A recently retired CIA officer remarked to SOFREP that right now our counter-intelligence is so bad that we are only catching the dumb ones, the people stupid enough to out themselves on social media or who mail classified documents to news outlets, Mr. Murphy continued. The two appear to have traveled together to the Taj Mahal in March 2014, according to pictures posted on his Facebook page. After the initial photo was posted and achieved some measure of viralityand elicited quite a bit of outrage and confusionRapone laid any confusion to rest and further incited his far-right critics by posting another photo of himself wearing aChe Guevarat-shirt underneath his half-buttoned uniform. Don't knowingly lie about anyone Despite his growing disillusionment about the military, he applied and got in. West Point's Newest Class Has More Minority New Cadets Than - Newsweek And those views only hardened during his studies of history as one of the academys Long Gray Line.. 45 1,924 I have no doubt that the U.S. Army will take appropriate action.. S5: Episode 31 - Mike Prysner & Spenser Rapone (Podcast Episode - IMDb Or to keep it anonymous, click here. They compiled all the things Ive said, the subversive things Ive said about Trump and various elected officials like General Mattis, and essentially gave me anumber of options. Spenser R. Rapone Graduate Student, Department of History, University of Texas at Austin 128 Inner Campus Dr. B7000, GAR 1.104, Austin, Texas 78712-1739 p. (512) 471-3261 e. srrapone@utexas.edu Education University of Texas at Austin Austin, Texas "I knew there could be repercussions," said Rapone, who is scheduled to speak at a socialism conference in Chicago next month. Officially, the Army said in a statement only that it conducted a full investigation and appropriate action was taken., An unrepentant Rapone summed up the fallout in yet another tweet Monday that showed him extending a middle finger at a sign at the entrance to Fort Drum, accompanied by the words, One final salute., I consider myself a revolutionary socialist, the 26-year-old Rapone told The Associated Press. Hes an exceptional soldier, the Twitter account, @DSAVeterans, wrote. WATCH LIVE: Retrial for Florida man Eric Robinson accused of brutal love triangle murder, Law&Crime Looks Ahead to 10 Remarkable Criminal Trials Scheduled for the First Half of 2023, 9 Shocking Times Defendants Testified at Trial, 10 Most Memorable Law&Crime Network Trials, Former Christian missionary convicted of sexual abuse and incest after victim under the age of 12 contracts gonorrhea, Im sorry. It Takes a Lifetime to Build Your Personal Brand and an - LinkedIn You have permission to edit this article. Rapone was an infantry officer in the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, N.Y. On January 5, 2015, he posted a Slate.com article calling for the abolishment of West Point. His Facebook, where he goes under Giuseppe Impastato, was private. Second Lieutenant Rapones actions in no way reflect the values of the U.S. Military Academy or the U.S. Army. In another, he raises his fist and flips his cap to reveal the message: "Communism will win.". The more important thing is that alot of other veterans and active duty personnel have had similar experiences to me and have come to similar conclusions, if not the same, and Ihope that by speaking out. There are a lot of veterans both active duty and not that feel like I do.. "Commie Cadet" Spenser Rapone On Why He Left the U.S. Military and #AntiFa, he wrote, according to a picture obtained before he took down his account. Sign up to become a Sustainer before the deadline and take advantage of our best offer ever. Seeing and learning about Pat Tillman and how he was able to never be fully assimilated into military culture, it was really inspiring to me and kind of gave me an example to follow in terms of resisting this indoctrination and dehumanization that the military puts youthrough. pic.twitter.com/PP5lvIR8Pp. The soldier pictured, now 2nd Lt. Spenser Rapone, had been openly serving as an avowed communist supporting the downfall of the U.S. government. "I figured maybe I could change things from inside.". The event is set to take place on July 5-8during thethe Socialism 2018 conference in Chicago, Illinois. Rapone has admitted being a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and has even posted pictures showing his membership card alongside his military name patch. The last 15years have shown otherwise. Follow him on Twitter: @punkproletarian. Both the United States Military Academy and his. Due to privacy act restrictions, we are limited in what information we can provide, Lt. Col. Nina Hill, an Army spokeswoman, told reporters. Then, Iwant to get active. Rapone will eventually have an opportunity to petition for an upgrade in his discharge status, however, which would have a positive impact on his eligibility. During the interview, he expressed patriotism and looked just like a top-notch candidate. Copyright 2023 by the Institute for Public Affairs (EIN: 94-2889692). She covers operations, policy, personnel, leadership and other issues affecting service members. Two weeks later, they issued me my discharge papers and Ileft. Spenser Rapone was a US Army officer and Democratic Socialists of America member. In the liberal mentality, if you get this particularly disgusting person out of office, then things will change. He wanted to enlist and do his time. Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. While in uniform, Spenser Rapone advocated for communism and political violence, and expressed support and sympathy for enemies of the United States, Rubio said Monday, adding Im glad to see that they have given him an other-than-honorable discharge., Second Lt. Spenser Rapone posted a photo on Twitter of himself posing with a Che Guevara t-shirt under his uniform at his graduation from West Point in May. He was an idealistic teenager from the rural Rust Belt town of New Castle, Pennsylvania (literally the Fireworks Capital of America), who embraced patriotic jingoism and enlisted in the army straight out of highschool. Last October, some old tweets of a West Point cadet in a Che Guevara shirt sparked outrage across the country. But you felt like you couldnt do anything about what you wereexperiencing. Army." 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. Top brass at Fort Drum accepted Rapone's resignation Monday after an earlier reprimand for "conduct unbecoming of an officer." And U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, called on the secretary of the Army to remove Rapone from the officer ranks. The Army wont say. Those nominations usually come from senators or representatives. West Point graduate and now former Army infantry officer Spenser Rapone has been processed out of the U.S. Army and received an other than honorable discharge from the military after a photo he posted with his West Point cap and the words Communism will win went viral. <> Rapone has also tweeted a number of provocative statements, including calling Defense Secretary Jim Mattis the most vile, evil f*ck in the current administration on June 7 from Columbus, Georgia. Idont want people saying that because they are volunteers, theres no room for resisting. #VeteransForKaepernick pic.twitter.com/3jnCtawvHc, Rudi (Dutschke) Cant Fail (@punkproletarian) September 24, 2017. Rapones activism while in uniform appears to be much broader than those two photos. 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. Chance of precip 90%. Spenser Rapone | Author | Common Dreams I would encourage all soldiers who have a conscience to lay down their arms and join me and so many others who are willing to stop serving the agents of imperialism and join us in a revolutionary movement., 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. In fact, Ididnt really find what we were being told in America to be reflective of what was really going on in Afghanistan. Rapone has also posted on Facebook a picture of himself holding up the Communist Manifesto, with his Army dress uniform hanging in the closet in the background and a number of posts showing opposition for Trump policies and administration officials and support for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) at least since 2015. 7hVccY[2a/;#mD.RA$1Q2J&`"(P&UX IdYFajS0 Odu&3 ofc,bc1RJfb{w5!s/d J/dSDi(hED1+@Iw/[6[*A|lx=` = _s[}ec88vvW='H(}edW+],stTCbe_X^AjQ@&=62ccl/vo`S!ds^"Mc!dfFfYZmg;Xyx@n#|1_P ~io Ux!ZZ{g+vN=;+t~:!Q]xIBUp^f+m`3T-(X'3wpdE]2 ^ n@]fn`7|E Spenser Rapone: 'Communism' cap gets West Point grad booted from the Aside from his recent West Point graduation, Rapone was an infantry officer in the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York. Prysner holds an American nationality and belongs to the white ethnicity. And youve heard from other veterans and servicemembers? Low around 35F. My attorney told me they wanted to get apound of flesh from me, but Ididnt do anything illegal. In the simplest of terms, Ifelt like we were the big bully and the purveyor of violence. And those views only hardened during his studies of history as one of the academy's "Long Gray Line.". Rapone, a former enlisted Ranger who had completed the US Military Academy Prep School and graduated from West Point, was made famous by his own social media posts showing him regaling communism and wearing a Che . Rapone was disciplined but still allowed to graduate. Rapone had also posted a second photo of himself in uniform, and he is seen wearing a Che Guevara T-shirt underneath his uniform jacket. "I would encourage all soldiers who have a conscience to lay down their arms and join me and so many others who are willing to stop serving the agents of imperialism and join us in a revolutionary movement. cBf5sIfE*3T0!l&CN+f-:#;p>,vS$E Its out there now and Ithink the narrative of this is starting to shift alittle bit, which is good because people are starting to understand my experience. In response, the Army has opened an investigation intoRapone for his social media comments. I started to think, If Iwere aguy in Afghanistan, how would Ifeel about this? Ithink its no secret that many people in America would take great umbrage if someone was walking through their homes. 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. Mike Prysner Podcast, Bio, Wiki, Age, Wife, Salary, and Net Worth The Communist West Point Grad's Father Isn't too Happy with - RedState He said that we need to do something about this Rapone guy. We'd love to hear eyewitness Army Commie Cadet Gets Promoted to 1LT. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. The thread has since been deleted. 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. Are walking blood banks coming to a field hospital near you? Send us a note with the Letter to the Editor form. [from Resolution #34] Amplify the perspectives & insights of impacted communities through national media platforms. Later, he served as an Army Ranger and was deployed to Afghanistan on special mission. Hoseins bio on the West Point website lists Rapone as one of two cadets he last advised at West Point. US report shows China taking steps toward space dominance, Biden to allow Afghans to stay longer in US, sources say, Michigan expands absentee voting for military members, Some companies charge hefty fees to help vets with disability claims, Meet 12M+, the new community app for military spouses, Your next tech and incoming AI | Defense News Weekly Full Episode 4.28.2023, Home Improvement Loans What are my options? Its my belief when he returned back from Afghanistan there was a notable difference in his political views. Spenser Rapone - Bio, News, Photos - Washington Times Then-Lieutenant Rapone put his own continued service on the line in order to speak up in support of blacklisted ex-49ers quarterbackColin Kaepernick. hJHICB&Y'8erMr=31yfk|17~c}\T_* 9?V{9,'Y\%?MX}'ZI#B?9`V;&sI$nx6/ 2S&D#K2:3+5,YSa1a"7'+ZvvYnzlJScC)f$':AIR1>?"b Hosein began teaching at West Point in July 2011. Theyre not designed to achieve any sort ofobjective. Among other activities, Soldiers are encouraged to vote in elections and express their personal opinions on public issues. It wasnt nearly to that level before the 9/11 era and thats part of why Ispeak out. The Daily Caller | 1775 Eye Street NW | Suite 1150-290 | Washington, DC 20006, West Point said in a statement released Tuesday. Chris Hedges talks to Spenser Rapone, former combat veteran and US Army officer, about the Washington Post's series the 'Afghanistan Papers'.Drawing on thousands of pages of international government documents about the war in Afghanistan, the series exposes the lies, deceit, mismanagement, waste, corruption, fraud, and failed schemes that both Democratic and Republican administrations . Another figure whos had abig influence on me was Stan Goff. From there, Ispent along time in limbo because Iwas under investigationthey were waiting for me to make another screw-up in their minds. However, the percentage of female cadets has remained largely unchanged for the past four years, averaging between 22 and 24 percent of the class. Template:TOCnestleft Iwas ahistory major, and Istudied Middle Eastern history specifically. Ithink it was just him seeing the word communist made him draw his own conclusions fromthere. He didnt really partake in the social life when he was at the Ranger Battalion. He explained that he took the offending selfies at his May 2016 West Point graduation ceremony and kept them to himself until last September, when he tweeted them in solidarity with NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who was taking heat for kneeling for the national anthem to raise awareness of racism. Then she puts them under a microscope. Lt. Spenser Rapone is under investigation after tweeting photos of himself support communism while in uniform. 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. stream You start to see why these wars are endless. Share with Us. The Army often invokes privacy concerns when dealing with information about junior ranking soldiers, though there is no blanket policy for the Defense Department. West Point first admitted women in 1976, with 62 women graduating in the class of 1980. Even on nights when we didnt have kinetic engagements, we would just roll up to villages and ransack them; wed separate women and children, put bags over peoples heads, lock them up in flexcuffs. He is a man of above-average stature. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, Rapone, whose Twitter handle is punkproletarian, recently retweeted posts from Rory Fanning, an ex-Army Ranger who says he will be interviewing Rapone at the conference Socialism 2018., At Socialism 2018 Ill be sitting down with with Spenser Rapone, the US Army Ranger, Afghan-war combat vet, recent West Point graduate, and now war-resister, who sparked nation-wide fury after publicly supporting Colin Kaepernick and Socialism during his West Point graduation. Money Minute, What's next for experimental AI projects in the C4ISR sphere. The saga of communist sympathizing Second Lieutenant Spenser Rapone keeps on going, and with every turn it looks worse for Rapone.