In memory of Aaron Bushnell, a dedicated member of the United States Air Force, who sacrificed his life after setting himself on fire as a statement against genocide. Aaron, aged twenty-five, live-streamed his self-immolation outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC, declaring that he could no longer be complicit in the face of genocide.

His final words echoed a plea for a free Palestine.

My name is Aaron Bushnell, and I am an active duty member of the United States Air Force. I will no longer be complicit in genocide. I’m about to engage in an extreme act of protest but, compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers, it’s not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal. - Aaron Bushnell’s final message.

Devoting his life to defend the United States, Aaron Bushnell tragically found himself betrayed by his own country. His sacrifice sheds light on the desperate situation people of conscience are facing who want to stop the ongoing genocide in Gaza and Palestine. The death toll in Gaza is nearing 30,000, and the US administration is standing alone in the world against a ceasefire.

In honor of Aaron Bushnell's sacrifice, let us all persist in the struggle for justice, not only for Palestine but for all cases of injustice affecting people worldwide.

Who Was Aaron Bushnell?

Aaron Bushnell, originally from San Antonio, Texas, spent his formative years in Massachusetts, attending public schools on the Cape Cod peninsula. (Source: BBC)

Aaron pursued Computer Software Engineering at Southern New Hampshire University and supplemented his learning with Computer Science courses at the University of Maryland Global Campus. (Source: LinkedIn)

He served as a cyber defense operations specialist within the Air Force's 70th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Wing. His service included time with the 531st Intelligence Support Squadron, and he had been on active duty since May 2020. (Source: NBC News)

Beyond his military role, Aaron was an "aspiring software engineer," as indicated on his LinkedIn profile. He had been employed at San Antonio-based DevOps from March 2023 until the present month.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Aaron graduated "top of the class" from Air Force basic training in November 2020. Described as having a "talent and a passion for solving complex problems with code,"

Aaron Bushnell's life was marked by a dedication to military service, the pursuit of excellence in software engineering, and, ultimately pursuit of Justice.