So this was written on the memo boards of specific cadets at the Air Force Prep School this past month:
And while the Prep School is made up of younger students than the Air Force Academy, Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria decided it was an opportunity to make this a forcible "teachable moment."
Like a great many military officers, he didn't mince words. And he invited the cadets to take out their phones and record what he was saying.
"Anyone who fails to treat people with dignity and respect should get out."
Silveria pointed to organized discussions the Academy had after Charlottesville, and added:
The power that we come from all walks of life. That we come from all parts of this country, that we come from all races, from all backgrounds, genders, all makeup, all upbringing, the power of that diversity comes together and makes us that much more powerful...
No one can write on a board and question our values. No one can take that away from us.
It's clear from this and the "we'll study it" approach to transgender servicepeople that top military brass has little use for the divisiveness of the Trump administration. Good on them for putting the unit cohesiveness essential to an effective defense ahead of the stupidity of the so-called commander in chief.
