Deployed soldiers face punishment for their ‘message to liberals’ video
Davis Winkie
Two deployed Michigan Army National Guard soldiers who in September posted an obscenity-laced TikTok video of themselves, armed and in uniform, chiding “liberals and Democrats” for being "crybabies and snowflakes” now face disciplinary action following an investigation.
The two soldiers are assigned to Company A, 3rd Battalion, 126th Infantry
Regiment, which is deployed under U.S. Army Central Command, according to Air
Force Capt. Andrew Layton, a Michigan National Guard spokesman. Neither the
Michigan Guard nor U.S. Army Central would share the names of the soldiers,
whose nametapes are not visible in the video.
“We are aware of the video posted to TikTok by two U.S. Army Soldiers on Sept.
15, 2020 in the CENTCOM" region, said U.S. Army Central spokesman Col.
Armando Hernandez in an email to Military Times. “The video was removed from
TikTok, the incident was investigated, and appropriate action is being taken.”
The Michigan Army National Guard said it is taking disciplinary action against
the two soldiers.
“Unit leadership is aware of this video and disciplinary action is presently
being taken,” said Layton in a statement to Military Times. “Regardless of the
video’s origin, the reprehensible comments made in the video are unacceptable
and inconsistent with professional military values.”
Layton declined to say exactly what rules the soldiers broke or what punishment
they received.
One expert contacted by Military Times said the soldiers appeared to violate
rules prohibiting wearing the uniform in a situation that could “discredit” the
military, as well as one banning uniform wear related to political activities.
“This case is egregious and clear-cut,” said Jim Golby, a civil-military
relations expert and senior fellow at the University of Texas at Austin’s
Clements Center for National Security,
Don't miss the top Army stories, delivered each afternoon
Army officials say the soldiers also may have violated security rules by using a personal device.
The video has gone viral since it was originally posted to TikTok, subsequently
deleted and then partially re-uploaded to to the Art TakingBack YouTube channel as “Two Soldiers Overseas Have A
Message For Liberals.” In it, the two soldiers address the camera as if
they were speaking directly to “liberals and Democrats.”Army officials learned of the video and its origins in late
September, according to a defense official.
The channel, which was created in early September, has more than 13,000
subscribers, but does not appear to create its own content. It contains
numerous pro-Donald Trump and anti-Democrat and anti-left-wing activist videos.
A Google reverse image search of the channel’s icon shows a Twitter account
called Art
TakingBack, with more than 115,000 followers and a description that reads,
“I’m here to support my President #Trump #MAGA #TRUMP2020
#WalkAway.”
The soldiers recorded the video with a personal device while on duty, explained
Hernandez, the ARCENT spokesman. “Using a personal device and social media
platform while on duty presents a security concern,” he said in a statement to
Military Times. The Army banned TikTok from Army-issued mobile devices in January,
citing data security concerns.
Both soldiers were wearing body armor, and they had their rifles slung
throughout the video.
The soldier on the left, a specialist speaking through a mouthful of chewing
tobacco, refers to “crybabies and snowflakes burning our f---king country
down.”
“Is that guy drinking unicorn semen?” said the soldier on the right, a staff sergeant. He also encouraged his imaginary audience to “strap your balls on, you know, and be a f---king man. Move out of your mom’s basement and stand up for something.”
Golby said the comments appears to violate Defense Department rules prohibiting
“any activity that may be reasonably viewed" as linking the DoD with a
partisan political stance."
Videos such as this can also have a negative impact on perceptions of
partisanship in the military, explained Golby, who has been studying the
partisan activities of troops with Peter Feaver, who served as a White House
advisor to former President George W. Bush and is now a political science
professor at Duke University.
“My research with Peter Feaver shows that partisan activity by servicemembers
undermines trust and helps polarize the public’s confidence in the military,”
Golby said. “A viral video like this one that includes negative and vitriolic
partisan attacks is likely to be extremely damaging and could even have longer
term impacts on recruiting.”
The bottom line is that troops must remain apolitical, said a spokesman for the
two soldiers' higher headquarters.
“Soldiers are public servants who have taken an oath to defend the principles
of the U.S. Constitution while upholding DoD’s tradition of remaining
apolitical,” said Hernandez, the U.S. Army Central spokesman.
No comments:
Post a Comment