--- title: Chelsea Manning to Remain on Active Duty After Prison description: Private Chelsea Manning will remain on active duty in the U.S. Army following her release from military prison on May 17. canonical: https://time.com/4778809/chelsea-manning-active-duty-army-prison-release/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-05-15T12:53:07.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T04:55:06.260Z article:section: U.S. og:title: Chelsea Manning Will Remain on Active Duty in Army After Prison Release og:description: Private Chelsea Manning will remain on active duty in the U.S. Army following her release from military prison on May 17. og:url: https://time.com/4778809/chelsea-manning-active-duty-army-prison-release/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9ede20191e4a1038/6988cd390b72e3489f6edc6d/chelsea-manning.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Chelsea Manning Obama og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Chelsea Manning Will Remain on Active Duty in Army After Prison Release twitter:description: Private Chelsea Manning will remain on active duty in the U.S. Army following her release from military prison on May 17. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9ede20191e4a1038/6988cd390b72e3489f6edc6d/chelsea-manning.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Chelsea Manning Will Remain on Active Duty in Army After Prison Release ## Video: President Obama Commutes Chelsea Manning’s Prison Sentence [Watch (HLS stream): President Obama Commutes Chelsea Manning’s Prison Sentence](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/xCsMpEYD.m3u8) (0:30)  _Published 2017-01-17. Under the order, Manning's sentence will expire on May 17, 2017_ by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan May 15, 2017 12:53 PM CUT  FILE - In this undated file photo provided by the U.S. Army, Pfc. Chelsea Manning poses for a photo wearing a wig and lipstick. On Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017, President Barack Obama commuted the sentence of Chelsea Manning, who leaked Army documents and is serving 35 years. (U.S. Army via AP, File) FILE - In this undated file photo provided by the U.S. Army, Pfc. Chelsea Manning poses for a photo wearing a wig and lipstick. On Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017, President Barack Obama commuted the sentence of Chelsea Manning, who leaked Army documents and is serving 35 years. (U.S. Army via AP, File)U.S. Army/AP by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan May 15, 2017 12:53 PM CUT Private Chelsea Manning will [remain on active duty in the U.S. Army ](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/05/14/chelsea-manning-wikileaks-transgender-soldier-donald-trump/101594390/ "undefined")following her release from military prison on May 17\. Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison for leaking national security secrets, but her sentence was [commuted by President Barack Obama](http://time.com/4636935/president-obama-commute-chelsea-manning-prison-sentence/ "undefined") before he left office. Because Manning’s conviction is being appealed, an Army spokesperson told [_USA Today_](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/05/14/chelsea-manning-wikileaks-transgender-soldier-donald-trump/101594390/ "undefined") she will remain an Army private and therefore eligible for health coverage upon her release, though she will not be paid. If the appeal is denied, Manning will face a dishonorable discharge and lose all benefits. Manning, a transgender soldier, fought for hormone treatment while imprisoned and became an outspoken advocate within the LGBT community. President Donald Trump blasted his predecessor’s decision to shorten Manning’s sentence, calling her an “ungrateful traitor” who “never should have been released from prison.” The details of Manning’s assigned post and other terms of her release have not been publicized. A [Twitter account](https://twitter.com/xychelsea/status/860120437220556801 "undefined") run by Manning’s supporters has posted exuberant messages in the days leading up to her release. > [](https://twitter.com/xychelsea/status/860120437220556801) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4778809/chelsea-manning-active-duty-army-prison-release/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4778809/chelsea-manning-active-duty-army-prison-release/"},"headline":"Chelsea Manning Will Remain on Active Duty in Army After Prison Release","datePublished":"2017-05-15T12:53:07.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T04:55:06.260Z","description":"Manning will be released from prison on May 17, six years before she would have been eligible for parole under her 35-year sentence","url":"https://time.com/4778809/chelsea-manning-active-duty-army-prison-release/","keywords":["Army","Military","Obama","LGBTQ","Chelsea Manning","U.S. Presidents","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9ede20191e4a1038/6988cd390b72e3489f6edc6d/chelsea-manning.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9ede20191e4a1038/6988cd390b72e3489f6edc6d/chelsea-manning.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Chelsea Manning Obama","caption":"FILE - In this undated file photo provided by the U.S. Army, Pfc. Chelsea Manning poses for a photo wearing a wig and lipstick. On Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017, President Barack Obama commuted the sentence of Chelsea Manning, who leaked Army documents and is s","creditText":"U.S. Army/AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/army/","name":"Army"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4778809/chelsea-manning-active-duty-army-prison-release/","name":"Chelsea Manning Will Remain on Active Duty in Army After Prison Release"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"President Obama Commutes Chelsea Manning’s Prison Sentence","description":"Under the order, Manning's sentence will expire on May 17, 2017","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/xCsMpEYD/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-01-17T22:02:56.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/xCsMpEYD.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4778809/chelsea-manning-active-duty-army-prison-release/","duration":"PT30S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4778809/chelsea-manning-active-duty-army-prison-release/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```