'Commie Cadet' Spenser Rapone Leaving Army wit 'Other Than Honorable Discharge' (sic)

PJ Media ^ | 6/7/2018 | Debra Heine

[RightGeek]

Eight months after his communist social media postings and conduct caused a conservative media firestorm, 2nd Lieutenant Spenser Rapone (better known as "the commie cadet") is reportedly being processed out of the Army with the most severe type of military administrative discharge -- an "other than honorable discharge."

Rapone, you may recall, is the avowed Marxist and Antifa supporter who posted pictures of himself on social media promoting pro-communist messages and expressing an intention to infiltrate the U.S. military.

He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in May of 2016, and had been serving in the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum in New York.

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[OldMissileer]

I’ve known some young airman who failed at the USAFA but that was academic failure, and they were outstanding troops, but I do see your point.

I am retired AF. I was a Mustang, E-5, when I left to go to ROTC for two years.

There was a really good troop in my ROTC detachment who really wanted to be in the Air Force but just could not cut the academics in his Senior year. He asked to have his contract fulfilled and they activated his enlistment. He was happy as a clam and I heard he did really well.

That is more than acceptable reason to have someone enter the enlisted force. Doing so to punish someone is a slap in the face of the enlisted ranks (IMHO).

As an aside, my most memorable and the best times I had in the AF were my enlisted years.

[DAC21]

What Congress critters endorsed this POS? I’d like to know and then bill him/her for a couple hundred thousand for reimbursement of Tax Payer money that paid for said POS to go to the Academy for four years.

[BatGuano]

“He should be reduced in rank to E-1 and made to fulfill his service commitment. No need wasting his WP remittance. He can stay E-1 until that is paid off.

Best to get rid of the trash/rotten apple before it ruins the barrel. An “Other than Honorable Discharge” used to carry a penalty for the rest of ones life but, due to general dislike/distrust of all Military, not any more. On MOST job applications there was a box for Military Service and type of discharge. Other than was only better than “dishonorable,” Medical etc. which raised questions that could mean not being hired. Now, who cares? We are told that the FAA must take intelligence challenged people and train them to be ATC controllers. Go figure that!

[Chode]

it broke Rule .223, they shoulda shot him...

[Mark17]

That is a slap in the face to enlisted folk and why people who are officers or getting kicked out of the Academy's or ROTC for bad behavior are never activated into the enlisted force.

Makes sense to me. I was a USAF Master Sgt. Do you think for one minute, that I would want a POS like him working for me? Not for a minute.
Under other circumstances, I had a 3 striper working for me, when I was Ssgt. He had been a C-130 pilot, but the RIF got him. He stayed in, so he could retire as a Captain. It was weird, because he was 15 years older than me, but he took it in stride, and did everything I asked him to, and retired, and got a pay raise. His wife was an officer too. I think she was an RN.

[OldMissileer]

Under other circumstances, I had a 3 striper working for me, when I was Ssgt. He had been a C-130 pilot, but the RIF got him.

One of my missile crew commanders was a Captain and then was RIFed. He started his career flying Jolly Green Giants then transitioned to C-141s. As Nam wound down he ended up in missiles.

He only had three years left to retire and the AF let him become an enlisted troop. The last time I saw him I was an E-4 and he was an E-3 getting ready to PCS to Hawaii to close out his career and it was weird being higher ranking to a man that used to be my crew commander.

[Mark17]

it was weird being higher ranking to a man that used to be my crew commander.

Yes, I am sure that was a trip. It must have been a little embarrassing, to be a 37 or 38 year old A1C. I was a Msgt, with 3 years time in grade by then, but I am sure he just put in his time, to retire.
Maybe it was different then, but right now, the USAF is 1,500 pilots short. The USAF told my son, if he wanted to get in as an officer, the only thing open to him, was pilot training, so when he finishes with OTS, he may end up in SUPT at Laughlin, where I was an air traffic controller for almost 10 years. He says he would love to be an instructor pilot on the T-1 Jayhawk. He likes the aircraft THAT much.

[Mark17]

I forgot to mention, I knew 5 pilots at Laughlin, that knew Sully, at the USAFA, and while he was flying F-4s on active duty. Later, we all know him, for the “miracle on the Hudson.”

[Gene Eric]

>> his communist social media postings and conduct caused a conservative media firestorm

Thank God for social media... /s

[OldMissileer]

The USAF told my son, if he wanted to get in as an officer, the only thing open to him, was pilot training, so when he finishes with OTS, he may end up in SUPT at Laughlin,

The only thing I wanted to do since I was five years old was fly for the Air force.

As I was graduating high school Vietnam had ended and there were too many pilots so I knew I would never get a UPT slot. The only AF Academy opening I could try to get was given the the son of an Army General. Anyway, I made a plan to enlist, get as many college credits while active duty, then try to get a pilot slot in ROTC.

When I left active duty I got into AFROTC and had a pilot slot. I had orders to Reese AFB, TX for UPT and less than two weeks before my commissioning the AF pulled my pilot slot and sent me back into ICBMs because of the needs of the Air Force.

[EliRoom8]

It was a Democrat representative from Pennsylvania who seems to have made an honest mistake:

Former Democratic Rep. Jason Altmire of Pennsylvania told The Daily Caller News Foundation that Rapone’s long history of extremist tweets, which include calling Mattis an “evil, vile f****,” is shocking, disappointing and abhorrent.

“Several years ago, I met Spenser Rapone when he was a high school student seeking an appointment to West Point,” Altmire said. “At the time, he was an outstanding, well-rounded student who came from a good family. I have not been in touch with him in the years since the appointment, and I was shocked and extremely disappointed in the recent reports of his indefensible actions.”

“The behavior of 2nd Lieutenant Rapone is symbolic of a larger problem in our society — the epidemic of incivility in our public discourse,” Altmire continued. “While I strongly support the rights of American citizens to express their opinions, the actions of 2nd Lieutenant Rapone are abhorrent and appear to be in clear violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, in addition to being inconsistent with the values of the United States Military Academy. I have no doubt that the U.S. Army will take appropriate action.”

[Mark17]

So, how on earth, did the USAF become 1,500 pilots short, unless Obama was deliberately trying to destroy the country?

[Mark17]

I also forgot to mention, another A1C, worked for me in the tower at Laughlin. He wanted to be an officer, so, just to get him off my back, I told him to apply for an appointment to the USAFA. I wasn’t even serious, when I said that, but he applied for the USAFA, and much to my surprise, he got it. Ronald Reagan was at his graduation. I ran into him in Base Ops at Travis, when he was a Captain. He was flying a C-140, service eval aircraft, out of Scott, for AFCC. As far as I know, only former air traffic controllers were qualified to fly C-140s. The next day, they needed to do an eval on some new nav aids, and they let me ride with them. It felt strange, to see him fly that aircraft, knowing I was his supervisor at one time. 👍