There can be only one reason that he felt free to shoot off his mouth to an senior officer who was also an assistant professor. 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. WATERTOWN, N.Y. (AP) The images Spenser Rapone posted on Twitter from his West Point graduation were intentionally shocking: In one, the cadet opens his dress uniform to expose a T-shirt with a blood-red image of socialist icon Che Guevara. An interview with Spenser Rapone the commie cadet that got kicked out of the military for standing against US imperialism. Within the military ranks, that was prevalent. Apparently not. Spenser Rapone is a former Army Ranger and Infantry Officer recently separated from the military for speaking out against its imperialist violence. Their conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. There are a lot of veterans both active duty and not that feel like I do., In this May 2016 photo provided by Spenser Rapone, Rapone raises his left fist while displaying a sign inside his hat that reads "Communism will win," after graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. After Rapone, who was already a combat veteran after serving with the First Ranger Battalion in Afghanistan, posted the photos on Facebook, the Army dismissed him with an "other than honorable" discharge. But Army spokeswoman April Cunningham said that appropriate action was taken.. Spenser Rapone is under investigation after tweeting photos of himself support communism while in uniform. Get our print magazine for just $20 a year. And those views only hardened during his studies of history as one of the academys Long Gray Line.. Even while still a cadet, Rapones online postings alarmed a West Point history professor, who wrote Rapone up, saying his online postings were red flags that cannot be ignored. Rapone was disciplined but still allowed to graduate. By many accounts, he is . Can you describe why you decided to say that? Can you start off by telling us about your background and why you decided to join the military? I didnt expect it to go viral like it did, but I thought maybe I could influence other soldiers. I was always told growing up that the US military protects the innocent, that we fight for freedom, truth, and justice. On the other hand, many people reached out and showed me support. Copyright 2023 The Washington Times, LLC. The debate on Kaepernick started up again, with Trump denouncing him and other football players expressing solidarity. I decided that was an opening to express how I feel. He told the AP he tweeted the photos in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, the former NFL quarterback who knelt during the national anthem in protest of police brutality, which itself drew intense criticism from President Trump for perceived slights against the military. The United States Army is so impressed with Spenser Rapone, they decided to promote him to first lieutenant. His utter contempt for my rank and position as an Armyofficer was blatantly obvious and, to me, it indicates that CDT Rapone has a serious problem with military authority figures. Since then, the image has gotten a lot of attention, particularly in light of the recent NFL free speech scandal. Who Was Protecting the Commie West Point Graduate And Why? You served under both Obama and Trump. This sickening sycophant (be sure to read about him in our related stories box below) never even went overseas once. All Rights Reserved. The honor code as West Point says, a cadet does not lie, cheat, or steal nor tolerate those who do. Where this was determined to come up short was in asking a cadet a question the answer to which could lead to their being disciplined, particularly dismissed from the academy, and forcing them to choose between lying (their honor) or severe punishment. That was accepted, and I got issued an other than honorable discharge. You can read the whole statement here. That didnt faze me too much, but my family was worried, and began to get alt-right trolls trying to dox me and find their information. It doesnt happen. Butbecause Rapone had served as an enlisted soldier, he would have received an honorable discharge before becoming an officer, Christensen said. Spenser Rapone (Twitter) Rapone was an infantry officer in the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, N.Y. We havent been so repulsed by a West Point grad since the daze of GEN David Huntoon and his boot-licking chief-of-staff, retired COL Mike NO COMBAT Colpo. If the former is true, he is dangerously unbalanced, and therefore not suited to military service. Spenser Rapone, U.S. Army. In the old days, the military would error on the side of caution. Navy Lieutenant a Hero, or Despicable Deserter? As for Rapone, he is a disgrace to Italian-Americans everywhere. I proceeded to say Ijust asked a question and l want an answerwho else is yelling in here? At that point CDT Spenser Rapone (the only cadet wearingcivilian clothes), who was seated in the comer of the office, replied (while still seated) by saying, Were in a private conversationhere.. But he put some skin in the game, and he suffered for it. Former infantry officer, CGSC grad and Army Operations Center alumnus. He added that its possible the military academy could seek repayment of the cost of Rapones education because he didnt serve the full five-year service obligation required upon graduation. WE WANT ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THOSE WHO CONSPIRED TO WRONGFULLY IMPRISON THIS OUTSTANDING AIR FORCE OFFICER. Bidens misleading deficit claim earns him a Bottomless Pinocchio, Fact-checking Trumps reaction to Bidens reelection announcement. here for reprint permission. 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 in a series of interviews. A subsequent investigation revealed that Rapone was not only openly Communist, but believed that the US Government must be destroyed from within, his beliefs operating the lines of Communist philosopher Rudi Dutschkes strategy of the long march through the institutions.. Spenser Rapone Template:TOCnestleft Spenser Rapone was a US Army officer and Democratic Socialists of America member. We've received your submission. In case there was any lingering doubt, hasta la victoria siempre pic.twitter.com/0XrW38wcCk, Commie Bebop? I sat on those photos the first one of Communism will win inscribed in my hat, the second one of me wearing a Che Guevara shirt underneath [my uniform] from the time I graduated in May 2016 to September 2017. Whatever happened to duty, honor, country?. ALL HE WANTS IS A FAIR JUDICIAL PROCESS. Ten thousand students are enrolled in the program; 55 percent are black, 40 percent are Latinx. Click A year prior, you had taken a picture at a Cubs game holding up a sign saying, Vets for Kaepernick, and I kept that idea in my back pocket. Follow me on Twitter. Oh, it just hit me, the military probably considers Communism as a religion and is therefore protected in the military like the Muslim religion. Does anyone remember Army Major Nidal Hasan and the Foot Hood shooting November 5, 2009? The Pentagon budget suggests otherwise. Finally, Heffington gets tired and tries to end the conversation: The conversation continued for approximately fiveminutes, and every single statement or question I had for CDT Rapone was met with a ready and very disrespectful retort. Who Was Protecting the Commie West Point Graduate And Why. This is home to the largest concentration of JROTC students in any school district in the country. So I decided to enlist as an infantryman out of high school. He enlisted as an infantryman out of high school in 2010, and deployed to Afghanistan in 2011. In a good case for why military officers should stay off social media (if they want to accomplish their goals, anyway), 2LT Spenser Rapone is getting the boot from the US Army after he posted graduation photos of himself wearing a Che Guevara t-shirt under his uniform and wrote communism will win on the inside of his cap. Im glad to see that they have given him an other than honorable discharge.. NEW ARMY BROCHURE ABOUT SVC RIGHTS ATTEMPTS TO DECEIVE ARMY PERSONNEL BY OMITTING CRITICAL INFORMATION. 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. We do this by continually exposing a corrupt, multi-tiered judicial system, which allows officers to escape prosecution through retirement. Hed be good at following the party line.. Background, Update to Spener Rapone Story Right: Army Private First Class Spenser Rapone receiving his "Ranger Scrol" patch after completing Ranger Assessment and Selection Program in 2011. - So, one key is articulating antiwar in terms of the structural phenomena we witness: how war is profitable, how its designed to be endless. What , VADM John Disher got the job as Chief of Naval Education and Training Command (CNET) after Airman Recruit (AR) Lee Mirecki, 19, of Appleton, Wisconsin, was drowned by Navy swim , Captain Robert J. Naughton, served his country, and suffered for his country when he was held captive for years in Hanoi during the Vietnam War. So he goes to the office: There were four cadets in the office, three of whom were inuniform and one in civilian clothes. Join the Truthdig Newsletter for our latest publications. We dont get it why didnt Spenser Rapone become a journalist and work for a major news organization in the United States? And I was a young male in American society, so I watched a lot of Hollywood movies, a lot of TV shows. The United States Army is so impressed with Spenser Rapone, they decided to promote him to first lieutenant. No one likes being in the military, in the moment. During the Vietnam War era, we had hundreds of union meetings happening within the rank and file of the military on a daily basis. I apologize., Or at the very least, Id be able to remove myself from the army and find a way to talk about my experiences in some type of antiwar movement. Has Rapone broken the law by just being a Communist on active duty in the military? West Point Rapone was branded the commie cadet, and his career as a newly minted officer never recovered after assignment to Fort Drum. Spenser Rapone He hears a loud argument coming from another office. Youre proof that resistance is still possible within an all-volunteer military, but how do we create more of that? There were fumes of idealism still left, he said, and he accepted one of the few prized slots to the academy reserved for enlisted soldiers. May 29, 2018 Admin. If the latter is true, he is a coward and a hypocrite who refuses to discontinue his association with an institution that, as he sees it, is a tool of an inherently unjust, immoral, and imperialist state. We wouldnt tolerate that from a private, why would we tolerate it from someone who is being trained to hold a commission. I knew there could be repercussions, said Rapone, who is scheduled to speak at a socialism conference in Chicago next month. This May Day, get a Jacobin subscriptionfor just $1 for an entire year. From there I began to realize the issue was a structural phenomenon that one good person cant effect change when the system is inherently wrong. Even some of the true believers who claim they enjoy it or relish it deep down, they know what theyre doing. He said I should have my commission revoked, my degree pulled unclear how that latter demand would work and called for a larger investigation of other troops. 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. Instead, he was sneering at something on my uniform. Spenser Rapone Yes, Spenser with an s Rapone is now a Ph.D. candidate at that hotbed of communism, University of Texas-Austin. Pentagon suspends war games with South Korea after Trumps meeting with Kim. Of course my military career is dead in the water. We cant say with absolute certainty Mikey would be a coward if he ever got on a battlefield, but his successful efforts to avoid any shooting area for three decades gives you a good idea of what kind of combat leader he might be. Point grad talks about ouster from Army I was told this would initiate a show-cause board, which is where you show why you should be retained, or you show why you should leave on their terms. Army officer 'socialist organizer' Spenser Rapone gets 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. 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. This site is owned and operated by Bright Mountain Media, Inc., a publicly owned company trading with the symbol. SO PROUD ARE THEY OF HIS DESPICABLE BEHAVIOR, THE ARMY DECIDED TO REWARD CPT MORENO WITH AN HONORABLE DISCHARGE. And even if youre not in combat, youre supplying the bullets, youre supplying the food, to aid in the war effort. Spenser Rapone 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.. The military website SOFREP reiterated on Thursday that Mr. Rapone was an advocate for the long march through the institutions of power., This [philosophy] entails burrowing inside the institutions of society, including the military, and subverting them from within and ultimately setting the conditions for a communist revolution, wrote Jack Murphy, a former Army Special Operations veteran. All rights reserved. You posted it with a hashtag, #VeteransforKaepernick. Take a look at the photos that accompany this article, dear reader, and try not to reach for the barf bag. He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2011 and was assigned as an assistant machine gunner in Khost Province. Moreover, CDT Raponesposts indicate that he hates West Point, the U.S. Army, and indeed this country. He enlisted as an infantryman out of high school in 2010, and deployed to Afghanistan in 2011. In allhonesty, I was waiting for him to simply say, Yes, Sir. That said, we also need to do some de-programming with soldiers I myself had to go through it and its going to take a lot of patience. I was still idealistic, he said. I figured maybe I could change things from inside.. Spenser Rapone Never in over 18 years has any Soldier spoken to me or treated me withsuch extreme disrespect as CDT Rapone did on the night of 17 November. Top brass at Fort Drum accepted Rapones resignation Monday after an earlier reprimand for conduct unbecoming of an officer. Rapone said an investigation found he went online to advocate for a socialist revolution and disparage high-ranking officers. Proof has surfaced that West Point leadership knew as early as 2015 that avowed Communist 2nd Lieutenant Spenser Rapone held Marxist anti-American beliefs. 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.. Of course my military career is dead in the water. Former Army Ranger and Afghanistan veteran Spenser Rapone received an other than honorable discharge after he posted images taken at his 2016 graduation from the United States Military Academy at West Point. Army Commie Cadet Gets Promoted to Army splits with West Point grad who touted communist revolt It was during Rapones 2016 USMA graduation that he posed for photos of himself wearing a Che Guevara shirt under his uniform and the message Communism Will Win pasted inside of his dress cap. Hes not just reporting Rapone, hes going a long distance to ensure that he is seen as blameless. While in uniform, Spenser Rapone advocated for communism and political violence, and expressed support and sympathy for enemies of the United States,he said. Less than a year after Rapones images drew a firestorm of vitriol and even death threats, the second lieutenant who became known as the commie cadet is officially out of the US Army with an other-than-honorable discharge. Spencer Rapone in deep kimchi : This ain't Hell, but you can see it In another, he raises his fist and flips his cap to reveal the message: Communism will win.. One officer told me that he had had serious misgivings about CDT Rapone for a long time, and he proceeded to show me CDT Rapones Facebook page. VOLUME VI: NATIONAL GUARD BUREAU DECIDED TO ALLOW ARMY CAPTAIN JOSE MORENO TO RESIGN IN LIEU OF A COURT MARTIAL FOR AN ASSAULT ON A WOMAN AND HER CHILD. The thread has since been deleted. On the other hand, he has many posts praising Communism, Marxism, and Marx himself. Already on our list? https://t.co/c3SW0QJsBl https://t.co/c3SW0QJsBl, My eyes are seriously about to roll out of the back of my head. I said, Stand up when you speak to me. CDT Rapone stood up and, before I could say anything else, said, Sir you donthave the right to use my honor against me! in a loud and extremely disrespectful tone of voice. There are a lot of veterans both active duty and not that feel like I do, he said. Toward the end of his deployment, he learned West Point fulfills a certain quota of enlisted soldiers every year. Who knows? Immediately, I had friends and family members reaching out to me. What if several divisions of fighting Americans were taking orders from Brigadier General Rapone? Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com. (Courtesy of Spenser Rapone via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Im one of six children from, at the time, a single-income family. Yes, there were attempts to create military labor unions. And those views only hardened during his studies of history as one of the academys Long Gray Line.. Id have to find a way out somehow. So I took those pictures both as my own individual act of rebellion, but also so that if there was ever an opening, I could use them for some larger, political purpose. The war resisters from Vietnam were not all draftees; a substantial portion were volunteers. The former West Point cadet who called himself Commie Beebop on Twitter rejoined civilian life without an honorable discharge. 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. Again, Im trying to imagine what is happening here because Rapones insubordinate behavior seems to have been widely known and no one cared. His expulsion came after a viral tweet showing him clad in uniform, fist raised displaying a hat reading, COMMUNISM WILL WIN. I was always told growing up that the US military [], A journal of theory and strategy published by Jacobin, We Were Terrorizing Some of the Most Exploited People on Earth, Taking Back Left Parties From the Brahmins, Worth Fighting For: An Army Ranger's Journey Out of the Military and Across America, Having America Care About You Is Not Necessarily a Good Thing. The Viet Cong and the Afghan resistance that people in these countries are resisting is the only similarity I can see between the Vietnam era and the current global war on terror. For example, its illegal to have union meetings in the military now. My attorney told me that the military would win in this situation because of the way the uniform code of military justice is structured. Youre essentially guilty until proven innocent. But its very daunting: how in the world are you supposed to say, No, Im not deploying. Thats on us to create the structures to have places for dissident soldiers and military personnel. We were bullies in one of the poorest countries on Earth, Rapone said. MAJOR CLARENCE ANDERSON FILES MASSIVE FEDERAL LAWSUIT AGAINST THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE. Since his social media life has come to light it was reported that he was tossed out of Ranger School for engaging in verbal altercation with the Ranger School sergeant major. There can be only one reason that his social media presence was known to other faculty members and nothing done about it. 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. He can pay back the U.S. taxpayer for fraud, then grab the next space-available flight to Seoul, Korea. Mr. Rapone used the social media platform on Wednesday to promote an upcoming Socialism 2018 talk in Chicago titled War Resister in the Ranks., At Socialism 2018 Ill be sitting down with with[sic] 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, Rory Fanning, also an ex-Ranger, tweeted Wednesday. WebLatest news and commentary on Spenser Rapone including photos, videos, quotations, and a biography. Spenser Rapone tells how he discovered that the military he joined wasn't what Hollywood and commercials had made it out to be. They discussed Rapones time in the military, the myths of American empire, and how to rebuild the antiwar movement. It has its genesis in one of the cheating scandals and it goes like this. SPECIAL REPORT THE CASLEN COVER-UP CONTINUES MORE THAN TWO MONTHS AFTER FAILED WEST POINT SUPER ANNOUNCED PROBE INTO COMMIE CADET SPENSER RAPONE, THE SILENCE IS DEAFENING PERFUMED PRINCE ROBERT CASLEN OUT TO PROTECT HIS [ Read More], WEST POINT HAS GONE TO HELL! 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. 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, he told the AP. Rapone was an enlisted man who served briefly in 1st Ranger Battalion, was, according to reports, booted out of that unit, applied for a West Point appointment via the Military Academy Prep School from former Democrat Congressman Jason Altmire, graduated West Point and was commissioned in 2016. To bookmark your favorite articles and follow your favorite authors, upgrade to, Eugenics in the Twenty-First Century: New Names, Old Ideas, West Point Cant Hide Its Reverence for the Confederacy, The West Point Soldier Who Called It as He Saw It. Second, I knew if I was authentic in my worldview, I wouldnt be able to continue serving my full commitment. Well, he certainly took that to heart, didnt he. All rights reserved. Its now in US military code that thats illegal. 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. He was nominated out of high school by then-US Rep. Jason Altmire in 2010. I was still idealistic, he said. I figured maybe I could change things from inside.. There were no red flags of any kind.. Trumps election emboldened them to act out in a way that wasnt typical before. Again, his demeanor was one of utter contempt forme, and apparently for the expectation that he would conduct himself in a professional manner. He has also been known to contribute to the left-wing think tank, The Hampton Institute. Hes holding up a sign under his hat, and it says, Communism will win. But you sat on the photo for a while. Before, soldiers would feel hesitant about saying blatantly racist or sexist things. Good riddance. Even while still a cadet, Rapones online postings alarmed a West Point history professor, who wrote Rapone up, saying his online postings were red flags that cannot be ignored. Rapone was disciplined but still allowed to graduate. Thanks for contacting us. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, West Point removes Confederate monuments, including Robert E. Lee, Worthy prof motive -- a salute to an NYU legend, West Point should reconsider KKK plaque on science building: congressional panel, US Army teaching Critical Race Theory to West Point cadets: report, summed up the fallout in yet another tweet Monday. VOLUME IV: OIG NOW A CO-CONSPIRATOR AGAINST JANE DOE WHEN A CONGRESSIONAL STAFFER INQUIRES, OIGs OFFICE SAID JANE DOE NEVER SENT US A COMPLAINT A WEEK LATER OIG SUDDENLY FINDS MISSING COMPLAINT, BUT ALTERS THE DATE THE COMPLAINT WAS RECEIVED ALL ORCHESTRATED TO PROTECT CULPABLE ARMY OFFICERS TRANSFERRING OUT THE BACKDOOR, DONATIONS ARE WISELY APPLIED, AND DEEPLY APPRECIATED, SPENSER RAPONE RECEIVES OTHER-THAN-HONORABLE DISCHARGE FROM THE ARMY, LT. GEN. KURT SONNTAG LOWERS ARMY TRAINING STANDARDS TO RAISE GRADUATION RATES SOCIETAL DECLINE INSIDIOUSLY OOZES INTO MILITARY, WHICH IS SUBTLY ERODING AMERICAN MILITARY POWER, UNITED STATES NAVY CAPTAIN CHARGED WITH OBSTRUCTION, CONCEALING MATERIAL FACTS, FALSE OFFICIAL STATEMENTS, FALSIFYING OFFICIAL RECORDS NO CHARGES FOR ADULTERY AND CONDUCT UNBECOMING, VADM John S. Disher Abuse of Government Credit Cards & Converting Naval Aircraft into a Family Airline, Capt. Anyway Heffington and Rampone go into the hallway and bitch at each other some more. But he wasnt accepted to West Point, so Rapone enlisted in the Army. Raponereceived an other than honorable discharge, the AP reported, an administrative separation reserved for misconduct.
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