That's on an individual level. I'm familiar with philosophies ranging from primitivist to nihilist and I'm not affected by most, but there are angry, terrified people looking for some sort of reasoning, and unfortunately, these supremacists offer easy yet simplistic, logically flawed, and dangerous answers. Why do you think Hitler was such a big overnight success in the first place? People were poor, hungry, and desperate, and they would have turned to anybody who promised order. No doubt some of these white supremacists start listening to reason when they go in and see reality, but they go in expecting tolerance to be poured down their throats, so often times they become more stubborn.

The point isn't the spread of ideas through the armed forces. It's not at an epidemic level. Recruiters aren't converting whole platoons to their ideolology. It's the introduction of the people who really have no aim to protect the country. They want to learn ways to kill for criminal reasons, and often times they will break the law by stockpiling weapons and shipping them home. They're not soldiers. They're parasites. This isn't patriotism to them, it's training.

Soldiers also act as de facto diplomats. They represent us, and if they misbehave, we're all viewed negatively. Do you want the reputation of this country in the hands of somebody who reminds you of the movie American History X? Granted, they often keep it under wraps, but their views guarantee that they won't be all too concerned for the welfare of the average Iraqi civilian.