Fact Check

West Point(less) Diplomas

Published July 17, 2015

Claim:

FACT CHECK:   Has the U.S. Military Academy at West Point revoked the diplomas of all Confederate soldiers?

Claim:   The U.S. Military Academy at West Point revoked diplomas of all Confederate soldiers.

   FALSE

Example:     [Collected via email, July 2015]

Can you verify or disprove this? "West Point Revokes Diplomas Of Confederate Graduates."

Origins:    On 17 July 2015, the Duffel Blog web site published an article reporting that the United States Military Academy at West Point had announced that it would posthumously revoke all diplomas granted to cadets who fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War:

Following the decision of the South Carolina government to remove the Confederate flag from a state memorial, and the subsequent, nation-wide uproar over all things Confederate, West Point has announced that it will posthumously revoke the diplomas of all cadets who graduated from the Academy and fought for the South during the Civil War.

“This sends a clear message to slave-owners and those who would fight for such a horrific cause that 150 years after most of them died we will not tolerate such atrocities on American soil,” said Lt. Col. Thomas Jackson, a spokesman for the school.

There is no truth to the above-quoted story. The Duffel Blog is a military-oriented satirical web site:

We are in no way, shape, or form, a real news outlet. Everything on this website is satirical and the content of this site is a parody of a news organization. No composition should be regarded as truthful, and no reference of an individual, company, or military unit seeks to inflict malice or emotional harm.

All characters, groups, and military units appearing in these works are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or actual military units and companies is purely coincidental.

In addition to perusing the web site's disclaimer, one might have deduced something regarding the authenticity of the above-displayed story by reading about the article's author, Max Butthurt:

Max Butthurt feeds on the comments of morons. He is very fat. Hate him on Twitter @TYFYS84

Last updated:      17 July 2015

Originally published:    17 July 2015

Dan Evon is a former writer for Snopes.