
Take This Empire and Shove It: Openly Hostile to Capitalism, Outspoken U.S. Army Lieutenant Resigns
"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."
Once his eyes were opened and he later became committed as a "revolutionary socialist," it wasn't easy for Spenser Rapone--a West Point graduate--to maintain conformity with the ideological strictures most valued by the U.S. Army, among the numerous military branches tasked with acting as the muscle of U.S. imperalism and projecting strength on behalf of American capital and corporate interests abroad.
But committed he was and--nearly a year after he was famously photographed with the words "Communism Will Win" under his graduation cap--the trained soldier, a second lieutenant with the Army's 10th Mountain Division based at Fort Drum in New York state, tendered his resignation from the service on Monday after he was earlier reprimanded by higher-ups for "conduct unbecoming an officer."
Outside the base on Monday, he offered one final military-style gesture:
Rapone first made headlines in 2017 after he posted pictures of himself at his West Point graduation wearing a t-shirt of the Cuban Revolution's famed Che Guevera under his uniform and the messge "Communism Will Win" inside his cap.
According to an interview with the Associated Press, Rapone seemed at ease with his decision to leave the U.S. military and called on other enlisted soldiers who feel like he does, to do the same.
"I consider myself a revolutionary socialist," the 26-year-old Rapone said. "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."
Prior to being accepted to West Point, Rapone enlisted in the Army after high school and served in Afghanistan. It was during his deployments there, he says, that he began to doubt his earlier assumptions about the roll the U.S. military was actually playing in the world.
"We were bullies in one of the poorest countries on Earth," Rapone told AP. "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 explains he was further influenced by Marxist writings and reading more about other combat veterans who later spoke out about the evils of war and the influence of capitalism in generating them.
Now out of the military, Rapone did not seem upset and suggested gratitude for the support he's received since speaking out about his beliefs.
"I knew there could be repercussions," said Rapone, who AP reports is scheduled to speak at a socialism conference in Chicago next month. "Of course my military career is dead in the water. On the other hand, many people reached out and showed me support. There are a lot of veterans both active duty and not that feel like I do."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. The final deadline for our crucial Summer Campaign fundraising drive is just days away, and we’re falling short of our must-hit goal. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Once his eyes were opened and he later became committed as a "revolutionary socialist," it wasn't easy for Spenser Rapone--a West Point graduate--to maintain conformity with the ideological strictures most valued by the U.S. Army, among the numerous military branches tasked with acting as the muscle of U.S. imperalism and projecting strength on behalf of American capital and corporate interests abroad.
But committed he was and--nearly a year after he was famously photographed with the words "Communism Will Win" under his graduation cap--the trained soldier, a second lieutenant with the Army's 10th Mountain Division based at Fort Drum in New York state, tendered his resignation from the service on Monday after he was earlier reprimanded by higher-ups for "conduct unbecoming an officer."
Outside the base on Monday, he offered one final military-style gesture:
Rapone first made headlines in 2017 after he posted pictures of himself at his West Point graduation wearing a t-shirt of the Cuban Revolution's famed Che Guevera under his uniform and the messge "Communism Will Win" inside his cap.
According to an interview with the Associated Press, Rapone seemed at ease with his decision to leave the U.S. military and called on other enlisted soldiers who feel like he does, to do the same.
"I consider myself a revolutionary socialist," the 26-year-old Rapone said. "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."
Prior to being accepted to West Point, Rapone enlisted in the Army after high school and served in Afghanistan. It was during his deployments there, he says, that he began to doubt his earlier assumptions about the roll the U.S. military was actually playing in the world.
"We were bullies in one of the poorest countries on Earth," Rapone told AP. "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 explains he was further influenced by Marxist writings and reading more about other combat veterans who later spoke out about the evils of war and the influence of capitalism in generating them.
Now out of the military, Rapone did not seem upset and suggested gratitude for the support he's received since speaking out about his beliefs.
"I knew there could be repercussions," said Rapone, who AP reports is scheduled to speak at a socialism conference in Chicago next month. "Of course my military career is dead in the water. On the other hand, many people reached out and showed me support. There are a lot of veterans both active duty and not that feel like I do."
Once his eyes were opened and he later became committed as a "revolutionary socialist," it wasn't easy for Spenser Rapone--a West Point graduate--to maintain conformity with the ideological strictures most valued by the U.S. Army, among the numerous military branches tasked with acting as the muscle of U.S. imperalism and projecting strength on behalf of American capital and corporate interests abroad.
But committed he was and--nearly a year after he was famously photographed with the words "Communism Will Win" under his graduation cap--the trained soldier, a second lieutenant with the Army's 10th Mountain Division based at Fort Drum in New York state, tendered his resignation from the service on Monday after he was earlier reprimanded by higher-ups for "conduct unbecoming an officer."
Outside the base on Monday, he offered one final military-style gesture:
Rapone first made headlines in 2017 after he posted pictures of himself at his West Point graduation wearing a t-shirt of the Cuban Revolution's famed Che Guevera under his uniform and the messge "Communism Will Win" inside his cap.
According to an interview with the Associated Press, Rapone seemed at ease with his decision to leave the U.S. military and called on other enlisted soldiers who feel like he does, to do the same.
"I consider myself a revolutionary socialist," the 26-year-old Rapone said. "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."
Prior to being accepted to West Point, Rapone enlisted in the Army after high school and served in Afghanistan. It was during his deployments there, he says, that he began to doubt his earlier assumptions about the roll the U.S. military was actually playing in the world.
"We were bullies in one of the poorest countries on Earth," Rapone told AP. "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 explains he was further influenced by Marxist writings and reading more about other combat veterans who later spoke out about the evils of war and the influence of capitalism in generating them.
Now out of the military, Rapone did not seem upset and suggested gratitude for the support he's received since speaking out about his beliefs.
"I knew there could be repercussions," said Rapone, who AP reports is scheduled to speak at a socialism conference in Chicago next month. "Of course my military career is dead in the water. On the other hand, many people reached out and showed me support. There are a lot of veterans both active duty and not that feel like I do."