A senior airman assigned to public affairs at Ramstein Air Base in Germany is being investigated after using racial slurs on an Air Force Facebook group, reports the Air Force Times.
Elizabeth Baker is accused of using the slur “ching chong” at least three times in comments over the weekend.
The slurs came after another poster expressed a desire to visit Japan.
When others called out Baker for using the slur, she responded “You are Ching Chong. Bye now.”
That was followed with “Ching Chong say what?”
Baker later blamed her racist language on being intoxicated.
“At the time that I used those slurs against you I was in no shape to be on social media,” Baker said. “I was intoxicated and I had no grasp on how ignorant and racist what I said was. I thought I was just being rude.”
Stripes.com reported that Baker has since apologized.
“I can’t believe the things I said last night. It was so backwards and ignorant. I can’t say how sorry I am to anyone of Asian descent. I don’t know how to describe how disappointed I am in myself. To anyone I hurt, please just know I’m so sorry. I disgraced my uniform and fellow Airmen and I’m sure I will pay dearly, as I deserve.”
The public affairs chief for the Ramstein-based 86th Airlift Wing called the remarks by Baker “troubling.”
“We will take appropriate action after reviewing the details of what happened,” Lt Joel Harper wrote in a post to the group. “There is no place in our Air Force for this — we are on it.”
According to Stars and Stripes, the comments were directed at German Japanese American Air Force spouse Elizabeth Faraone. She said she doesn’t know how to take the apology.
“Even after being confronted she held her stance on using the term ‘Ching Chong’ but it was only until after being reported she offered an apology,” she said.
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RE: Air Force Airman Investigated for Using Anti-Asian Slur: What does she think “ching chong” means? I have no clue what insult she was trying to make. I’m sure she’s sorry now that she’s being held accountable by non-“ching chong” people.