A master sergeant at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, has been accused of being a member of a white nationalist group by a local anti-fascist group, and the Air Force is investigating the allegations.
Master Sgt. Cory Reeves of the 50th Space Wing at Schriever is a member of Identity Evropa, the group Colorado Springs Anti-Fascists wrote in an April 8 post online. Reeves also allegedly posted white supremacist propaganda in Colorado on several occasions, the post said.
Reeves also has served as an organizer with the group and is a “patron” member, contributing more monthly dues to the group than regular members pay, the anti-fascist group said.
The Anti-Defamation League classifies Identity Evropa as a white supremacist group that focuses on preserving “white American identity” and claims America was not intended to be a multiracial or multicultural society.
The anti-fascist group posted photographs that are allegedly of Reeves wearing clothes with the Identity Evropa logo, and taking part in a protest sponsored by the group. The 50th Space Wing would not confirm whether Reeves is in the photos.
But the newspaper Ho’okele at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii published a photograph of Reeves in 2016 that appears to match the Identity Evropa photos. At the time, Reeves was assigned to the 613th Air Operations Center.
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Reeves was also filmed by a local Hawaii news station in 2015, and a distinctive tattoo can be seen on his arm in the video that matches another photo posted by the anti-fascist group.
Attempts to contact Reeves for comment were unsuccessful.
Air Force spokesman Maj. Nick Mercurio released a statement that said the Air Force is aware of the allegations against Reeves and is looking into the matter.
“Racism, bigotry, hatred and discrimination have no place in the Air Force,” Mercurio said. “We are committed to maintaining a culture where all airmen feel welcome and can thrive.”
Mercurio also quoted Air Force Instruction 51-508, which says that “Air Force military personnel are prohibited from actively advocating supremacist, extremist or criminal gang doctrine, ideology or causes, including those that advance, encourage or advocate illegal discrimination based on race, creed, color, sex, religion, ethnicity or national origin or those that advance, encourage or advocate the use of force, violence or criminal activity or otherwise advance efforts to deprive individuals of their civil rights.”
Airmen who actively participate in such groups are subject to adverse action, Mercurio said. The Air Force could release no further information on the case, Mercurio said.
The Air Force Personnel Center said Reeves is an operations superintendent with the 2nd Space Operations Squadron in the 50th Space Wing, who entered active duty in November 2003. His awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Achievement Medal, and the Air Force Commendation Medal.
The accusation against Reeves comes at a time of increasing concerns about white nationalism and other forms of extremism in the military. After a Coast Guard lieutenant was arrested in February and accused of being a white supremacist plotting to murder prominent Democrats and media personalities, Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to leaders at the Defense and Homeland Security departments asking for assurance that this is not a sign of larger issues in the armed forces.
Another Coast Guard member was formally reprimanded after making a hand gesture tied to white supremacists in the background of a live TV interview in September 2018. And in February, a Marine was accused of allegedly posting Nazi propaganda on social media and a photograph of military explosives arranged in a swastika pattern.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
