Toward the end of his deployment, he learned West Point fulfills a certain quota of enlisted soldiers every year. 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. Why are we not surprised? The thread has since been deleted. And those views only hardened during his studies of history as one of the academys Long Gray Line.. Now, they error on the side of political correctness. 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.. There are a lot of veterans both active duty and not that feel like I do.. We had the misfortune of crossing paths with that politically-correct butt kisser years ago at the Army War College and Carlisle Barracks. Proof has surfaced that West Point leadership knew as early as 2015 that avowed Communist 2nd Lieutenant Spenser Rapone held Marxist anti-American beliefs. 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. A lot of guys were getting excited at the prospect that we might go into North Korea or possibly Iran. Robert Heffington, a former lieutenant colonel and West Point instructor who met Mr. Rapone, told the website that his online ideological screeds reveal the philosophical infatuations of a precocious adolescent in a best-case scenario. And those views only hardened during his studies of history as one of the academys Long Gray Line.. 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. 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. 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. 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. MAJOR CLARENCE ANDERSON FILES MASSIVE FEDERAL LAWSUIT AGAINST THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE. Raponereceived an other than honorable discharge, the AP reported, an administrative separation reserved for misconduct. 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.. One of six children growing up in New Castle, Pennsylvania, Rapone said he applied to West Point, which is tuition-free, because he couldnt afford college. 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. I was always told growing up that the US military protects the innocent, that we fight for freedom, truth, and justice. If he does leave the Army, or if West Point ever had the guts to prosecute him under the UCMJ from the looks of their tepid, wimpy statement, dont hold your breath waiting for action he can always get a high-paid pundits spot on CNN or MSNBC bashing President Trump. The right-wing hysteria was quickly whipped up: publications like the Daily Caller and Infowars ran stories. PUNK 2LT SPENCER RAPONE PROMOTES HIS PRO-COMMUNIST SYMPATHIES IN TWITTER DISPATCH MEMBER OF USMAS CLASS OF 2016 DISGRACES UNIFORM AND MEMORY OF OUR FALLEN DEAD NOW [ Read More], Avowed Marxist and Antifa supporter Spenser Rapone, affectionately referred to as the Commie Cadet has been tossed out of the Army with the most severe administrative discharge called an other-than-honorable (OTH).Breitbart.com and PJmedia.com are reporting [ Read More]. What kind of bizarro world is that? Note that right now Heffington has started couching the statement in a near apologetic tone. They discussed Rapones time in the military, the myths of American empire, and how to rebuild the antiwar movement. Many of you have lost loved ones fighting the same totalitarian philosophy that long-haired leftist Rapone so arrogantly promotes. I decided that was an opening to express how I feel. Of course my military career is dead in the water. In short, Rapone saw himself as a subversive agent of communism, infiltrating the US military from within with intent to destroy it. But what happens is that because in the US our civic religion is patriotism, folks who at one time had nothing but hate for it they couldnt stand being in the field, waking up for [physical training] when they get out, theyre placed on a pedestal as a veteran. But the men I was surrounded by took active pleasure in killing other human beings and dehumanizing people because they have different cultures or a different religion. I soon found myself trying to resolve the contradiction of my future officership. The United States Army is so impressed with Spenser Rapone, they decided to promote him to first lieutenant. This was for a couple reasons. Rapone is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and is serving as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Armys 10th Mountain Division, though he is currently at Ranger School. Now its become a social experiment. A number of readers have sent us links to Gateway Pundit and LawNewz in regards to this fellow Spenser Rapone, who, as a USMA cadet posed with items supporting communism and expressed support for k Id have to tell them the mission we were doing was right when I had firsthand experience as a teenager in Afghanistan that what we were doing was not right. A LOT. While Rubio and others have repudiated Rapones desiretodismantle the countrys social orderand support a radical revolution, he wouldnt be the first West Pointer to have done so. Getting out of the military is daunting, especially as an officer. Its now in US military code that thats illegal. I apologize., But Army spokeswoman April Cunningham said that appropriate action was taken.. They made me stay in there for what they told me was for my own safety. 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. I interpreted this to be a thinly veiled threat, as if he was planning to take some sort of action against me. If we reach them and can tell them that none of these people who sing your praises now really care about you outside of serving their own political interests, thats critical. I knew there could be repercussions, said Rapone, who is scheduled to speak at a socialism conference in Chicago next month. WE PROVIDE AN UPDATE AND LESSONS LEARNED. Thoughts like yours go through a lot of soldiers heads, but its the repercussions that keep them from acting on them. So he goes to the office: There were four cadets in the office, three of whom were inuniform and one in civilian clothes. But he put some skin in the game, and he suffered for it. Rapone graduated from West Point as a member of the class of 2016, but before entering the Academy he served for two years as an 11B Infantryman in the 75th Ranger Regiment, deploying to Afghanistan in that capacity. 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. You can read the whole statement here. Believe it or not, there are laws against those who advocate the overthrow of the Government. Get our print magazine for just $20 a year. He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2011 and was assigned as an assistant machine gunner in Khost Province. So I thought, like the adage goes, maybe I could change things from the inside. I applied to West Point, and got accepted. 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. Trumps election emboldened them to act out in a way that wasnt typical before. 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. 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. Join the Truthdig Newsletter for our latest publications. At worst, however, Cadet Rapones statements bespeak either a severe mental or psychological disorder, or a genuine commitment to values and ideals wholly at odds with those of West Point and the Army, he added. On the other hand, he has many posts praising Communism, Marxism, and Marx himself. First, when youre talking to a teenager about this subject, theres no effective argument that says, Youre too smart for this, you could do better, etc. Thats usually condescending. He added that its also possible the military academy could seek repayment of the cost of Rapones education because he didnt serve the full five-year service required upon graduation. Civilians were detouring around his legs asthey tried to make it down the hallway. He has deployed to Afghanistan and received a combat infantryman badge (CIB). 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. We do this by continually exposing a corrupt, multi-tiered judicial system, which allows officers to escape prosecution through retirement. Trump says North Korea is no longer a nuclear threat. Moreover, CDT Raponesposts indicate that he hates West Point, the U.S. Army, and indeed this country. I was still idealistic, he said. I figured maybe I could change things from inside.. 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. Spenser Rapone, U.S. Army. WATERTOWN, N.Y. The images Spenser Rapone posted on Twitter from his West Point graduation were intentionally shocking: In one, the smirking cadet opens his dress uniform to expose a T-shirt with a blood-red image of socialist icon Che Guevara.