A U.
S. Army First Lieutenant chose his final day in uniform to launch a vulgar, public attack on the Commander-in-Chief, a move many Americans see as a direct insult to the very institution he once swore to defend.
The Gateway Pundit identified the officer as Patrick Kyser, a man who identifies as gay and says he served in the U.S. Army for 14 years. According to The Gateway Pundit, Kyser recorded a short video in uniform declaring, So today is my last day wearing this uniform, and I just wanted to say from the bottom of my heart, f*ck Donald Trump.
Kyser posted the clip online with a caption assailing the Trump administrations military and foreign policy, framing his outburst as a political statement rather than simple profanity. In the past 14 years, Ive heard thank you for your service many times. The best way to show your thanks to our troops is to vote for politicians who will only put them in harms way when absolutely necessary. Not to serve their own egos.
The video quickly drew sharp backlash from viewers who argued that a commissioned officer has no business publicly attacking the Commander-in-Chief while still in uniform. One widely shared response stated, This Lieutenant is still subject to UCMJ even if its his last day in the Army. Hes a disgrace to the uniform. Dishonorable discharge & send him to Fort Leavenworth.
Others online debated whether Kyser was still under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) at the exact moment the video was filmed, while some on the left rushed to defend his outburst as protected political speech. Under longstanding rules, a service member remains fully subject to the UCMJ until the discharge process is complete and the official separation timetypically midnight on the separation datetakes effect.
If Kyser was still an active-duty first lieutenant when he recorded the video, the Army could theoretically have had jurisdiction to investigate whether his conduct violated the UCMJ and the basic standards of good order and discipline. Whether any action would be taken would hinge on the timing, the specific facts, and the judgment of the chain of command, but once his discharge became effective, the UCMJ would generally no longer apply to this new conduct, leaving many conservatives to question why respect for the office of President Donald Trump seems optional for some in uniform.
Login