“The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) has initiated a command investigation regarding LCpl Hunter Clark’s attendance at the event last weekend to determine if any DoD policies were violated. Any details pertaining to this incident are not releasable while the investigation is being conducted,” a spokesman for the unit told The Epoch Times in an email.
Clark was called up on stage on Saturday by Trump during a rally in Perry. He said he was “the guy that pulled the baby over the wall,” describing the moment as one of the greatest in his life.
“I just want to thank all the support from all y’all. It really means a lot and I’m glad to be home now,” he said at the time.
A viral photograph that showed a Marine pulling a baby on Aug. 19 over barbed wire into the airport, though, does not show Clark, according to the MEU spokesman. However, there were several other babies rescued by U.S. troops during the 10 days they were holding the airport for a mass evacuation.
The unit isn’t saying what policies Clark may have violated.
Department of Defense policies say active-duty service members “should not engage in partisan political activity.”
That includes participation in “partisan political fundraising activities, rallies, conventions,” and other events.
Still, those rules don’t apply to members who aren’t wearing their uniform, provided “no inference or appearance of official sponsorship, approval, or endorsement can reasonably be drawn.”
Trump told the rally that one of the Marines who was in Kabul and helped evacuate children was with them. He said Clark “did a great job” before asking them to get on stage with him.
Clark spoke for about a minute.
