US Marine sniper unit photographed with 'Nazi SS' flag

[dipsydoodle]

A US Marine scout sniper unit in Afghanistan posed for a photo in front of a flag resembling the logo of the Nazi SS, the Marine Corps says.

In a statement, a Marine spokesman said use of the SS symbol was not acceptable, and that the Corps had now addressed the issue.

The spokesman did not specify what action had been taken.

Marines in the September 2010 photo, taken in Sangin, Afghanistan, are no longer in that unit, he added.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16973868

[fascisthunter]

1. let me guess... he votes republican

[ManiacJoe]

3. He who?

[fascisthunter]

23. oooops... they

[snooper2]

21. The author of the article?

[virgogal]

2. Boys will be boys. eom

[sofa king]

19. Yes... but god damn it!

My girlfriend, ever the voice of reason, just said to me, "what, do we suddenly expect American kids to know their history?"

Well, no. But the bastard who came up with that symbol sure as hell did. That's the part that bothers me.

I know full well how easy it is for an insulated group of guys to latch onto a terrible idea and take it as far as it can possibly go. But if the United States was willing to pull the best damned general it had off the line because he slapped a couple of privates, then these kids are going to be standing tall before the man....

[Lionel Mandrake]

25. Was it a bastard who came up with that symbol,

or just an ignoramus, like the guys in the picture?

Your girlfriend has the right idea. Why assume evil intent in a situation where ignorance can explain everything?

As for Patton -- he was crazy but indispensable. Ike would have fired anyone else who behaved as badly as Patton did. Even while he was in the penalty box, Patton helped deceive the Nazis by pretending to lead the fictitious First US Army Group, which would supposedly invade the Pas de Calais after D-day.

[jerseyjack]

4. Maybe they were trying out for a position in the British Royal family.

[PatrynXX]

5. or major Kiss fans

or Knights in Satans Service.


either way rather stupid.. but then again there's those construction signs that have that eagle which is skewed in the middle where a swastika coulda been..

[onehandle]

8. That's what I see. Kiss Army.

[MADem]

10. That's likely what THEY saw, too, if you look at the picture.

On investigation, use of the flag was not thought to be racially motivated...The inspector general found there was no intent on the part of the Marines to identify themselves with the SS.

An investigation found the symbol was meant to identify the Marines as scout snipers, but that it was still unacceptable, the Associated Press reported.

I don't think the SS used a smart shade of deep blue to set off their logo, either.

It was a dumbass mistake, made by kids who were more into metal than WW2 history.

[provis99]

6. uh, Marine dudes...the Nazis lost. To communists.

[BadtotheboneBob]

26. ...and to us, too

Operation Overlord (D-Day - Normandy) comes to mind. Also, if you ask the Brits, I think they'd say they did their bit. Additionally, we gave the Soviets $11.6 Billion dollars (in 1940's dollars) worth of equipment. Planes, tanks, trucks, etc... The 'Communists' did not do it alone. Although, if you ask them they did. I will note that they did suffer 23.4 million killed, military and civilian. However, if Stalin hadn't purged a great many of his senior Officer corps from 1936-38, matters might have been different from the onset Germany's invasion in the summer of '41.

[riverwalker]

7. absolute morons

the flag in the picture is identical to nazi Storm Troopers. At first I thought well, maybe it was misconstrued somehow, but it was no accident. Disgusting ignorance of history.

[boppers]

11. SS's as lightning bolts.

and



Well, the colors are wrong, but I can see the similarity.

Of course, then there's this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_use_of_the_swastika_in_the_early_20th_century

Simple symbols see a lot of re-use.

[snooper2]

22. The word "identical" is listed in the dictionary

[Crowman1979]

9. And to think there are people in this country who think we should support the troops which do...

... heinous acts like this.

[WilliamPitt]

15. There are people in this country who think exactly that.

It's a Kiss flag.

[obamanut2012]

34. How is it a Kiss flag?

[PavePusher]

24. Heinous acts like...

...jumping people for not knowing their history?

...using a symbol similar to but manifestly not the same as that used by a group from 70+ years ago?

...making assumptions without evidence of nefarious intent?

[amandabeech]

12. Considering how little most people understand or retain from their high school history classes,

these guys may not have a clue as to how offensive the SS symbol really is.

I recentlly had dinner with the salutatorian of my small rural high school class. This person is a teacher, but not of history.

I got to talking about my late uncle's service in WWII. The salutatorian said something on the order of how prevalent draft dodging must have been in WWII. I told her that there were really very few draft dodgers after we were attacked at Pearl Habor, and the ones who dodged were shamed unmericully for a very long time. She took the same U.S. history class that I did and I expect that she got an A, or at the very least, a B+.


My father and two uncle who served were volunteers, and served honorably in the navy and army air force. Two were 1st class petty officers and the other was a technical sargeant--radioman and tail gunner on a bomber in the Pacific Theatre.

[Igel]

27. It's only offensive because people find it offensive.

It's not offensive in isolation from people. And not just "people" in general, but specific people.

The kids may never have seen the symbol used by the SS. They may not have thought it was the most important use of the light-bolt double S. In fact, to them it may not have been offensive. Or perhaps they figured that it could be repurposed: That particular stylization was probably used before the Nazis and it's not like the Nazis were so important as to defined the only possible interpretation of the stylization for all times in all places.

I can't give the Nazis that much authority over my thinking. I realized this when I was a teenager and saw the light-bolt SS in "Kiss". The meaning a symbol has for me is what I give it. The meaning a symbol has for the purpose using it is what they give it. These are easily two different things, and I'm not so important as to dictate what others think when they use a symbol. Nor are others so important as to dictate what I must then when I use a symbol. I have respect for others' thinking--but only to the extent I have respect for them and know their thinking. Or think it's important.

[mactime]

13. KISS anyone?

Seems like an overblown reaction, much like the time KISS where accused of using the SS symbol in their name.

[WilliamPitt]

14. That's a Kiss flag

[Remmah2]

16. Or if you sit on it and rotate.

[img][img]

[unionworks]

33. You Win

... the thread!

[Robb]

17. Marine Scout/Snipers. I've known two.

They're exactly as you expect them to be -- kind of distant, soft smiling types. Dark senses of humor. I think at least part of that is an act.

I doubt these guys are nazi worshippers, however. Probably more dark humor. Not a real sunshine-and-bubbles kind of occupation.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

18. These are very strong Marine snipers

after days of pushups.

and lectures.

but mostly pushups.

[and-justice-for-all]

20. Complete misunderstanding and unntentional..

They just did not think it through.

[unionworks]

29. Mr. Rodgers

...was a sniper. Leave it alone.

[tabasco]

37. No, he wasn't.

That's a myth.

[unionworks]

38. tee hee!....

...I'm busted.

[Bigmack]

30. I Googled (Image) "Marine Scout Sniper logo"....

... got a zillion pages, and the only place I saw that symbol was from this pic.

Lots of logos and other stuff, but no "Lightning bolts".

I read a post on the Sandy Eggo newspaper LTTE section that the symbol "has been used for decades" by the Marine Scout/Snipers.

Wasn't in my Marine Corps... but that really was "decades ago".

Anybody have any real info?

[unionworks]

31. Thanks for your service

I am on the political left, but grew up in a military family. I have to laugh when I see people who want to jump on the self righteous left bandwagon bashing rank and file soldiers. Basically they are repeating the mistakes of the anti war movement in the 60s that alienated the general public by demonizing soldiers, as most american families had someone serving or k.I.a.. Just plain stupid. Soldiers do not create policy.

[Zax2me]

35. Sounds like a setup to me.

By corporations, probably...

[garmatnuk]

36. My opinion

you know - he may be a stupid guy, or just tired. who knows, what he saw there and what they have done with him