OFF THE WIRE
Writing in Military Times, Jon R. Anderson reported yesterday that soldiers at Fort Carson near Colorado Springs may be banned from joining the Iron Order Motorcycle Club. Fort Carson currently houses about 32,000 soldiers, sailors and airmen. Most notably, it is the home of the 4th Infantry Division and the 10th Special Forces Group.
At least 25 percent of Iron Order members are active duty and reserve servicemen. Club members include numerous commissioned and non-commissioned officers. The club’s current vice-president is Lieutenant Colonel Michael “Cgar” Crouse.
An active duty Sergeant First Class spoke to The Aging Rebel about the Iron Order and the military. Because the Iron Order uses military resources to punish its opponents in the military, he requested anonymity. He named specific incidents in which members of his family were threatened by armed, Iron Order members who were on active duty. The source said, “The Iron Order took a foothold within the Army with the promise of being a law abiding and respected MC. As you know the military contributes greatly to the MC ranks. There usually isn’t much push back from the big clubs because they tend to stay out of military towns for obvious reasons. So this gives clubs like the Iron Order a kind of safe haven. Then every three years a soldier will move and the process starts all over.”
Off Limits
The Military Times report quotes 4th Infantry Division spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jason Brown is not currently on Fort Carson’s list of off-limits groups but “I can guarantee it will be part of that conversation.”
According to Anderson, “Brown suggested troops steer clear of involvement in the Iron Order.”
Referring to an ugly incident on January 30, in which Colorado prison guard and Iron Order patch holder Derrick Duran shot and killed Mongols Motorcycle Club member Victor Mendoza at the Colorado Motorcycle Expo, Colonel Brown told Anderson, “In light of the events of this weekend, I would advise them to hold off until we can review this policy letter and take a look at Iron Order, look at their charter, and see what they’re about and see if there’s a pattern.”
Military Times also reports, “About half of the Iron Order bikers involved in the brawl were military veterans from the Colorado area.”
A spokesmen at nearby Peterson Air Force Base declined to tell Military Times whether the Air Force Office of Special Investigations considered the Iron Order a criminal gang.