Sgt. Cory Reeves Kicked Out Of Army For Participation In White Nationalist Groups

A former Air Force master sergeant was officially kicked out of the ranks in August after officials confirmed his participation in the white supremacist group in an internal investigation last year.

Technical Sgt. Cory Reeves was confirmed by the Justice Department’s Office of Special Investigations to have been connected to the white nationalist extremist group Identity Evropa, which rebranded as the American Identity Movement in 2019. Reeves was discharged on August 14, after he had been demoted from master sergeant to technical sergeant last year.

Reeves had been working at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado, when a anti-fascist group that calls themselves the Colorado Springs Anti-Fascists posted photos that allegedly showed Reeves in Identity Evropa clothing at a protest. According to the Air Force Times, the anti-fascists also said that Reeves had been seen distributing white nationalist propaganda, and contributed money to Identity Evropa as a “patron,” giving more money to the organization than a normal member.

Reeves was one of 11 military servicemen connected to Identity Evropa to have been under investigation after they had being exposed by The Huffington Post in April 2019.

Although the investigation into Reeves was finished in August 2019, discharge proceedings were not filed until December, and an administrative board had not officially recommended he be discharged until February. Then, since Reeves had been a member of the Air Force for more than 16 years (since November 2003) a review had to be completed based on that recommendation.

“The Air Force is committed to maintaining a culture where all airmen feel welcome and can thrive, will hold airmen accountable when misconduct is alleged, and will ensure airmen alleged to have committed misconduct receive their due process rights afforded by law and regulations,” spokeswoman Ann Stefanak told Vice in February when officials recommended Reeves be discharged.

Also in February, lawmakers in the House Armed Services subcommittee criticized the Air Force’s slow response in discharging Reeves.

“Only recently, after facing intense pressure, did the Air Force decide to begin the process of removing [Reeves] from the military, and that’s a concern to me,” said Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M).