Posted on 10/07/2017 3:44:37 AM PDT by markomalley
A Fort Drum officer whose pro-communist and anti-Trump social media posts have spurred outrage and an Army investigation apparently raised concerns among his superiors in 2015 while studying at West Point.
In documents obtained by the Daily Caller, Lt. Col. Robert M. Heffington, a professor at West Point, said he found the social media posts by 2nd Lt. Spenser Rapone, then a cadet, “extremely disturbing.” He noted at the time that one of Rapone’s posts said “(Expletive) this country and its fake freedom,” and others praised communism, marxism and Karl Marx.
“I cannot reconcile the image of a first class cadet at West Point with the things he has posted online for the world to see,” the lieutenant colonel said in a sworn statement. “To me, these are red flags that cannot be ignored, and I fail to see how this individual can possibly graduate and become a commissioned officer in six months.”
Lt. Rapone is currently under investigation by post officials for his social media posts, including those made while wearing his West Point uniform. The posts were condemned by the academy.
Col. Heffington’s statement from November 2015 also said Rapone showed “extreme disrespect” to him when confronted about the volume of a conversation he had with a professor and refused corrections on standards like getting a haircut.
“His utter contempt for my rank and position as an Army officer was blatantly obvious and, to me, it indicates that CDT Rapone has a serious problem with military authority figures.”
He later said Rapone’s social media posts at best “reveal the philosophical infatuations of a precocious adolescent,” and at worst “a severe mental or psychological disorder” or values “at odds” with West Point and the Army.
“He may at some point grow out of this phase, but the Army does not have the luxury of allowing him the opportunity to sort out his beliefs while charged with the sacred duty of leading American Soldiers,” Col. Heffington said.
Lt. Rapone, a member of the 10th Mountain Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team, first drew attention when he tweeted an image from his Twitter account, @punkproletarian, with “Communism Will Win” written into his West Point cadet hat.
Other online statements by the lieutenant criticized President Trump and members of his administration.
If taken to a court martial, Lt. Rapone could face confinement for violating multiple parts of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
This week, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio called for Lt. Rapone’s dismissal, a call backed by Rep. Elise M. Stefanik.
A Lt. worthy of being fragged.
That’s all true, but this guy was apparently originally enlisted prior to his West Point appointment.
PA, and his appointment to the USMA came from a Senator.
...betcha Odungo knows...
Correction: Rapone (still getting used to the tablet after my laptop died a week ago)
He has a face and attitude that I would like to bash with a hammer.
I was shocked to see that asshat wearing a CIB, but it’s only a make believe CIB, like his whole freekin life.
Remember the era, when certain notions and ideology were shifted to the forefront, and to make an example of this sort of behavior by expelling the troublesome cadet would have brought immediate and even overwhelming response from higher echelons of command, including reinstatement and purging of any record of reprimand or punitive action. And probably a reduction in rank and/or expulsion from service of the officer who tried to mount any such charge. The higher levels of the military were already being “cleansed” of all divergent thought, and there was a great bulk of resignations or “retirements”, hollowing out of the military of some of its most competent and most influential officers.
The Deep State already had its tentacles far into the military bureaucracy.
“I’m curious how this anti-American activist managed to get himself a commission and an acceptance into West Point. Didn’t his background investigation turn up anything that might give some clue into his character?”
Seems that even the higher-ups were either cut from the same cloth, or turned a blind eye to it lest they be brought up on discrimination charges, get demoted and/or lose their pension.
This is no different than allowing a known Muzzie jihadist doctor, MAJ Nidal Hassan, to continue serving in the Army, even after his terrorist views were well known. Walter Reed Army Medical Center sh*t-canned him to Fort Hood, where he murders more than a dozen soldiers and wounds many more.
This d-bag Raspone is the same. He got by on his Ranger tab (prior enlisted) and the Army’s PC acceptance of Communists and Mohammedans by Obama, himself both a Commie and a Muzzie. West Point just passed on their problem to another Army unit.
Well, right there, “Islamic Civilization” is an oxymoron.
Civilization pretty much goes out the window when Sharia law settles in. What remains is a tightly constructed tribal organization, definitely a step BACKWARD from true civilization.
Read the statement from Heffington. This little turd skated on his CIB through four years, and no one at the Point wanted to piss off the Perfumed Princes at Obama's Pentagon.
My contacts on active duty show a systemic problem in the military with everyone in the chain of command being terrified of pointing out homosexual or political violations, because of a simple fear of being labeled "bigoted". They've got officers, dykes, using their ranks for sexual favors, ready to pull the race card or homophobe card, for any or no reason, just because they can, and NO ONE can or will do anything about it. It's 8 years of deliberate socialist destruction.
IIRC all new enlisted recruits of all branches of the Armed Forces were handed a similar (or identical) list.I assume officers were as well.
Seems to me that this clown is begging for a court martial...."conduct unbecoming an officer" would be the *mildest* charge he should face.
West Point knew all about Rapone and yet let him graduate and commissioned him. Shame, shame on the Academy. There must be a complete change in the liberal culture which has infested that great institution. Amen!!!!
Some one could neutral steer an M-1 tank on this guys chest for an hour or so and it wouldn’t even bother me.
He later said Rapone’s social media posts at best “reveal the philosophical infatuations of a precocious adolescent,” and at worst “a severe mental or psychological disorder” or values “at odds” with West Point and the Army.
“He may at some point grow out of this phase, but the Army does not have the luxury of allowing him the opportunity to sort out his beliefs while charged with the sacred duty of leading American Soldiers,” Col. Heffington said.
Because Obama was President, an Ash Carter was Defense Secretary and an open homosexual was Sec of the Army. You think war fighting was anywhere on their priority list?
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