Back in September, a viral video showed the head of the Air Force Academy, Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria, dropping a fiery rant upon the Colorado Springs campus’ 4,000 cadet candidates and their superiors. The subject of the lecture was racial slurs that had been discovered scrawled outside the dorm rooms of five black cadets. Silveria told the entire assembled crowd that if they couldn’t “treat someone with dignity and respect,” the he wanted them to “get out.” Following an investigation into who scrawled the graffiti, one of the targeted cadet candidates has admitted to writing the messages himself.
The prep school’s spokesman, Lt. Col. Allen Herritage, confirmed to the Colorado Gazette that the cadet candidate acknowledged responsibility for his actions, and he’s no longer enrolled at the academy. Herritage also issued a brief statement to the Air Force Times:
“Racism has no place at the academy, in any shape or form. We will continue to create a climate of dignity and respect for all, encourage ideas that do so, and hold those who fail to uphold these standards accountable.”
The Gazette adds that the individual “committed the act in a bizarre bid to get out of trouble he faced at the school for other misconduct.” Meanwhile, Silveria — who was widely commended for his speech following the incident — also spoke with the paper. He stands by his sentiments and says that the situation “deserved to be addressed,” especially in light of the current political backdrop, even if the circumstances weren’t exactly as they appeared.