“Storming the Castle.” Examining the Motivations of the Veterans Who Participated in the Capitol Riots
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22158165 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Eric Hodges (0000-0002-8417-2939, Longwood University, corresponding author), Eric B Hodges |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 46 |
| Publication date | 2021-11-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Veterans Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2470-4768 • E-ISSN: 2470-4768 |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech Libraries (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.21061/jvs.v7i3.274 |
| OpenAlex | W3209577570 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 28 |
Ten percent of the Americans arrested for storming the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, are military veterans. These veterans have been charged with federal crimes ranging from Obstruction of an Official Proceeding to Assaulting Capitol Police Officers. This paper seeks to answer three questions related to those veterans’ participation in the Capitol Riots. Were their actions patriotic? What were their motivations? And was there anything about their military experience that made these veterans more likely to riot than non-veterans? A content analysis of 71 remarks made by 40 of the veterans arrested, both before and after the riots, was used to ascertain the motivations of those individuals. Analysis of the veterans’ comments revealed that they believed they were acting patriotically; however, closer examination shows that their motivations were more consistent with nationalism than patriotism. Additionally, the military training and combat exposure of the veterans, along with the “Stop the Steal” rhetoric, particularly comments made by former President Donald Trump, also played an integral role in influencing the veterans. The analysis also indicated that the Capitol Riots should be classified as a form of proto-sectarian violence and should serve as a cautionary tale against the growing divisiveness that sparked this incident
Criminology · Nationalism · Patriotism · Political science · Politics · Rhetoric · Law · Military History and Strategy · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence
Selfishness examined
Group Identities
Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations
Nationalism, Patriotism, and Group Loyalty
Intergroup Comparison versus Intragroup Relationships
Research on Enemy Images
Incriminating Empire
National Identity in a United Germany
Nationalism among foreign and American students
The Interface Between Ethnic and National Attachment
Symbolic versus Blind Patriotism
Toward a Measure of Patriotic and Nationalistic Attitudes
On the Varieties of National Attachment
On the nature of national involvement
Ethnocentrism in the Inter-Nation Simulation
Patriotism, Politics, and the Presidential Election of 1988
Are Patriots Bigots? An Inquiry into the Vices of In‐Group Pride
Choice behavior in social dilemmas
American Patriotism, National Identity, and Political Involvement
The Psychology of Prejudice
Male combat veterans' narratives ofPTSD, masculinity, and health
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |