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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. x]on?J"0;]Mq8~PNKw+#"%K,=/yd''Ur%"O30b&-TttxpAY4.e8+OD~H^ Spenser Rapone | The Nation Keep it Clean. We were bullies in one of the poorest countries on Earth, Rapone said. Then there was the move to an all-volunteer force and thats interesting because asubstantial number of Vietnam resisters were volunteers. Its atypical right-wing canard with communism that its atotalitarian entity, but thats not what it is. Copyright 2023 by the Institute for Public Affairs (EIN: 94-2889692). Journalist Chris Hedges interviews former combat veteran and US Army officer, Spenser Rapone about bravery and morality. Rapone is listed as one of the speakers for Socialism 2018, which is slated for early July in Chicago. Istill had this liberal idea that Icould affect change from the inside, so Iapplied and got accepted to West Point and thought, I wont fail my men, like leadership failedme. S5: Episode 31 - Mike Prysner & Spenser Rapone (Podcast Episode 2018) Parents Guide and Certifications from around the world. "We were bullies in one of the poorest countries on Earth," Rapone said. The Navy, on the other hand, readily releases full investigations into rank-and-file sailors when their cases have become infamous. Mar 29 Damascus is under attack. West Point graduate who wore Che Guevara T-shirt discharged As described by The Red Nation, The Red Deal is not a counter program of the GND. Latest. Rapone is a former Army Ranger turned West Point Cadet who posted photos with his cap showing the phrase, "Communism will win," ultimately expressing his pro-communism views. New room decor until its flying proudly in the streets. 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. They're also given 60 seconds to say goodbye to their families, who they may or may not contact during Cadet Basic Training. When you study the role of the United States and the British and the French pre-dating them, you start to understand what imperialism really is. On Monday, the United States Military Academy welcomed more than 1,190 candidates for Reception Day. In 2021 Spenser Rapone was hired at the University of Texas in Austin in the History Departments New School for Social Research. Rapones Twitter account, where he tweets as @punkproletarian, was previously set to protected while the investigation ran its course. He posted January 18 on Facebook, May we all learn from her example of what integrity and strength of conviction truly entails.. He got out on the other side thought and became an anti-war activist and asocialist. Sign up to become a Sustainer before the deadline and take advantage of our best offer ever. Click here for reprint permission. The Saga of the Commie Lieutenant Comes to an End. Spenser is being discharged from the military with an Other Than Honorable discharge this June, in part, because [Marco] Rubio penned a panic-stricken letter to acting Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy demanding the branch nullify Rapones military commission after seeing this photo, he wrote. 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. Uz\`QT2#!dkscS. Communist ex-Ranger and West Pointer receiving a other than honorable discharge. Rapone is shown here during graduation ceremonies at the United States Military Academy at West Point with the phrase "Communism will win" written on the inside of his hat. Army." Our conversation will be called Resisting Within the Ranks., Spenser Is being discharged from the military with an Other Than Honorable discharge this June, in part, because Maro Rubio penned a panic-stricken letter to acting Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy demanding, Florida Senator Marco Rubio called on the U.S. Army to remove Rapone and make him pay back his tuition for advocating for communism., U.S. Army spokesperson Valerie Mongello had told American Military News that while the Department of Defense and Army encourage soldiers to participate in the democratic process, the Army has strict rules regarding the wear and appearance of Army uniforms., West Point Military Academy had also responded to the situation, and released a statement saying Rapones actions in no way reflect the values of the U.S. Military Academy or the U.S. Army., Spenser Rapone (Photos from Social Media, Compiled by American Military News). He is a man of above-average stature. But they kicked it back and said Iwould go before aboard of inquiry, which is an adversarial trial where Ipresent my case and they present theirs. Episode 19: No War But The Class War w/ Spenser Rapone (Podcast Episode 2018) Parents Guide and Certifications from around the world. Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. To get into West Point, applicants must receive nominations, usually from U.S. politicians. Of the incoming class, 180 were African American, 145 were Hispanic Americans, 99 were Asian Americans and 19 were Native Americans. <> Guevara was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary who believed the poor people of Latin America would be saved by communism. The class of 2023 saw about a four percent increase in minority representation. 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. 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. 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. Many other military personnel also tweeted in favor of Kaepernick, although most were supporting free speech, not communism. According to photos on Rapones Facebook page, he became close to Hosein, a Ph.D. in Islamic history from the University of Chicago. 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. Emailus. You go to football games and they bring troops out on the field. Join our brand new verified AMN Telegram channel and get important news uncensored. It seeks to create astateless, classless, moneyless society. Even while still a cadet, Rapone's online postings alarmed a West Point history professor, who wrote Rapone up, saying his online postings were "red flags that cannot be ignored." Previously, he served as the director of Public Education for the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Chicago. Mr. Rapone retweeted the message. Its a call for action beyond the scope of the US colonial state. 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. 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. 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. After posting the photo, Rapone was discovered to be a vehement communist propagandist and official socialist organizer of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Compared to the 294 women welcomed on Reception Day in 2018, West Point reported 285 female cadets were on campus as part of the newest class. Now through Monday, sign up to become a Sustainer for just $5 a month and you'll receive your choice of one of three booksas well as an ongoing subscriptions (10 issues a year) to the print magazine. Rapone's father, a local politician in Pennsylvania, explicitly disavowed his son's political views Tuesday in a Facebook post. Then-Lieutenant Rapone put his own continued service on the line in order to speak up in support of blacklisted ex-49ers quarterbackColin Kaepernick. "I knew there could be repercussions," said Rapone, who is scheduled to speak at a socialism conference in Chicago next month. Photos from the graduation posted on social media earned the vitriol of many his fellow soldiers and avocal cadre of right-wing politicians and mediaeven death threats. #VeteransForKaepernick pic.twitter.com/3jnCtawvHc, Rudi (Dutschke) Cant Fail (@punkproletarian) September 24, 2017. |?RzNB*0t[%vTvRHhii\&4PGO>]~:.1b"* 97by7=w|i>edjR9@6$Ol~9U`: onj "8W(:!,w0e0eIvsRdR5y6odwq,lAQ6Az!F Xig'" aNJFNED$Z9CYOzjc!=;{21m%veb0Nf[,|lj{(/ Ithink it shows some peoples priority. 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. 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. The DSAs Veterans Working Group, of which Rapone is a member, also offered support to him in a statement. In total, this signified about a four percent increase in minority enrollment, equal to about 43 people, compared to the previous year. He didnt want all these honorifics. Toward the end of his deployment, he learned West Point fulfills a certain quota of enlisted soldiers every year. West Point first admitted women in 1976, with 62 women graduating in the class of 1980. 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 . Spenser Rapone is our comrade and we fully support, defend, and encourage him to take whatever steps he sees necessary to express his political beliefs and continue to organize towards a socialist future, the group said. The Saga of the Commie Lieutenant Comes to an End - RedState But Iwas kind of stuck at that point because after your second year, you have to do whats called affirmation. If Idropped at that point, Iwould either be kicked back into the enlisted ranks or be forced to find away to pay for West Point. "West Point is happy with its highly qualified and diverse classes of 2023," a West Point spokesperson told Newsweek. [emailprotected]. 45 1,924 Rapones activism while in uniform appears to be much broader than those two photos. When the U.S. invaded Iraq, there was an anti-war movement, but when Obama ran as anti-war candidate, his election took the wind out of the sails.