Convicted transgender soldier will stay on active duty

WASHINGTON – The Army says that when transgender solider Chelsea Manning is released from military prison on Wednesday she will remain on active duty in a special status, pending her final appellate review.

An Army spokeswoman, Lt. Col. Jennifer Johnson, said Manning will be released in accordance with former President Barack Obama’s decision to grant her clemency.

Manning was convicted in 2013 of leaking secret military and State Department documents and battlefield video. She served nearly seven years of her 35-year sentence at the military prison in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. She was known as Bradley Manning before transitioning in prison. She is appealing her court-martial conviction.

Johnson said Manning will be on unpaid active duty in “excess leave” status, which makes her eligible for medical care at Army treatment facilities.