Tag Archives: ron paul

Husband, Wife Fighter Pilots Seek Moral Discharge

US Air Force Captain Justin Pavoni is an F-15E pilot who has reportedly requested a discharge from the Air Force on moral grounds.  He made his intentions public in an interview with Ron Paul — which is only viewable for a fee.  PickYourBattles.net has some discussion on the video (and a follow-up after talking with Capt Pavoni), which seems to indicate Capt Pavoni has more of a policy disagreement with the use of the military than an objection to war in general. (It is unclear if Pavoni himself as used the term “conscientious objector.”)  As quoted:  Read more

DoD: Corporal “Potentially” Violated Regulations

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

Facebook Effect: Corporal May Face Sanction over Ron Paul Rally

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