A Marine faces being kicked out of the Corps after he was arrested at a pro-Confederate rally, at which he allegedly helped unfurl a banner with a white supremacist slogan.

Staff Sgt. Joseph Manning was stationed at the Marine Corps Engineer School at Camp Lejeune, in North Carolina when he was arrested on May 20 in Graham, North Carolina, and charged with first degree trespass, a Class 2 misdemeanor.

Manning and fellow active-duty Marine Sgt. Michael Chesny are accused of climbing a building and unfurling a banner with the letters “YWNRU” on it, The Times-News reported on May 27. The letters reportedly stand for “You will not replace us,” which is the slogan for Identity Evropa, a white nationalist group founded by Marine veteran Nathan Damigo.

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A Marine Corps investigation substantiated allegations against Manning and now he has been recommended to be administratively separated from the Corps, said Capt. Joshua Pena, a spokesman for Training and Education Command.

Pena said the investigation is part of the administrative process and its results cannot be released publicly.

Manning joined the Marine Corps in 2002 and his military awards include the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Iraq Campaign Medal and Afghanistan Campaign Medal.

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Chesny has received administrative punishment and he is still an active explosive ordnance technician stationed to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina, base spokesman Mike Barton said on Monday.

Both Manning and Chesney are slated to appear in court in Graham, N.C., on Oct. 10, when their case could be adjudicated, said Gabriel Diaz, the Alamance County assistant district attorney who is prosecuting the case. Neither man has entered a plea yet.

The maximum sentence for first degree trespass is 60 days in jail – 30 days for people with no prior criminal record Diaz told Marine Corps Times.

Marine Corps Times was unable to reach Manning or Chesny’s attorneys on Tuesday.

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