Freihofer’s video came a month after the Army warned about the use of social media.
By David Isaac, World Israel News
The U.S. Army has decided to remove an officer who made a Holocaust joke last year on TikTok.
Nathan Freihofer, a second lieutenant, was suspended from leadership duties and an investigation opened last September. In the joke posted in a 15-second video, Freihofer asks, what a “Jewish person’s favorite Pokemon character is.” The answer: “Ash.”
Freihofer then says in the video, “If you get offended, get the f*** out because it’s a joke.”
Lt. Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, the commander of the Army’s XVIII Airborne Corps, who made the decision to eject Friehofer last week, found his statement “inconsistent with the values of Army service and inappropriate for anyone in a position of leadership over American Soldiers,” according to Army spokesman Col. Joseph Buccino.
“As a result, last month the Corps commander initiated the process of removing Freihofer from the Army,” Buccino said.
Task&Purpose, a news site focusing on the U.S. military, reports that Freihofer had a TikTok following of 3 million. It increased by another million since the joke.
“We demand EVERYONE within our formation represents the value of the Profession of Arms and lives in concert with our incredible legacy,” the Army corps tweeted at the time.
According to Task&Purpose, Freihofer’s video came a month after the Army warned about the use of social media. It suggested soldiers think, type and then post.
“‘Think’ about the message being communicated and who could potentially view it; ‘Type’ a communication that is consistent with Army values; and ‘Post’ only those messages that demonstrate dignity and respect for self and others,” according to the policy guidelines.