Army Considering Reprimanding Soldier Who Appeared With Ron Paul

Fresh figures once again show Paul received more military donations than all other candidates combined
Steve Watson
Infowars
Jan. 05, 2012

The US Army said Wednesday that it is considering disciplining Reserve Corporal Jesse Thorsen, the soldier who spoke out against a militaristic foreign policy at Ron Paul’s post-Iowa caucuses rally.

After being cut short during a CNN interview Thorsen, who has served two tours in Afghanistan and was due to head back for a third, was invited on to the stage by Paul himself to address Paul’s cheering supporters.

"If there's any man out there that's had a vision out there, it's definitely [Ron Paul]," Thorsen said. "His foreign policy is by far, hands down better than any other candidate's out there, and I'm sure you all know that. We don't need to be picking fights overseas and I think everybody else knows that, too."

Apparently someone within the military infrastructure did not take kindly to Thorsen’s remarks, and set about attempting to punish the 10-year veteran for his words.

Detractors are now going to great lengths to point out that because Thorsen was in uniform, he was technically in breach of military protocol when he praised Paul's foreign policy positions.

Department of Defense Directive 1344.10 permits troops to attend political activities so long as they are not in uniform.

"It's not in keeping with the spirit of the letter of the DoD directive," Army spokesman George Wright said in a statement, without directly addressing the issue of Thorsen's appearance.

“The soldier that spoke tonight on behalf of Ron Paul is gonna be in a bit of trouble,” wrote Paul Rieckhoff, founder of the veterans’ advocacy organization Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

“Politics in uniform is a big no-go. And Paul and his campaign should know better. Troops are bound by the (Uniform Code of Military Justice).” Rieckhoff added.

The Department of Defense policy states that active duty troops wearing a uniform are expected to avoid activities that "imply official sponsorship, approval, or endorsement" of political figures.

The directive also states that active duty uniformed soldiers may not “speak before a partisan political gathering, including any gathering that promotes a partisan political party, candidate, or cause” or “participate in any radio, television or other program or group discussion as an advocate for or against a partisan political party, candidate or cause.”

Those who wish to see the Army throw the book at Thorsen may be disappointed, however, given that he is not currently on active duty.

According to the Washington Post:

Maj. Angel Wallace, a spokeswoman for the Army Reserve command, said Thorsen was not on active duty as of October, according to the available records. Still, she said, his commanders are in the process of determining which regulations, if any, were violated, and what the penalty might be.

His chain of command, Wallace said, is "determining the next steps."

As we noted yesterday, CNN cut short an interview with Thorsen when he praised Ron Paul and began to speak out against an aggressive military stance abroad. As started to explain that he felt Israel is capable of looking after itself when it comes to Iran, “static” interference interrupted the feed.

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