@Igotjelly
I do wonder with the veterans that are involved how much of it is Trump and his idiologies preying on those who have suffered trauma and have mental health issues as a result. It's already well known that post-service mental health care is abysmal.
I don't think this is the case.
The military attracts a certain type of person in the first place, and weeds out people who do not fit a certain mould. The values the military looks for or instills in rank-and-file enlisted personnel and NCO ranks include patriotism of the 'My country right or wrong' variety. Since the Vietnam controversy and backlash ended there has been a definite 'Critisism of anything that comes under the heading of Patriotism is unpatriotic' vein in American society.
There are hundreds of thousands of families in the US where members have served for four-five-six generations. Whole sections of society are dyed in the wool military with a strong military culture, a more salient feature in some regions than in others - it's all 'Yessir', 'No Sir', 'salute that flag', 'do what you're ordered', 'duty is everything', and 'thinking is above your rank'.
Ronald Reagan is a massive hero, an object of veneration even, to this section of society. Advocating for anything that might remotely be connected to Socialism/ Communism (the two are very misunderstood and often conflated) is considered un-American and unpatriotic. Entire universes of thought and ideas are never up for consideration therefore. For some, even having an interest in how things are done in, say, the Netherlands, or Sweden, is to be avoided, because that alone implies a questioning of The American Way. There are people in the US who hold the rest of the world in scorn. They also hold Americans who have an interest in the rest of the world in scorn. This includes everyone in the Public Broadcasting Service, and since Fox cornered the conservative market, it includes everyone in the rest of commercial broadcast journalism too.
A lot of exMilitary end up in private security companies, in police forces in some metropolitan areas, state police forces, and in police forces such as the Capitol Police. They reflect a certain type of mindset - being comfortable wielding authority that comes from a specific position and license to have and use a weapon, and with uniformity/uniforms and a hierarchical chain of command. Following orders and procedures is a way of life.
Going in the security direction after leaving the military also reflects either very poor grades in school (because the GI Bill can cover a lot of the costs of third level education but you have to qualify for entry to a third level institution in order to avail of this benefit) or lack of interest in putting yourself in a position of having to learn something new.
Sticking close to what you are familiar with is an indication of lack of desire or maybe ability to engage with the new and the different. You are very likely as an individual to prefer short and simple answers to questions whose answers are actually long and complex. You are likely to choose action over thinking. As a white individual whose school performance has not been stellar, you are very likely to be vulnerable to the siren song of white supremacists.