{"id":16960,"date":"2021-05-20T20:27:50","date_gmt":"2021-05-20T20:27:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/05\/20\/comment-section-removed-from-army-recruiting-ad-featuring-soldier-with-two-moms\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T02:01:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T02:01:08","slug":"comment-section-removed-from-army-recruiting-ad-featuring-soldier-with-two-moms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2021\/05\/20\/comment-section-removed-from-army-recruiting-ad-featuring-soldier-with-two-moms\/","title":{"rendered":"Comment section removed from Army recruiting ad featuring soldier with two moms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Two weeks ago, the Army\u2019s official recruiting website released a series of animated advertisements<\/a> showcasing the stories of several soldiers on their journey to join the nation\u2019s oldest branch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One in particular features Cpl. Emma Malonelord, a soldier raised in California by two moms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since its upload to YouTube, however, this video\u2019s comment section has been disabled. It currently has nearly a million views, 36,000 dislikes and only 775 likes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeginning May 12 we started noticing a significant uptick in negative commentary,\u201d Laura DeFrancisco, public affairs chief for the Army Enterprise Marketing Office, told Army Times. \u201cThe comments violated our social media policy and were not aligned with Army values. Out of respect for the safety and wellbeing of our soldiers and their families, we have disabled the comments.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hers is one of five stories selected by the branch for recruiting advertisements under the series, titled \u201cThe Calling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Army conducted a worldwide search across the forces for Soldier stories to support the campaign, receiving nearly one hundred inspiring entries,\u201d according to a release<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter settling on a shortlist of potential candidates, stories were tested to assess their resonance with today\u2019s youth,\u201d the release added. \u201cThe final \u2018cast\u2019 provides a rich tapestry of stories that represent the diverse upbringings and life experiences that make up today\u2019s Army.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This afternoon, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, responded to a tweet about the ad campaign, which compared Malonelord\u2019s recruiting ad to that of Russian soldiers, remarking, \u201cHoly crap. Perhaps a woke, emasculated military is not the best idea….\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The comment section for Malonelord\u2019s story on Facebook<\/a>, however, is still live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis video is getting absolutely ratioed on YouTube, to the point that they ended up disabling the comments section,\u201d wrote user Ezio Per.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Request for comment has not yet been returned by Malonelord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brig. Gen. Patrick Michaelis, deputy commander of U.S. Army Recruiting Command, acknowledged recently that the recruiting environment for new soldiers<\/a> has been \u201cchallenging,\u201d in part because of the political environment across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is because of the effects of COVID, [and] because of the effects of the political discourse and the discussions going on in our country today,\u201d Michaelis said May 5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michaelis did not elaborate when pressed at the time, except to say that it\u2019s up to Army leaders to \u201cremain apolitical\u201d so military service continues to be \u201can option for today\u2019s youth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The newest ad campaign attempts to appeal to a younger and more diverse demographic by spotlighting soldiers like Malonelord, as well as a first-generation immigrant from Haiti and a second-generation immigrant from the Dominican Republic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How exactly the political climate will impact Army recruiting in the long-term is unclear. But service leaders say they\u2019re confident they can continue to meet their modest end-strength proposals that grow the force by only about 1,000 troops per year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n