West Point Grad In 'Communism Will Win' Photo Booted From Army

FORT DRUM, NY — A former West Point graduate who ignited an internet firestorm by tweeting out photos of himself with communist messages at his graduation ceremony has been kicked out of the Army, according to media reports.

Spenser Rapone gained internet fame just under a year ago when he tweeted out photos of himself wearing a blood-red Che Guevara shirt underneath his military uniform at his May 2016 graduation. In another photo, he flips his graduation cap to reveal the words "Communism will win" scrawled in black letters. The photos were posted in 2017.

also,, pic.twitter.com/gYFE64o3BY
— Rudi (Dutschke) Can’t Fail (@punkproletarian) June 22, 2017

In case there was any lingering doubt, hasta la victoria siempre pic.twitter.com/0XrW38wcCk
— Rudi (Dutschke) Can’t Fail (@punkproletarian) September 25, 2017

On Monday, officials at Fort Drum accepted his resignation following an earlier slap on the wrist for "conduct unbecoming of an officer," The Associated Press reported. Rapone, a former second lieutenant, told the AP that investigators determined he was calling for a socialist revolution on the internet and was bad-mouthing top officers and American officials. He reportedly received an "other than honorable" discharge.

Rapone told AP he considers himself a "revolutionary socialist" and urged all soldiers with a "conscience" to put down their weapons.

“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," he said.

Rapone was an Army Ranger in Afghanistan before going to West Point. He decided to tweet out the photos to show support for NFL players who were kneeling during the National Anthem.

Army officials told AP in a statement it investigated and took appropriate action.

In one last — explicit — message to the Army on Monday, Rapone tweeted out a picture of someone giving the middle finger in front of the entrance to Fort Drum. The caption: “One final salute.”

Rapone's resignation comes just months after the United States Military Academy at West Point said it supported Ahmad Bradshaw, a quarterback on the school's football team, who was accused of raping a fellow cadet in 2014.

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