On the Hegseth and Loomer purge of active military members commenting on Kirk [View all]

[D. Spaulding]

Retired military member here. I understand the pain the Kirk family is going through, and I have no interest in celebrating his death or demeaning him right now. I was aware of him, though there was nothing particular that stood out to me about him that really inspired more interest.
But the purging of the military members simply for making a negative comment infuriates me. I have close to 30 years of total service, and I'm well aware of the UCMJ and how it covers politics and military members. This is what I believe to be true:

As long as you're not on duty, not in uniform, and not posting on an official military platform or representing that your opinion is sanctioned by the military, I believe you still have rights of free speech. Now it's a gray area I gather, if you're up high in the chain and commander of a large organization, or have a public role etc; and in that case I could see possibly removal of command, but not discharge or judicial punishment. But the way these clowns are going at it, is totally unjustified to me.
I'm not a legal expert however, and perhaps someone with a bit more knowledge might post and expound on what legal defense some of these members may have and if they would have a strong defense for reinstatement.