February 25, 1 p.m., Washington, USA. A 25-year-old U.S. Air Force active duty pilot Aaron Bushnell wore a U.S. military camouflage uniform and started a live stream on the gaming platform Twitch.
On the way to the Israeli embassy in Washington, Bushnell said, "I'm an active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force," Bushnell saidI will no longer participate in the genocide. I am about to take extreme ** measures, but this is not extreme at all compared to the treatment that the Palestinians have suffered at the hands of the aggressor. This is what our ruling class considers to be normal".
* Before, he had broken down and told a friend that he knew some confidential information:"U.S. soldiers were directly involved in the ** of the population in the Gaza tunnels".
When he arrived at the door of the embassy, he put his phone on the ground, took a few steps back, and then poured the liquid from the bottle in his left hand on his body, put on his military hat, lit the lighter, and did it in one go without hesitation. In the flames he shouted: "Refuse to be an accomplice in this ****", "Free Palestine", "Free Palestine!" ”
On February 25, Bushnell live** in front of the Israeli Embassy in the United States.
Subsequently, the special service personnel wearing ** rushed to the scene. They repeatedly ordered Bushnell to "get down" and pointed at Bushnell's burning body. That is until a police officer in a white shirt rushes over with a fire extinguisher and extinguishes the fire.
Bushnell live footage.
Seven hours later, the US authorities confirmed that Bushnell had died of his injuries. He gave an account of his death in his will:Leave his cat with his neighbors, leave a fridge full of root beer with friends, and donate his savings to Palestinian children's relief**.
US Defense Department spokesman Ryder responded by expressing condolences to the family of the Air Force serviceman, and said that this was a "tragic incident" and that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was concerned about the situation.
The Palestinian resistance group Hamas also issued a statement on social platforms, "extending its deepest condolences" to Bushnell, saying that he would be "immortalized", while saying that Biden was fully responsible for Bushnell's death because its policies supported the "Zionist war of extermination against the Palestinian people".
In his social profile, Bushnell describes himself as an "aspiring software engineer" and "passionate about solving complex problems."
Bushnell is currently an active U.S. Air Force pilot based in San Antonio, Texas.
According to his profile, Bushnell trained to become a member of the Air Force in May 2020, and in November of that year, he also graduated "with flying and class grades."
Since joining the Air Force, Bushnell has worked in information technology and development, claiming that he has been "praised at the top for his ability to explain complex technical problems."
I have experience in the military as a group leader, executive, and in various civilian roles, which has allowed me to grow in the team and gain very good communication skills. He wrote.
Bushnell was alive**.
Bushnell said he is currently pursuing a transition from the U.S. Air Force to a software engineer. To that end, he is pursuing a bachelor's degree in computer software engineering at Southern New Hampshire University, where he expects to graduate in May 2025 and is already certified by CompTIA Security+. Mr. Bushnell said he could "apply those skills to any role," but that he was "really passionate about writing software" and that he "can't wait to help drive innovation in the civilian world."
On the 26th, Bushnell's university issued a statement: "We are deeply saddened by the news of Aaron's passing, and the Southern New Hampshire University community extends its deepest condolences to Aaron's family and friends." ”
Bushnell grew up in a devout **religious family. Mother Danielle is a buyer and contract administrator for Paraclete Press, a teaching book and publisher. According to her company profile, her hobbies include "teaching American history to homeschoolers, playing the bass clarinet, and taking care of her dog 'Jasper' and her cat 'Lilac.'" ”
My father started working as a carpenter and later founded a construction company. According to friends who know him well, the Bushnell family lives in a religious compound in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, which is a religious compound with a "mind control" nature, also known as the "Jesus Community." On Bushnell's father's social media page, there is a link to promote this "Jesus Community."
Jesus Community in Orleans, Massachusetts.
At a school in Ontario, Canada, many of the school's staff members are reportedly members of this "Jesus Community." Students who attended the school said the religious group had created a perpetual "controlling, intimidating and humiliating" campus environment that had caused indelible damage to the school's students for the rest of their lives.
According to US media reports, the "Jesus Community" is a typical left-wing community, and the children in the community have been nurtured with their parents since childhood, and they are all extremely enthusiastic about the cause of justice, and they will definitely take action when they see injustice on the road, and they are even willing to sacrifice their lives to defend those who have nothing to do with it.
The Washington Post published an article titled "The Pilot of ** Grew Up in a Religious College and Has an Athereist Past." In the article, Susan Wilkins, who lives in the same community as Mr. Bushnell, said that it was common for members of the "Jesus Community" to join the military, and that it was a shift from "one high-control group to another."
Prior to joining the Air Force, Bushnell attended the local Nausset Public School and also worked in IT and web development. He enjoys "The Lord of the Rings" and karaoke, and he and his 22-year-old brother, Sean, have performed in a drum ensemble called Spirit Winter Percussion.
Spirit WP is fantastic! Bushnell's father proudly wrote in a 2017 Facebook post. "Words cannot express how grateful Danielle and I are to this group and how important it is to our children's lives (and futures). ”
Aaron Bushnell with his father Dave (first from left), mother Danielle and younger brother Sean (first from right).
* Following the incident, Nausset Public Schools also said in a statement that it was "very saddened to learn of the untimely death of our former student Aaron Bushnell".
Ashley Schumann, 26, is Bushnell's youngster. She said that due to the high expectations and strict restrictions of community leaders and teachers, they all faced anxiety during their teenage years. Bushnell began serving in the Air Force in San Antonio in May 2020 after moving out of the "Jesus Community" on Cape Cod in 2019 and working for a time at a pawnshop elsewhere in Massachusetts.
The New York Post quoted writer Mark Joseph Stern as commenting on Bushnell's **, saying that "people with mental illness deserve sympathy and respect, but it is extremely irresponsible to praise them for using political reasons to end their lives."
However, this way of reporting on Bushnell's behavior to mental health has been met with criticism. American journalist and writer Joshua Frank wrote on social media (formerly Twitter):"Please stop saying that Aaron Bushnell is mentally ill. True psychosis is witnessing genocide happening without doing anything to stop it. ”
Screenshot of writer Joshua Frank's post.
Assar Ladd, a doctor of Middle East history and a U.S.-Iran policy researcher at the University of California, Irvine, also posted a post criticizing the U.S. media for avoiding the words "Gaza", "Palestine" and "genocide" in their reports, which is the real reason why Bushnell chose **.
Screenshot of Assar Ladd's post.
Less than two weeks ago, Bushnell spoke with friends about their shared identity as no-noists and what risks and sacrifices they had to take to "make a difference."
Bushnell's social account shows that before his death, he liked the posts of radical non-a** groups, including a pro-Hamas group called "Students of Palestinian Justice."
Barbossa met Bushnell at an event organized by a socialist group and the Liberation Party in San Antonio in 2022, when Bushnell and his brother had just returned from a vacation in Hawaii. She said they had similar political views and began working together to provide clothing and food to the homeless.
He has said that he has shifted a bit from one extreme — the conservative beliefs he grew up with — to the opposite extreme, forming his a**, anti-imperialist values," Barbossa said. "He said it was a very quick turnaround. ”
He was furious, and he knew that no decision-maker would listen to the voice of the ** person every week. Barbossa added, "He knew he had privileges as a white man and a member of the military." ”
According to US media reports, in accordance with the Pentagon's long-standing non-partisan policy, Americans are forbidden to engage in any political activities. Many U.S. troops, while not as vehemently opposed to military action in Gaza as Bushnell, remain skeptical and frustrated by U.S. military support for Israel. It has been learned that Bushnell's unit was ordered by the US Department of Defense to provide and identify targets for the Israeli army's air raids on Gaza.
The US Department of Defense stressed that it has not heard of any other military personnel acting against the war. When asked by reporters whether Bushnell's decision could mean a broader discord within the military over the death of civilians in Gaza, he refused to answer directly.
US Department of Defense spokesman Ryder.
Before taking extreme action, Bushnell left one last message on Facebook.
Many of us like to ask ourselves: What would I do if I lived in slavery, apartheid? And now that genocide is being perpetrated in our country, what should I do? He wrote. My answer is: to respond. Do it now. ”
Screenshot of Bushnell's post.
After the incident, many Americans went to Bushnell's scene and lit candles to mourn him. The memorial service lasted more than three hours and was attended by more than 300 people at its peak.
In Manhattan, New York, people in the United States mourn Bushnell's rally.
The day after the Bushnell** incident, about 80 demonstrators showed up at the Israeli Embassy in the United States to express support for Bushnell and condemn Israel. Among them, 55-year-old Aosta** made a recording of Bushnell's time.
I wish I had known sooner that I should have stopped him," Aosta said. At the 2022 Lincoln Memorial event, he met Bushnell. "His life meant a lot and what happened was shocking. ”
In the days following Bushnell, in Washington and New York, people held events to commemorate Bushnell, with slogans such as "Liberate Palestine" and "Stop", and Biden's policy in the Kazakh-Israeli conflict.
In honor of Bushnell, a slogan "Liberate Bushnell" appeared in Washington, USA.
At a public rally in honor of Bushnell, a uniformed Army woman spoke to "everyone remember Aaron Bushnell's words: 'I will no longer participate in the genocide.'" ’”
A Palestinian-American who went to pay her mourning said the memorial would be important to her because "he gave hope to the people of Gaza."
A former U.S. Army intelligence officer said, "His death should not be in vain, it should be seen by the whole world, and other brave people should be supported, otherwise, how are we going to deal with genocide?" ”
On the 26th, demonstrators gathered outside the Israeli Embassy in the United States to hold a vigil for Bushnell.
On social **x (formerly Twitter), posts about Bushnell topped the hot search list. Veteran British rock group Pink Floyd, co-founder and singer "Water Master" Roger Waters, also posted a message to mourn Bushnell, calling him "a hero to all Americans".
Aaron Bushnell, a hero to all Americans. Night after night, the cycle goes back and forth in my head. His dreams are driving me crazy. We can't write off his last scene, keep an eye on this dream'. Quoting the lyrics of his band's song "The Gunslinger's Dream," Waters wrote in the post.
Screenshot of the singer "Water Master" post.
Nothing is more indicative of dissatisfaction with Biden's Gaza policy than an American ** in front of the Israeli embassy in the United States**. The American "Political News Network" published an article calling this ** incident an escalation of popular anger. According to the report, at the White House and a group of anonymous staff members wrote in an open letter: "Ending one's own life in the most shocking way is the most severe warning to our country." ”
Bushnell's former friends recalled the last time they saw him. It was at a send-off party at a karaoke bar in San Antonio, where he was preparing to travel to Ohio to participate in the Army's job skills training program for soon-to-be retired servicemen. At the party, he sang one song after another, including the opening song of the Disney animated film "Tangled: Prelude to Happiness": Wind in My Hair, sung by Mandy Moore.
I had a smile on my face and it was wonderful," he sang. "Life is going to happen to me as it should be. ”
At the farewell party, Bushnell sang "Wind in My Hair."
Editor: Liu Zhenzhen).