Opinion | Shut Up, the U.S. Air Force Explained

Thanks to the efforts of a veteran pilot, the Air Force reversed a misguided effort to ban online criticism of its policies by members of the public. Justice Department lawyers have agreed that Air Force websites and pages won’t remove posts or ban users based on their point of view.

Richard Rynearson, a retired Air Force command pilot and field-grade officer, was banned from an official Air Force Facebook page because he criticized a post by Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Joanne Bass. Mr. Rynearson believed that Air Force leadership was prioritizing cultural sensitivity issues to such a degree, it was corrupting the strength and character of the Air Force, and that our military leaders had become hostile to critics of these policy directions.