The Air Force on Tuesday identified the airman who died after setting himself on fire as an extreme act of protest in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Senior Airman Aaron Bushnell, of Whitman, Massachusetts, walked up to the embassy on Sunday afternoon, doused himself with accelerant and lit his Air Force uniform on fire. He was 25 years old and had been on active duty since May 2020, according to the service.
Bushnell was a cyber defense operations specialist with the 531st Intelligence Squadron at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. He was assigned to the 70th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing at Fort Meade in Maryland.
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“When a tragedy like this occurs, every member of the Air Force feels it,” Col. Celina Noyes, the 70th ISRW commander, said in an emailed statement. “We extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Senior Airman Bushnell. Our thoughts and prayers are with them, and we ask that you respect their privacy during this difficult time.”
Bushnell recorded the self-immolation, and a video of it was posted online. In it, the uniformed service member calmly walks to the front of the embassy and says he is about to engage in an “extreme act of protest.” He then dumps an accelerant on himself from a water bottle and pulls out a lighter, setting himself on fire. He…
