West Point Academy investigates graduate who posted viral communist propaganda

West Post Military Academy released a statement about a graduate who posted pro-communist photos of himself in his military uniform on social media.

What did he do?

2nd Lt. Spenser Rapone posted a photo of himself with a Che Guevara shirt exposed under his military uniform and another with a pro-communist message.

Other messages on social media appeared to undermine the authority of those above him in the chain of command. He criticized the military, saying it “reifies capitalism/imperialism with a brutally hierarchical rank structure.”

Revolutionary and potentially seditious messages were also discovered on the online forum Reddit on an account allegedly associated with Rapone, as documented by the Daily Caller.

Here are the photos he posted:

"In case there was any lingering doubt," he posted with the photo of himself in a Che shirt, "hasta la victoria siempre," which translates as, "to victory always."

In case there was any lingering doubt, hasta la victoria siempre pic.twitter.com/0XrW38wcCk

— Commie Bebop🌹 (@punkproletarian) September 25, 2017

The other photo, which showed him holding what appears to be his Army-issued hat with the message "Communism will win" written inside it, included a hashtag for "Veterans for Kaepernick," referring to the NFL quarterback who began the kneeling protest against the national anthem.

#VeteransForKaepernick pic.twitter.com/3jnCtawvHc

— Commie Bebop🌹 (@punkproletarian) September 24, 2017

What did West Point Academy say about this?

In a statement released Tuesday, the academy said that an investigation had begun into the messages and photos posted by Rapone.

USMA statement in response to social media posts by West Point graduate, 2nd Lt. Rapone - https://t.co/tUd6QOWDCU

— US Military Academy (@WestPoint_USMA) September 26, 2017

"The U.S. Military Academy strives to develop leaders who internalize the academy's motto of Duty, Honor, Country, and who live the Army values," the statement read. "Second Lieutenant Rapone's actions in no way reflect the values of the U.S. Military Academy or the U.S. Army."

"As figures of public trust," it continued, "members of the military must exhibit exemplary conduct, and are prohibited from engaging in certain expressions of political speech in uniform. Second Lieutenant Rapone's chain of command is aware of his actions and is looking into the matter."

"The academy is prepared to assist the officer's chain of command as required," the statement concluded.