'Can't stay silent': US Army veteran calls out attacks on Indian immigrants, says 'this isn't conservatism, it's casteism'

A US Army veteran's post on X (formerly Twitter) has quickly gained traction online. However, for most posts that go viral from the Americas about Indians, this one is surprisingly for, rather than against them, thus gaining huge attention from MAGA fans.


Carl Wheless, a disabled combat veteran who has served almost 20 years in the US Army recently took to the app to call out the MAGA rallying against Indian-Americans online. In a post titled 'The New American Caste System', he shared that about a month ago he stumbled into the Indian community on X. "What started as a random engagement quickly turned into something I never expected. They adopted me," he wrote.


He spent every day since then talking with, learning from and listening to Indians from across the world and found them to be among the most "interesting, sharp and resilient people I've encountered on this platform."


Wheless, who has been in a 12-year war with the US Army for forcing him into medical retirement said that over the past month, he had seen the group of highly skilled, hard-working immigrants who came to the US legally, "get relentlessly mocked, attacked and stereotyped."


"I’ve seen them treated as perpetual outsiders, reduced to nothing more than “H-1B,” “Indian,” or “Hindu,” as if those labels alone define their worth."


He called out the Americans who complain about "identity politics" and woke culture" for building their own hierarchy based on blood, religion and national origin. "They speak of “heritage Americans” as if being born here grants them a higher status. They’ve created a new caste system where your place in society is determined not by your character or your contributions, but by where your ancestors came from," he wrote.


Wheless said this wasn't conservatism but tribalism wearing an American flag. While he did not come looking for a fight, he said that after watching Indians get treated the way they are, he couldn't stay silent. "America was never meant to be a nation of castes," he added.


Many in the comments agreed with the Army veteran's view while others opposed it vehemently.


"Spot on observation. This is how great countries (and civilisations) have collapsed throughout history - dividing people on the basis of 'I am superior, you are inferior' has never failed to deliver," wrote a user on X.


"Love you, brother! You are a true humanist! God bless you and America with people of your kind," added another.


"You are just inviting more hate and trolls on yourself, Carl. What people love on Twitter (yes, Twitter, not X), is trolling H1Bs and Indians, and making fun memes out of their accent and food. This is MAGA American time, you stand by any non-white human group, and get trolled," warned one.


Over the past year, anti-Indian rhetoric in America has been on the rise. From online posts to public call-outs, Indian-Americans have been subjected to it all. A 2026 survey by Carnegie Endowment for International Peacerevealed that since the start of 2025, one in four Indian Americans has been called a slur. The report also described the US as the "epicentre of anti-Indian digital racism," leading to one in five respondents shying away from wearing their bindis and tilaks in public.