Mourners gathered Friday evening in San Antonio’s historic San Pedro Springs Park for a candlelight vigil to commemorate and mourn the loss of Senior Airman Aaron Bushnell, who self-immolated on Feb. 25 outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. Bushnell lit himself on fire as an act of protest against Israel’s war on Gaza. The vigil also aimed to mourn the rising death toll in Gaza, which currently exceeds 30,000 according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Bushnell served as a cyber defense operation specialist at Lackland Air Force Base. The 25-year-old Massachusetts native moved to San Antonio in 2020 for basic training. He was an active member of the communities of greater San Antonio, devoting some of his free time to advocating for the homeless.
On the day of his death, Bushnell went live on the video-streaming app Twitch and prefaced what he was about to do and his reasoning behind it. In the video, he says, “My name is Aaron Bushnell. I am an active-duty member of the United States Air Force, and 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.”
Bushnell then positioned his phone in front of him as he stood at the entrance of the Israeli embassy. He proceeded to douse himself in a flammable liquid and self-immolated. While his body ignited in flames, Bushnell chanted “Free Palestine” for about a minute before he collapsed. It was reported that Bushnell later died in a local hospital at 8:06 p.m.
His death has received global attention, as there have been countless vigils and forms of commemoration to honor him in San Antonio and across the world. Friday’s memorial saw a large turnout for Bushnell, with many different activists and close friends attending.
The park was decorated with banners that hung pictures of Bushnell, as well as artwork depicting images and words of support for Palestine, such as “Free Palestine” and “Let Palestine live, end the occupation.”
Mourners were also seen carrying signs and Palestinian flags as they attended not only for Bushnell but in solidarity with Palestine.
Nate Masso, one of the many attendants within the crowd, spoke on the importance of the vigil.
“It’s an honor to be able to go to the vigil here in San Antonio, especially as he lived here and did activism here. To me, it’s another reason, another martyr. Another reason to stand up and support a ceasefire to genocide,” he said.
Julia Williams, another attendant, stated, “He was definitely a man who could see what a more free and just world looks like, and he was willing to give everything for that. And for that, we commend him and he rests in power.”
A large group of people gathered a short walk away from the main area of the vigil, as a tree decorated with items such as candles, teddy bears and pictures of Bushnell served as a silent area to mourn the Airman.
The vigil began with allowing attendees to speak, whether about Bushnell or about their thoughts and feelings regarding the death toll in Gaza.
One of the speakers, who identified himself as Moon, shared that he was a friend and comrade of Aaron’s.
Moon began by acknowledging that Bushnell’s last message to the world regarded the “genocide in Gaza on Palestinians by Israel.”
“The daily horrors by the Israeli occupation forces on Palestinians are unconscionable and morally reprehensible, but normalized in our society by our government,” Moon said. “Aaron himself was a strong-willed man. He was steadfast, and I respected that greatly.”
Moon emphasized the importance of not forgetting his friend’s message and ended his speech by saying, “I love Aaron. He was my friend, comrade and I miss him a lot.”
Another speaker was a former member of the U.S. Air Force, Armando Menagarcia. Although he did not know Bushnell personally, he spoke on how his death has affected him as a fellow U.S. Airman. “He and I never crossed paths, but when asked if I wanted to speak, I felt a responsibility to do so as other veterans have.”
“Aaron courageously and tragically lost his life in the line of duty, but this was different from all the other stories I’ve heard about soldiers dying for our country. Airman Bushnell wasn’t killed by insurgents in a foreign land. He selflessly gave his life for something far more honorable. He gave his life for the truth.”
“Aaron, I hope you’re at peace. I wish I could have met someone like you when I was still in [the military.] I could have learned so much from you,” Menagarcia finished.
In a separate interview after his speech, Menagarcia was asked about what motivated him to attend the vigil and speak in honor of Bushnell.
“I wore the same uniform as him. The very point of his protest was to have us in uniform to have a moment of self-reflection.”
The former Airman of six years added that he feels the U.S. military should serve no role in addressing national conflicts such as the one happening in Palestine. “I don’t think we should have a role in the international stage at all. I don’t think we deserve it. I think we should focus on our issues at home.”
Since his death, Bushnell’s form of protest has been described as being extreme, resulting in many questioning his mental stability. Menagarcia responded to these claims, saying that those who criticize Bushnell “haven’t woken up yet.”
“I think they either don’t know enough, which is not an excuse anymore, or they know and they don’t want to accept the responsibility for what [his protest] means.”
For more information on Bushnell’s life and what led to his act of protest, several speakers and close friends of his recommended visiting the website “crimethinc,” as there are two articles regarding Bushnell, one being an explanation behind his protest and the other being a collection of memories recounted directly from his friends.
