The Air Force’s Betrayal: Honoring an Insurrectionist
By The Mayor of Funkytown — Political Writer, Resistance Organizer, and Defender of Democratic Integrity
On August 28, 2025, the U.S. Air Force announced that Ashli Babbitt—the woman fatally shot while storming the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021—will receive full military funeral honors.
This decision, a reversal of the 2021 denial, was made by Trump-appointed Under Secretary of the Air Force Matthew Lohmeier. His justification? That the prior determination—refusing honors because Babbitt’s death occurred while committing a crime—was “erroneous.”
It is not simply a bureaucratic reversal. It is a grotesque insult to every veteran who served honorably, every family who buried their loved one beneath folded flags, and every American who watched our democracy nearly collapse under the boots and fists of Trump’s mob.
And let me be crystal clear: I served in the United States Air Force. I was honorably discharged. And I am appalled—furious—that the institution I once proudly wore on my uniform now bends itself to honor someone who spat on her oath in the most disgraceful way possible.
The Whitewashing of Treason
Ashli Babbitt was not a martyr. She was part of a violent mob attempting to halt the certification of a lawful election. Draped in Trump gear, she tried to breach a barricaded hallway that stood between insurrectionists and the lawmakers they sought to harm.
“She was posing a serious threat to members of Congress… I saved countless lives.”
— Lt. Michael Byrd, Capitol Police
For four years, the far right has canonized Babbitt, weaponizing her death into a rallying cry against democracy itself. Granting her military honors cements this mythology in stone.
From Dishonor to Distortion
When Babbitt’s family first petitioned for honors in 2021, the Air Force denied it outright. The reason? The military understood that her death was the consequence of a criminal act, not a service sacrifice.
Now, under Trump’s second term, the Air Force has not only reversed itself but sanctified insurrection as service.
“Honors for those who dishonor their oath diminish the meaning for everyone else who earned it.”
— Retired Army Col. Andrew Bacevich, historian and veteran
As a veteran myself, I cannot stress this enough: to drape the same flag over Babbitt’s coffin that covers the coffins of true patriots is not reconciliation. It’s desecration.
Trump’s Martyr-Making Machine
This decision does not exist in a vacuum. It is part of a deliberate campaign by Trumpworld to reframe January 6 as a patriotic uprising instead of what it was: a domestic terror attack.
Babbitt’s family was awarded nearly $5 million in a wrongful-death settlement.
Dozens of convicted rioters have been pardoned or released.
Trump repeatedly calls January 6 defendants “hostages,” not criminals.
And now, the military itself is enlisted in this propaganda effort, draping the flag over a woman who died trying to destroy the republic it represents.
“You don’t honor people who try to overthrow the government. You prosecute them.”
— Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD)
Why This Matters
This isn’t just about one funeral. It’s about the integrity of our institutions and the dangerous normalization of authoritarianism.
It Erodes Military Integrity
Honors are meant for those who served with dignity—not for those who dishonored their oath by turning on the nation they swore to defend.It Undermines Democracy
By sanctifying insurrectionists, Trump’s administration blurs the line between patriotism and sedition.It Destroys Public Trust
If military honors can be politicized to honor a rioter, what else can be corrupted?
The Insurgency’s Verdict
Ashli Babbitt should be remembered for what she was: a willing participant in an anti-democratic attack. To grant her military honors is to spit on the graves of true patriots and to declare that treason has its rewards if it’s committed for Trump.
As someone who wore the Air Force uniform, I never imagined I’d see the day when that same institution would bow to political pressure and decorate a traitor. It dishonors all of us who served with integrity.
The Air Force should hang its head in shame. Every institution that bends to Trump’s revisionist history should be held accountable. And every citizen who still believes in democracy must recognize this for what it is: another front in the war on truth.
What You Can Do
Contact Congress: Demand hearings on the politicization of military honors.
Support Investigative Journalism: The truth only survives if we keep shining light on it.
Stay Loud: Share, speak out, and refuse to let Trump’s propaganda bury reality.
Democracy will not survive silence.
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✊ #Resist #Insurrection #NeverForgetJan6