Kansas National Guard Lt. Col. Barry Thomas spoke of black soldiers under his command with a harshness perceived by investigators to inflame racial tension.

The white officer, who led the Kansas Army Guard’s recruiting battalion among other assignments in a career spanning more than 25 years, told a soldier, “I thought I would never meet a black man that did not like watermelon.”

On a separate occasion, according to investigation documents obtained by The Topeka Capital-Journal, Thomas said he believed African-American men universally favored oral sex. Investigators reported he referred to a black sergeant major as a “tongue-chewing retard” who dressed like a “pimp.” He questioned why a black soldier would possess a home more valuable than his own.