Do you believe that these West Point first classman are violating the UCMJ by making a political statement while in uniform?

Yeah, you're right, MSG (Join to see), there is a lot of tap dancing. There always is on issues like this if you stand on one side of the fence. My take is...If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, you can bet your sweet bippy that it's a duck!!! For decades in this country, there have been two sets of rules for civil decorum in this country. The time has long since past when a whole bunch of somebodies need to stop dancing "around" the Sombrero!!!

don't know if this has been said, but I'm going to say it. If this was a group of white cadets, we would be seeing this compared to the Nazi salute and they would be being called racists.....

They screwed up! This is not conducive to good order and discipline. They are training to become Army Officers. They just lost that opportunity. This should not be tolerated. This is an example of what not to do in uniform. As a retired Officer, I feel that the Academy has failed if they let these Cadets get away with this. Kids or not, Officers or Enlisted, this is not how Soldiers carry themselves!

Definitely prejudicial to good order and discipline.

Walt

I this throw this book at them.

Yes they did. Obviously they didn't get the 4 years of the proper conduct of an officer "while in uniform"....bye bye

Not per say but are close to the line and really shouldn't be engaging in this activity. As a Senior FGO best advice I got in Command leadership school has been if you got to ask more than once about whether its right or will be called into question then you probably shouldn't do it. The fact that two pics were taken (as confirmed in a similar article in Washington Post - one with the fists upraised and one without) suggest that there may have been some question as to if this was a good choice. Otherwise why not just have one picture taken and posted for West Point to celebrate this event-their graduation?

As a officer/leaders appearances DO matter and this should not have been "advised" by their mentor especially while in uniform. Unfortunately social medial and reality tv that many millennials embrace is a dual aged sword now a days! They act without thinking and then have their actions spread far beyond the often initial intended reach!

We really shouldn't be looking at this from the here and now.

Will this have an effect on some PFC under one of their command? My guess is that some PFC Smuck will claim that his or her Lieutenant is a racist to get out of some detail or just to spite the Officer.

I won't pretend to know their intentions. However, if it is being interpreted as a political statement, they knew or should have known that was a possibility.

Here is my 2 cents they are wrong and should be immediately counseled and reprimanded. They are there to defend the lives of all Americans. Not just Black lives or White lives or Native Americans But all Americans. While in uniform they should not be distinguishing between races but seeing soldiers. This kind of thing damages their credibility with their soldiers. When they assume their positions in their units you know they will have soldiers of different races under them and this will only cause tension with those soldiers feeling their super visor doesn't have their back because they aren't Black. Which will cause poor ratings and lack of communication when soldiers don't trust their leaders. Officers or not this kind of action is not acceptable and I really find it hard to believe that any good officer would be trying to find ways to condone it. If they want to send a message it should be ALL lives matter and not to divide the Races further but to do things to end the divide and to show solidarity in the ranks. This is coming from a soldier that when he was in they wouldn't have put up with this mess it would have already have been dealt with no questions Black, White doesn't matter.