Comment section disabled on Army recruitment video following vile comments about soldier raised by two mothers

The US Army released a series of animated videos telling the stories of several soldiers and their journey to join the military. One of the videos features the story of Corporal Emma Malonelord, who was raised in California by her two mothers.

The negative comments on the YouTube video prompted the Army to disable the comment section. As of Friday morning, the video had been viewed just over a million times, with more than 47,000 dislikes and 1,200 likes.

“Beginning 12 May, we started noticing a significant uptick in negative commentary,” public affairs chief at the Army Enterprise Marketing Office, Laura DeFrancisco, told Army Times. “The 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.”

Five soldiers were selected for the video series called “The Calling”. A press release from the Army said they “conducted a worldwide search across the forces for soldier stories to support the campaign, receiving nearly one hundred inspiring entries”.

“After settling on a shortlist of potential candidates, stories were tested to assess their resonance with today’s youth,” the press release said. “The final ‘cast’ provides a rich tapestry of stories that represent the diverse upbringings and life experiences that make up today’s Army.”

About Cpl Malonelord, the release said: “Emma seemed to have it all. A self-proclaimed ‘spoiled kid’ – growing up with a supportive family, good education, and plenty of extracurriculars – Emma found herself seeking her purpose in life.

“While studying at the University of California, Davis, she admired the humanitarian efforts of some of her sorority sisters and began to feel a pull to be part of something bigger.

“After meeting with an Army recruiter, she said goodbye to her sorority friends. Though Emma’s moms were initially wary of her joining the Army, they understood their daughter’s desire to chart her own path.”

“Now they are active supporters of the Army community by spearheading letter writing and care package campaigns for Soldiers,” the release added.

The videos are animated, which is “a distinct departure from previous Army campaigns”.

“Animation was a clear creative choice for the campaign because of its visual interest, narrative flexibility, and Gen Z appeal,” the Army said.

The video featuring Cpl Malonelord was criticised by conservatives, with Texas Senator Ted Cruz tweeting that having “a woke, emasculated military is not the best idea”. He was slammed for his comments by numerous military veterans.

While Cpl Malonelord has not responded to a request for comment from The Independent, a Twitter account appearing to belong to the Corporal retweeted a post by healthcare advocate Kendall Brown, who wrote: “Imagine enlisting to serve your country, working hard to become a noncommissioned officer (at a rank known for being “all of the work, none of the pay”), agreeing to tell your story to inspire other girls to enlist … only to have a US Senator publicly insult you as lesser than.”

Four-star General Robert Abrams, currently serving as the commander of US forces in South Korea, wrote on Twitter that Cpl Malonelord is a “superstar by any measure”.

He added that she’s “exceptionally sharp, professional, technical expert, highly respected by her peers, superiors and subordinates,” concluding that “her unit is in full support of her and her family”.