Elon Musk Promotes Story of Pilot Ousted for Urging Merit-Based Military

Elon Musk on Friday promoted a film about Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier’s fight against Marxist ideas invading the U.S. military, and the X post has garnered more than 15 million views so far.

“Call Sign Courage: The Matt Lohmeier Story,” a documentary produced with support from The Heritage Foundation, highlights Lohmeier’s efforts to advocate for a merit-based military in opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion policies promoted by the Biden administration.

In prior years, Lohmeier publicly spoke out against what he characterized as neo-Marxist ideology in military training, the use of critical race theory as an institutional framework, the politicization of the armed forces, authoritarian ideological enforcement, and the erosion of merit-based service.

Through public commentary and his book, Lohmeier, a former Air Force pilot turned Space Force commander, called for a return to constitutional loyalty, individual moral courage, free expression, unity, and merit-based leadership within the military.

The film also features remarks from top Biden-appointed defense officials, including former Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, in which they defended the inclusion of such concepts in the armed forces.

“We have a diversity, equity, and inclusion focus in the military,” Austin told the Senate Armed Services Committee in June 2021.

“I personally find it offensive that we are accusing the United States military … of being ‘woke’ because we are studying some theories that are out there,” Milley said during a House Armed Services Committee hearing that same month.

According to the film, Lohmeier’s resistance led to his removal from command — he was fired without pension under the Biden administration. The film’s website states that he was “made a public example of as a non-compliant officer.”

Beyond career repercussions, the documentary also depicts alleged intimidation incidents involving Lohmeier and his family, including reported home invasions during that period.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard described the film as “a story about a love of country, love of God.”

“His humility allows for this story to be told in a deeply impactful way,” Gabbard said at an October event at The Heritage Foundation. “You can read articles in a newspaper or online, or hear reporters talk about something—but the real impact of what Matt and his family went through can only be felt when people hear him and see his story for themselves.”

Gabbard added that storytelling such as Lohmeier’s has the power “to shape policy and bring about real and lasting change.”

As depicted throughout the film, Lohmeier turned his fight against Biden-era policies into a movement aimed at uniting service members and advocating for a return to “merit-based, unified service.”

“You look at the expectations that the American people should have of our public institutions—that the people who work there every day should be motivated by service,” Gabbard said.

In January 2021, President Donald Trump appointed Lohmeier as the 29th under secretary of the Air Force.

The documentary is now available to watch for free on X through Sunday, April 19.