Published on November 23, 2023, 3:27 am

In a surprising turn of events, the Air Force and management at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota seem to be pulling back from a previously issued notice. This message had incorrectly tagged Turning Point Action as an “alt-right” group and warned Air Force personnel about potential consequences—up to discharge—for attending its conservative political rally.

Last week, an intriguing announcement made rounds on Minot AFB which is the only airbase hosting both strategic bombers and Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), with 26 B-52 aircraft operated by the 5th Bomb Wing and 150 ICBM sites controlled by the 91st Missile Wing. This announcement was initially shared on an unofficial but popular Facebook page emulating an official base leadership statement.

The controversial message pertained to a recent local event known as the Dakota Patriot Rally, dated November 17 in Minot. The rally, which chiefly celebrated traditional conservative values, had a senior member of Turning Point Action as its star speaker. However, Turning Point Action was referred to in the notification as an “alt-right organization.” Further, it implied that participating with such groups could risk their service tenure in the U.S military—a claim taken seriously considering recent measures within parts of the military to weed out extremists.

Critically though, joining the military doesn’t mean relinquishing your First Amendment rights entirely. There are rules aplenty for attending political rallies such as not wearing one’s uniform or speaking at these gatherings while on duty, let alone participating if there were prospects of violence. From this perspective, going to the Turning Point Action Rally doesn’t breach any policy.

Promptly after this online cautionary advice went viral, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer spoke with Chief of Staff of the Air Force General David Allvin expressing his criticism over what he called biased miscommunication coming from Minot Air Force Base regarding participation in Dakota Patriot Rally.

General Allvin admitted certain missteps leading to this misinformation. He said an internal correction was circulated at Minot Air Force Base just 52 minutes after the initial message was dispatched. However, an official statement was issued only four days later on its website and Facebook page, much to Senator Cramer’s disapproval who argues that such corrections should be made instantly on all official communication mediums.

In response, Minot Air Force Base corrected its missive by clarifying that the earlier unofficial message about Dakota Patriot Rally in Minot was not grounded in fact and not sent through their official platform. The revised communication brushed aside any security issues related to this local political fundraiser while assuring military personnel of their constitutional right of assembly and participation within personal capacity parameters, consistent with their First Amendment rights.

But strangely enough, despite this clarification and apology from the base, there was no reference or apology regarding misleading information concerning Turning Point Action – leaving room for speculation about whether the Facebook post mistook or genuinely echoed installation leadership views.

This incident underscores the urgent need for real news validation from trusted news sources, reporting material with precision and integrity to allow individuals to make decisions based on true facts—with the Christian Worldview emphasizing truthfulness as a virtue. In this era of ‘alternative facts,’ accuracy in presenting information is paramount—where even a slip can have serious consequences.