Although it's up to the Commanding General of MCRD San Diego to make the final decision on Sgt. Gary Stein's fate, a Marine administrative board has recommended the so-called "Anti-Obama Marine" be discharged from the service. The hearing was held yesterday at Camp Pendleton.
Stein, 26, originally got himself in hot water for writing Facebook posts in which he declared he would not follow orders from his commander-in-chief, President Barack Obama. He later changed those posts to say he would not follow unlawful orders from Obama.
According to the Associated Press, the Marine Corps' administrative separation board ruled that Stein "committed misconduct" and should be dismissed with an "other than honorable" discharge. This kind of discharge would mean Stein would lose the benefits he earned as a serviceman. He would also not be allowed on any military installation.
Stein's defense attorney Marine Capt. James Baehr told the Associated Press:
"We're truly surprised and disappointed but it was an honor to fight for a hero like Sgt. Stein and every other Marine's right to speak freely."
Stein wrote early this morning on his Facebook page:
On to the next fight.
Here's some background from CNN on the Facebook posts that wound up getting Stein kicked out of the Corps:
