Fort Stewart shooting suspect was relentlessly mocked for stutter, soldiers say

[chowder66]

A friend of the man accused of gunning down five fellow soldiers at the Fort Stewart army base in Georgia earlier this week recounted how the suspect had been repeatedly bullied for having a serious stutter, according to a news report.

Meanwhile, soldiers who acted swiftly to suppress the gunman and prevent the possibility of a much higher death toll were being hailed as heroes for their bravery in the terrifying moments after shots rang out on the sprawling military base on Wednesday morning.

The man in custody for the shooting, Sgt Quornelius Radford, 28, was relentlessly mocked and mimicked for his speech impediment, from the earliest days of his army career, NBC News reported on Thursday.

“He got bullied a lot. It was very bad to the point where he could barely talk,” Sgt Cameron Barrett, 28, a friend of Radford’s, said in an interview with the TV network.

more.....
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/08/fort-stewart-georgia-army-base-suspect

[yardwork]

1. Where were the commanding officers?

I thought the military didn't tolerate hazing and bullying?

[RockRaven]

4. Probably participating.

The US military's talk and the US military's actions don't always match up.

[a kennedy]

2. Bullies everywhere.

No excuse, but damn.

[TheProle]

3. Bullying is not okay

but I would wager he had other avenues of getting assistance or support than just gunning people down.

[edhopper]

5. Like going to a commanding officer

and being told to "suck it up"?

That is par for the course in the military.

[niyad]

9. As the "MASH" sequence posted earlier today shows.

[orangecrush]

23. Thanks

If there had been a "Winchester" there, perhaps this wouldn't have happened...

[Shipwack]

21. The CO of my sub would mock the Navigator's speech.

While I didn’t like the Nav, he was damn good at his job. He was able to instantly order an emergency course change when a fishing boat or pleasure craft popped out of nowhere.

However, he’d get a a little nervous on the ship wide communication system. Then the POS CO would mock him, which caused the Nav to make another mistake, etc…

Worst Captain I ever had. Bastard almost sank the boat twice through his stupidity and arrogance.

[walkingman]

6. America has become a nation of bullies, and our Commander-In-Chief sets the example.

[mzmolly]

7. Not excusing the shooter, but WTF is it with "adults"

mocking a person who stutters?

[niyad]

10. Because they are despicable, insecure bullies.

[a kennedy]

16. Oh, and guess who their fawking role model is??? Right.....the gawd damn orange piece of shit!!!!!

[whathehell]

11. Exactly, and I can't help but wonder

who in HELL raised these people?...Weren't most of us raised from an early age to just not do this shit?.. to behave with the most basic sense of decency?

[mzmolly]

14. Exactly.

And, all of the bullies should have been held accountable, prior to anyone acting out.

[raccoon]

13. The Chief Bully set the tone by mocking a special needs man.

[mzmolly]

15. It's terrible.

[niyad]

8. Interesting timing. The "MASH" sequence with Maj. Charles Winchester

heping a wounded soldier with a pronounced stutter was just posted here earlier today.

[soldierant]

12. I just put a link to this psst there.

How here is a link to that post.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220546102

[John1956PA]

17. Perhaps he would have received sympathetic treatment if he were white.

[Puppyjive]

18. The US military is a fascist regime

I served. The military is not the same. All of my fellow soldiers are complete racist assholes.

[pinkstarburst]

19. I am thinking back to the Will Smith/Chris Rock incidient

When Chris Rock stood up on a stage in front of a national audience and demeaned a black woman for having alopecia, a medical condition that causes baldness and also just like stuttering, can wind up causing severe psychological impacts like depression and anxiety because we do not live in a society that is kind to people who are different. Our current disgrace in charge in the WH is an example of mocking people who are different, of mocking people with disabilities. Joe Biden, who also has a stutter, was an example of being courageous and kind and accepting.

I was really disappointing by all the comments after the Will Smith/Chris Rock incident. Not because they flatly said that Will Smith was 100% wrong to strike Chris Rock. He absolutely was. But because many people on DU and across social media refused to treat the horrible mocking of a black woman for a medical condition that undoubtedly causes her emotional distress as anything but "a joke."

And I am guessing that the terrible behavior on this army base was also treated like "a joke" by fellow soldiers and officers alike. I am also now thinking of the school shooter in Uvalde, who was also mocked terribly for his stutter, and for whom the school system refused to get him speech services throughout his school career.

There is no excuse for violence. I am just sad and afraid because the kind of society we are shifting towards, a meaner, crueler society in many cases, that hurts more people, is only going to create more people who may be likely to do something terrible. I will pray every day that our party finds a leader who is able to see us through this terrible time.

[Sogo]

25. Wow....I didn't know the Uvalde shooter had been bullied for a stutter.

nt.

[Marie Marie]

20. If given the opportunity, Pres Joseph R Biden would have taken the time and had

kind, compassionate and empathetic words for him. He would have even offered to "work with him" on how he handled and improved his speaking. I miss him so. Yes, bullying is now encouraged by that Thing that now occupies our WH.

[Oeditpus Rex]

22. As would I

I stuttered with 'wh' words such as "what," "where," "when" and "why" well into my 20s, even after I'd become a newspaper reporter and had to use those words constantly.

I don't recall anyone ever teasing or mocking me about it, but it made me live in fear of having to use such words until I learned to laugh at my stutter myself, like slapping the side of my face as if to get my mouth unstuck. I would've encouraged that guy to adopt the same trick.

Btw -- any stutterer or stammerer, or one with any speech impediment, who can deliver a State of the Union address is a fucking hero. I greatly admired that about Biden.

[Marie Marie]

24. Then you understand and fortunately you experienced your stutter in a time when people seemed a little softer and kinder

than we see today. Maybe no,t but it sure seems like we are getting more and more cruel as a species by the day. Glad you were able to overcome and cope.

[chowder66]

28. It wasn't just the stutter for him. He also faced racism.

He may not have had the access to help or he may have had a more severe stutter. We just don’t know.

[elleng]

26. ;-(

[RedWhiteBlueIsRacist]

27. Yet, Christians want to plaster 10 Commandments everywhere, purportedly compiled by a known stutterer!

Had Sgt. Radford chiseled a few stone blatherings and parted a sea, perhaps his tormenters would have been a little more jiggy with his impediment?

Maybe Radford's attorney/s could get him off with the Moses defense!

[synni]

29. Ableists getting their comeuppance

Moral of the story: Stop bullying people.

[phylny]

30. I'm a retired speech therapist.

Many people in prison have had a history of speech or language disorders.

[dickthegrouch]

31. It is far more indicative of bravery

Last edited Sat Aug 9, 2025, 06:27 PM - Edit history (1)

To stand up and say “this is not ok” than to shoot the victim who eventually cracked and retaliated.
As a society we need to show much more bravery.
Bravery is resisting.
Bravery is assisting.
Bravery is not silence.