https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/03/01/veterans-burn-uniforms-solidarity-airman-who-died-after-setting-himself-fire-protest-gaza-war.htmlVeteran protesters in Portland, Oregon, set their military uniforms on fire Wednesday in memoriam of Senior Airman Aaron Bushnell's self-immolation on the steps of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 25 in protest of the war in Gaza.
A video that was widely shared on social media Feb. 28 showed a number of protesters in front of a sign that read, "Veterans Say: Free Palestine! Remember Aaron Bushnell" as they put their uniforms in a metal drum and set them on fire.
"Aaron wore his uniform as he took that act, that ultimate sacrifice," Matt Howard, a Marine Corps veteran and board member with About Face, the group behind the vigil, told
Military.com. "There's obviously an intentional decision that he made, and I think similarly, folks, our members and other veterans that participated, felt really strongly that that symbolism is important."
