The Air Force Academy graduate flew combat missions in Afghanistan. He remained on active duty until 1998 and retired from the Air Force Reserve in 2014.
Thomas Webster’s prison sentence is the longest so far among roughly 250 people who have been punished for their conduct during the riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
Former President Donald Trump denied his defense secretary's accusations that he wanted U.S. military members to shoot protestors during civil rights demonstrations in summer 2020, but declined comment on Mark Esper's assertion that he suggested using missiles to attack drug cartels in Mexico.