A soldier who went on national television in his military uniform on the night of the Iowa Caucuses has been reprimanded by the U.S. Army Reserve. Army Corporal Jesse Thorsen of West Des Moines attended Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul’s gathering in Ankeny and was called up to the stage.

“I’m flabbergasted right now. This is an incredible moment for me. It’s like meeting a rock star,” Thorsen said as he shook Paul’s hand. “But, you know what? We’re going to go to New Hampshire, we’re all going to get involved, we’re going to keep getting online and talking to people. We’re all going to make sure this man is the next President of the United States.”

Paul finished third in the January 3 Iowa Caucuses. The military announced today that the 28-year-old Thorsen violated Department of Defense policies that state soldiers can’t participate in political events in uniform. Prior to his stage appearance, Thorsen was interviewed by Radio Iowa and he praised Paul’s plans to end foreign wars.

“He wants to bring the troops home from war. I’ve served 10 years now and all 10 years we’ve been at war,” Thorsen said. “He wants to bring us home and I think that’s excellent.” Thorsen was also interviewed live on CNN earlier in the evening, but the interview was interrupted by “technical issues.”