US Army SPC Jesse Thorsen (previously incorrectly identified as a Corporal) has been given a Letter of Reprimand for appearing at a Ron Paul rally in uniform and giving a glowing endorsement.
The Army determined that Jesse D. Thorsen violated Read more
The Department of Defense put out an unusually rapid (and blunt) assessment of US Army Corporal Jesse Thorsen’s stint at the Ron Paul rally a few days ago. In an article that covered the general restrictions of military service and political activities, the DoD said
A combat engineer assigned to the 416th Theater Engineer Company potentially violated these rules Jan. 3 when he stepped onto a stage at Ron Paul’s headquarters in Ankeny, Iowa, during the Iowa Caucus to offer a personal endorsement.
However, it also specifically noted Thorsen was not on active duty at the time, contrary to the CNN reports at the time: Read more
Update: US Rep Mike Hoffman (R-CO) has said troops need to be reminded of the rules involving political participation. As noted below, there were already some official military articles on the subject.
US Army Corporal Jesse Thorsen made a name for himself Tuesday night, for better or worse. He appeared on CNN and onstage endorsing the political candidacy of Ron Paul while he was wearing his Army fatigues.
Unlike the mystical machinations of Chris Rodda, in which she says military officers violate regulations when they express their faith on the internet, there is actually an explicit Department of Defense Directive on this type of conduct (barring an unknown mitigating factor on the Corporal’s part). From DoDD 1344.10 (Political Activities by Members of the Armed Forces, found here), an active duty military member “shall not” Read more