He has deployed to Afghanistan and received a combat infantryman badge (CIB). Spenser Rapone, 26, quit on Monday with an other-than-honourable discharge over his "unbecoming" conduct at the famed military academy in New York state. But you felt like you couldnt do anything about what you wereexperiencing. racist or sexually-oriented language. But yet theyre still an abstraction and not not allowed to have individualopinions. You go in with acertain vision in your head of what being in the military is and then you see the reality of it. West Point's Newest Class Has More Minority New Cadets Than - Newsweek West Point released a statement after Rapone posted the photos, saying his actions "in no way reflect the values of the U.S. Military Academy or the U.S. Send us a note with the Letter to the Editor form. In my own unit, Isaw no commitment to learning about the Afghan people or trying to understand them or their culture. He was also Muslim Lay Chaplain at West Point, Officer in Charge of the Muslim Cadet Association, and Emeritus Facility Adviser of Phi Alpha Theta, a national history honor society of which Rapone was a member, according to a photo. New cadets hold and read booklets called 'Cadet Knowledge' during Reception Day at the United States Military Academy at West Point, June 27, 2016, in West Point, New York. You have permission to edit this article. He said that we need to do something about this Rapone guy. One of six children growing up in New Castle, Pennsylvania, Rapone said he applied to West Point, which is tuition-free, because he couldn't afford college. The Army confirmed that Rapone graduated from West Point in 2016 and is now serving as a second lieutenant with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, based in Fort Drum, New York. So Istarted to think of what Icould do and then 10 months after Trump was elected, Colin Kaepernick lost his job essentially. On March 23, 2014, Rapone posted about anti-corporatism and racism. On March 24, 2014, Rapone posted a picture of himself and Hosein in front of the Taj Mahal. 1.78 m). Both the Department of Defense and the Army have longstanding policies encouraging soldiers to participate in the democratic process. On Contact: Afghanistan Papers with Spenser Rapone He went viral after posting a photo to Twitter of himself in support of professional football player Colin Kaepernick, where Rapone is seen in his West Point uniform at graduation holding his cap that contains a piece of paper that says Communism will win.. Have a tip or story idea? Money Minute, What's next for experimental AI projects in the C4ISR sphere. West Point Superintendent responds: We're investigating Spenser Rapone 51 But after being deployed to Afghanistan and seeing the violence his unit was helping to inflict, Rapone grew increasingly disillusioned with the military. Go to the main page of ISO Socialism Conference Democratic Socialists of America Veterans Working Group, Democratic Socialists of America Wholesome Meme Stash, DL DSA Veterans Working Group Statement on Afghanistan Posted by Dsa on 08.22.17, https://www.facebook.com/groups/DSAWholesomeMemes/, https://keywiki.org/index.php?title=Spenser_Rapone&oldid=519567, GNU Free Documentation License 1.3 or later. But he wasn't accepted to West Point, so Rapone enlisted in the Army. Mar 29 Damascus is under attack. endobj Uz\`QT2#!dkscS. Greg Rinckey, an attorney specializing in military law, said it's rare for an officer out of West Point to receive an other-than-honorable discharge. Let there be no doubt that we have unequivocal solidarity with and pride in Spenser. When those three elements combine, thats what makes it sodifficult. He didnt want to be paraded around or be used by the Bush administration to sell awar. The biggest thing about Pat Tillman was that he didnt want to be put in abox. Upon completion of Cadet Basic Training, scheduled for August 17, they'll be accepted into the Corps of Cadets. He was nominated out of high school by. To get into West Point, applicants must receive nominations, usually from U.S. politicians. Mr. Rapone retweeted the message. Have thoughts or reactions to this or any other piece that you'd like to share? No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism Don't Threaten. The military began investigating Mr. From there, Ispent along time in limbo because Iwas under investigationthey were waiting for me to make another screw-up in their minds. Since the class of 2012, the percentage of women entering West Point increased by about 10 percent, according to data on class characteristics. And youve heard from other veterans and servicemembers? Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Left: Army 2nd Lt. Spenser Rapone graduating from West Point in May of 2016. The idea of an avowed communist subverting important military units and functions from within has the potential to be catastrophic., SEE ALSO: Spenser Rapone, West Point alumnus, riles with pro-Kaepernick Communism Will Win photo. vltD+u ", Rapone said his journey to communism grew out of his experiences as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan before he was accepted into the U.S. Military Academy. Then-Lieutenant Rapone put his own continued service on the line in order to speak up in support of blacklisted ex-49ers quarterbackColin Kaepernick. Due to privacy act restrictions, we are limited in what information we can provide, Lt. Col. Nina Hill, an Army spokeswoman, told reporters. Copyright 2023 The Washington Times, LLC. Ithink thats acrucial part of it and why Idid what Idid. Mike Prysner Family Prysner was born and brought up in the United States to his parents. Spenser Rapone is a former Army Ranger and Infantry Officer who resigned his commission in June 2018 due to his opposition to United States imperialism. Rapones father, a local politician in Pennsylvania, explicitly disavowed his sons political views Tuesday in a Facebook post. The academy is prepared to assist the officers chain of command as required.. Spenser Rapone, a former second lieutenant whose "Communism Will Win" photo rocked the internet in 2017 after being featured by this publication, has received an "Other Than Honorable" discharge from the U.S. Army. Ex-Rep. Jason Altmire of Pennsylvania, who served from 2007 to 2013, said that Second Lt. Spenser Rapone let him down. (Via Twitter). ", "I consider myself a revolutionary socialist," the 26-year-old Rapone told The Associated Press. In Ehrenreich's new book, she comes out about mystical experiences in her teens. Lt. Spenser Rapone is under investigation after tweeting photos of himself support communism while in uniform. In the middle of all of this, these right-wing sites were saying stuff about me and Iwas under investigation, so Icouldnt say anything because theyd use that as ammunition. The saga of communist sympathizing Second Lieutenant Spenser Rapone keeps on going, and with every turn it looks worse for Rapone. West Point Commie May Have Been Radicalized by His Mentor at the The Saga of the Commie Lieutenant Comes to an End - RedState Rainmixing with snow overnight. As figures of public trust, members of the military must exhibit exemplary conduct, and are prohibited from engaging in certain expressions of political speech in uniform, it said. While I strongly support the rights of American citizens to express their opinions, the actions of 2nd Lieutenant Rapone are abhorrent and appear to be in clear violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, in addition to being inconsistent with the values of the United States Military Academy. He then deployed to Afghanistan, where he earned a combat infantryman badge. Similar to me, after he did his training and found himself overseas, he realized the harsh reality of what the American military was and formed his own opinions. And those views only hardened during his studies of history as one of the academy's "Long Gray Line.". Among other activities, Soldiers are encouraged to vote in elections and express their personal opinions on public issues. In an interview with In These Times, Rapone tells his story of his journey from GI Joe to an anti-war activistand why Rubio got himwrong. Oops, this content can't be loadedbecause you're having connectivity problems, - The Washington Times - Friday, June 8, 2018. In this June 15, 2018, photo, West Point graduate Spenser Rapone leans on his motorcycle at a park in Watertown, N.Y. Spenser Rapone, a New Castle native, has received an other than honorable discharge from the US Army. That's taxpayer money on a first-class education well spent. They're also given 60 seconds to say goodbye to their families, who they may or may not contact during Cadet Basic Training. Spenser Rapone, the former second lieutenant whose Communism will win photos went viral in 2017, has received an other than honorable discharge from the Army. Rapone was initially in high spirits during said investigation. Most of the guys Iwas witheven and especially the leadershiprelished in the fact that we could kill human beings. In addition to classic socialist theorists such as Karl Marx, Rapone says he found inspiration in the writings of Stan Goff, a retired Special Forces master sergeant who became a socialist anti-war activist. Take the story of Gas Turbine Systems Technician 3rd Class Peter Mims an E-4 whose disappearance sparked a massive man overboard search last year. Previously, he served as the director of Public Education for the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Chicago. Spenser Rapone, a former second lieutenant whose Communism Will Win photo rocked the internet in 2017 after being featured by this publication, has received an Other Than Honorable discharge from the U.S. Army. Helicopters crashed in mountains, fair weather, Army says, Army Special Ops Command welcomes first female command sergeant major, Army identifies 3 soldiers killed in Alaska helicopter crash, Army grounds helicopter fleet for force-wide safety stand down. But then Igot deployed to Afghanistan, and my experience overseas showed me that if anything, Iwas making adifference for those with power and wealth. The Navy, on the other hand, readily releases full investigations into rank-and-file sailors when their cases have become infamous. "Of course my military career is dead in the water. Spenser Rapone, the former Army second lieutenant whose "Communism will win" photos went viral in 2017, has received an "other than honorable" discharge. When last we heard from communist adherent and fan of murderous totalitarian Che Guevara Spenser Rapone, he was drummed out of the service under other-than-honorable conditions for his "protest" at his West Point Graduation. "I was still idealistic," he said. In June, Rapone resigned and now hes out with an other-than-honorabledischarge. There were no red flags of any kind.. Rapone came under fire last year for his social media posts of socialist and communist content. In another, he raises his fist and flips his cap to reveal the message: "Communism will win.". In another, he raises his fist and flips his cap to reveal the message: Communism will win.. Two weeks later, they issued me my discharge papers and Ileft. (Chicago), Nazir Khan (Twin Cities). For his part, Rapone became infamous in 2017 after his photos and tweets made the internet rounds. Episode 19: No War But The Class War w/ Spenser Rapone (Podcast - IMDb Outside of my chain of command, people were threatening and silencing me and Ihad tons of alt-right and neo-fascists sending me death threats. Soon after getting to West Point, Isaw that this was astructural problem across the military and that the military itself, its material relation to power, serves the capitalist class. Wed call them detainees, which is just aeuphemism for prisoner, and wed do this kind of thing every night, even sometimes without proper intelligence. But in terms of restrictions, after the Vietnam era in 78, they put it into code that any kind of military unions or organizing is explicitly forbidden. So, for me, Iwas trying to resolve this contradiction because no one over here was threatening freedom or democracy or anything like that. We have one of the most technologically advanced militaries of all time and all we were doing is brutalizing and invading and terrorizing a population that had nothing to do with what the United States claimed was a threat.. On Sunday, Rapone posted a picture of himself in his West Point uniform holding a sign that said, Communism will win tucked under his cover, or hat, raising a clenched left fist. His Twitter account was set to protected, and his Instagram account had been taken down. "We were bullies in one of the poorest countries on Earth," Rapone said. He applied to be a West Point cadet and at that time he as not selected. SCOTUS Now Just Another Congressional Committee, Parents Allowed to Collect Sperm From Son Killed Skiing, 'Commie Cadet' Spenser Rapone Discharged From U.S. Army, West Point Marries First Active-Duty, Same-Sex Couple, Trump Ramps up Attacks on DeSantis: 'Dropping Like a Rock', Russian Strikes on Pavlohrad Aim to Hamper Ukraine's Counteroffensive, Greg Abbott Criticized for Response to Texas Shooting: 'A New Low', Democrat Sold First Republic Stock, Bought JP Morgan Before Collapse, Conservative Influencers Struggle With Countering Biden's Messaging. The appropriate Command authorities are reviewing the situation, an Army spokesman said. Most importantly, you'll the knowledge that you are part of keeping independent, progressive journalism alive and accessible for everyone. In fact, Ididnt really find what we were being told in America to be reflective of what was really going on in Afghanistan. [from Resolution #34] Amplify the perspectives & insights of impacted communities through national media platforms. The former Democratic congressman who nominated communist 2nd Lt. Spenser Rapone to West Point is now disavowing Rapones recent comments, which range from attacks on Secretary of Defense James Mattis to calls for political violence.