Being Pro-Life Makes Me a Terrorist?

Apparently, for some army personnel, I am a terrorist because I am pro-life.  At least, this is what a recent Congressional hearing found.

A Recent House Armed Services Committee hearing revealed that the US Army anti-terrorism training at Ft. Liberty (formerly Ft. Bragg), took a very disturbing turn in 2017. The terrorist training courses offered there since 2017 said Various pro-life groups and activities were terrorists and terrorist activities.

Examples listed of terrorist groups and activities are:

• National Right to Life and Operation Rescue
• Opposition to Roe vs Wade
• Demonstrations and protests against abortion
• Life chains
• Picketing
• Sidewalk and crisis pregnancy center counseling
• Pro-life license plates

Are You a Terrorist?

So for at least some of the personnel who took this training, I am now a terrorist. In fact anyone who contributes to the National Right to Life is a terrorist.  And anyone who marches in pro-life parades, or prays and protest in front of Planned Parenthood such as me is a terrorist, too.

The chain of command did not authorize the training, according to .Lt. Gen. Patrick Matlock, Deputy Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army.  He said the training course was a local (Ft. Liberty) initiative.  It was apparently a training area that no one noticed.  Excuse me for asking, but how is it that no one noticed this for over 7 years?

I doubt if things have changed since my active-duty days in the 60s or my Army consulting days in the 80s. There still is a Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) that is supposed to oversee Army training. Where were they?

It is perhaps ironical that Biden and the Democrats are blameless here.  This is because the training course actually began under the Trump administration.

I think it is an example of an institutional (federal government) inherent bias against pro-life and an advocacy for abortion. For example, the Army will now pay for travel and for abortion services under certain circumstances.

Implications

The seriousness of all this is that Ft. Liberty is the home of some our Army’s most elite troops.  Special Operations Command, Special Forces, Special Warfare Center and my old outfit the 82^nd Airborne are all stationed at Ft. Liberty.  What does this say about these troops?  Quite simply the training indoctrinated them to the fallacy that pro-life organizations, people and activities are considered terrorists.

Should I be worried?  Will at some point in time, the 3rd or 4^th generation of 82^nd Airborne MPs since my service in that unit, arrest me at a pro-life march?

In reality, I doubt that will happen. There are saner heads in the Army units mentioned. In turn, since all this became public, this material has been deleted from the terrorist training modules.  Army officials have also walked back the claims  made in the training. However, the question of how this happened and continued on for seven years still remains.

Because of my military background this all disturbs me to say the least. In addition to the Army’s attempt at branding pro-lifers as terrorists, the FBI’s investigations against Catholics and arresting pro-life activists also raises my ire. Years ago, I consulted and trained FBI agents as fitness leaders. In getting to know the agency and the personnel I had the upmost respect for them.

In this changing culture, however, I am both saddened and angry at the politicization and weaponization that is occurring for both the Army and the FBI. As elaborated on in a previous post, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies have creeped into the military.  It is now affecting such areas as freedom of religious expression.  This latest effort to weaponize pro-life is all part of that narrative.

Needed actions

The commanders of the units mentioned at Ft. Liberty, the Commander of TRADOC, the Chief of Staff of the Army, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs all bear some responsibility here. They need to stand up and account for their inactions of allowing this travesty. They are doing an injustice to our troops by indoctrinating them to false narratives.

Many today are appropriately expressing concern about anti-Semitism in our culture.  I  suggest that a similar vigilance is needed for anti-life and anti-Catholic actions such as those described above.

Therefore, take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  (Ephesians 6:13)

We need to stand up for the pro-life cause and for our Church. The two are interrelated in so many ways. The Catholic Church is the major pro-life advocacy voice. The Army’s and FBI actions may be a leadership or supervision lapse. Or it may be a symptom of a deeper bias within our government. Further investigation is needed.

As pro-lifers we can’t just complain and let the investigation die. One action we can take is to contact the Congressional subcommittee chair on Military Personnel, Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN). Encourage his continued investigation of this matter by writing to him at  2418 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515.  Or call him at (202) 225-4436), or email him at https://banks.house.gov/contact/email.

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