Anyone ever ran into it? What was your take? How was it handled? Did you bear it and keep pushing along or did something have to be done? As a leader, how did you handle it if it was one of your colleagues or troops?

I've had plenty of racist experiences while in the military such as a SFC asking me if I "comprendè" and asking me if I needed some instructions told to me in Spanish because I didn't hear him clearly (tinnutis damnit!) Another situation where a group of National Guardsmen asked me why I was at the ammo shack (to pick up ammo of course, the other guys didn't get questioned. Only me and it was strictly me and another Mexican dude.)

But one situation stands out the most for me: We had a racist company commander and his 1SG was Puerto Rican and every black and brown service member serving in that unit was dumbfounded to INCLUDE THE 1SG. Everyone complained about him being SUPER weird when it came to talking to any person of color. He'd talk to us like we're dumb, talking really slow and loud, mix in a Spanish word or a 'ya dig homie?' to black service members. I'm cringing thinking about this.

I was a SPC on my way out and the 1SG used to vent to me in Spanish all the time about how weird the commander acts and how the commander always talked to him like he was clueless.

The commander had it out for me because my old company wanted to send me out on deployment to Iraq even though I couldn't due to COPD. My MEB packet magically disappeared at Brigade and my PCM was furious. I had several ER visits for chest pains and trouble breathing and I had to call my state senator for help, in which they did. They chewed on the brass at the top and sent me to HHC so I can get out on a medical chapter.

I was only there for 30 days during COVID but let me tell you, it was awkward. My first meeting with the commander he essentially chews me out for sending Kysten fucking Sinema to make sure I didn't deploy. Next, for absolutely no reason, he makes a no leave memo for me. Basically my entire 60 day leave had to be sold instead of me taking terminal leave. It used "COVID" as an excuse. The only way I found out?

I put in my terminal leave form and it was kicked back with the commander coming into office and saying "Ooooh sorry, I didn't know.. I thought we were doing that with all the soldiers getting out?" Me and 1SG knew he was playing dumb because several other SM's had taken terminal leave and I was working at S-1 at the time handling leave forms. I found that a lot of black and Hispanic soldiers had that specific memo while the cute, perky PFC was off to have her hot girl summer.

I recall my 1SG, OIC and CSM discussing him together before I got kicked out the room. I had necessary medical appointments to go to while on terminal and now I couldn't attend them because my ETS date was closer than expected. I ETS'd without clearing post to include CIF.

I remember getting a boatload of calls from my leadership telling me that I had to clear and they were asking me to come back. First calls were from my first line and eventually it was the commander. My 1SG texted me and I said "listen man, I'm not going. Fuck Captain J*****. " and that was that.