFF’s client wrote: “When I viewed one of the presented slides with my assembled military unit I became so outraged and sick to my stomach I didn’t know what to do? I was just incredulous! “This slide stated that during the 1870’s the main 3 missions of the U.S. Cavalry stationed at our installation was to ‘(1) Fight and defeat the Sioux Nation hostiles on the battlefield, (2) Domesticate the Sioux Nation hostiles and, (3) Bring the Sioux Nation hostiles to the grace of Jesus Christ.’” The history geek in me can’t help but interject here to tell Mr. local “history expert” that the primary mission of the soldiers stationed at this fort during that time period was to accompany and protect railroad surveyors and construction gangs until the transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869 and to patrol the railroad for a number of years afterwards. So, no, Mr. local “history expert,” their mission was not to “domesticate,” as you so demeaningly and dehumanizingly put it, the Sioux people or bring them to Jesus. MRFF has often assisted Native American service members whose culturally boneheaded Christian zealot military superiors have seen nothing at all wrong with, for example, telling a Native American subordinate to wear his “best Indian clothes” for their traditional “Puritan” Thanksgiving event last year. (Because a Native American service member would of course have a closet full of “Indian clothes” that they wear to kick back in when they’re off duty.) And that wasn’t even an isolated incident. A few years earlier another commander at another base told a Native American in their unit to dress up like an “Indian” to add to the “historical” nature of their “Pilgrim Heritage” event. But, despite having had quite a few Native American clients over the years, never have we at MRFF encountered anything as beyond the pale as what our Sioux officer client was subjected to when he dared to complain about the appalling presentation (emphasis added): “After this power point and when the mandatory meeting was adjourned it all just got worse. I spoke with the senior officer (whom I will refer to as my ‘sub-commander’) who had arranged this presentation with this so-called local community ‘history expert’ civilian who lived off base in the adjoining town. I explained how enraged I was about what was written about my Sioux people on that particular slide. My sub-commander just dismissed my complaint by telling me that it sounded as if I was a proponent of ‘Critical Race Theory’ and, further, was improperly trying to use DEI (‘Diversity, Equality and Inclusion’) as a weapon.” Yep, it’s the MAGA boogeymen — CRT and DEI. Think this commander couldn’t say anything worse than that? Think again … “He then said something I will never forget or forgive. He told me that he was well aware of my Native American heritage and that it was likely that my Native American heritage ‘helped’ me get an appointment to my alma mater, the United States (military branch name withheld) Academy.” As you’ll read in the e-mail below from MRFF’s client, the commander who made these abhorrently racist remarks as well as the unit commander have thus far received only slap-on-the-wrist punishments, but an investigation has been launched, and MRFF is assisting our client with filing both IG and EEO complaints. MRFF’s client has no intention of letting this MAGA-infused, Christian supremacist affront to decency go unpunished, writing: “I won’t let this unbelievably demeaning moment against my Sioux heritage go without a fight. And the MRFF is leading the way for us!” Here’s MRFF's client's whole e-mail, detailing the entire revolting story: [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/story/2024/8/15/2263369/-Dehumanizing-presentation-by-history-expert-from-commander-s-church-infuriates-Sioux-officer Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/