Marine Corps says snipers posted with Nazi SS symbol in Afghanistan

Fox News ^ | February 10th, 2012 | Fox News

[KantianBurke]

SAN DIEGO – The Marine Corps on Thursday once again did damage control after a photograph surfaced of a sniper team in Afghanistan posing in front of a flag with a logo resembling that of the notorious Nazi SS -- a special unit that murdered millions of Jews, gypsies and others. The Corps said in a statement that using the symbol was not acceptable, but the Marines in the photograph taken in September 2010 will not be disciplined because investigators determined it was a naive mistake. The Marines believed the SS symbol was meant to represent sniper scouts and never intended to be associated with a racist organization, said Maj. Gabrielle Chapin, a spokeswoman at Camp Pendleton, where the Marines were based.

Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, headquartered in Los Angeles, said he does not buy the explanation that posing with the flag was an innocent mistake and insisted the American public has a right to know what happened.

"If you look at any book on the Nazi period, this is the dreaded symbol of the SS, and to have a Marine Corps unit adopt it and put it beside the American flag when 200,000 Americans died to free the world of that dreaded symbol is just beyond the pale," he said.

[Robert Drobot]

The only reason the o§ama commie thought police didn't go after the auto industry or "KI§§" is because they were looked upon as a business.

We'll gue§§ what kiddies, we trained §niper §couts to be in the kill business,

Human history is replete with the adaptation/adoption of cultural/military symbolism. If it pleases §niper §couts to make use of symbol akin to that used by Germany, so be it. As far as I know, Israel doesn't have an existing copyright on this §ymbol.

Leave the poor bastards alone, and let them do what they do best. KILL.

[Bringbackthedraft]

The SS was never the equivalent of the USMC of that era. They could have never taken Iwo Jima,,,....................... You’re right the Imperial Army of Japan would have kicked the SS’s butt just like they did against the Russians in the summer of 45. In some ways the USMC may have been like the SS (I recommend reading American Samurai)

You are comparing apples to oranges with the two different theaters of operation. Island hoping isn’t the same as open land warfare with sustained operations. Our USMC and Army (better than the SS)certainly didn’t make the grade in Korea when they were faced with similar conditions that the Germans were faced with, like 7x more people against them than they had, and freezing weather. I’ve spent many hours in my life time with WW II vets, that fought through Normandy into Germany and they all had the same opinion of the German SS units. When they knew they were facing them, they knew they were in trouble. Remember WW II was a war we won on the production line more than on the battle front. You have to compare the casualty figures of the theater operations, that alone tells you which front the toughest fighting was on. Had the Japanese had the quality of weapons the Germans had, the supply line like the Americans had, and fought 500-1100 miles inland beyond naval gunfire and logistic support, the USMC Pacific campaign would have really been the comparable test.

Why are we so afraid to admit that they were better trained, better organized and had high spirit d’Corp than we had at the time? (Because PC has been added to out 1st amendment?)

Yes they were SOBs, but even Patton respected them for their bravery. Someone once said; “They were the best soldiers ever to have fought for the worst cause.” Not a direct quote but close to it.

[doublecansiter]

Just more from those whose knickers are in a perpetual twist.

P&ss on em.

Mike

[ottbmare]

OK, I want to publicly retract what I posted earlier. I said that I didn’t think my son and his buddies (all 18, JROTC, and about to get on a bus for Camp Lejeune in a few months) would recognize this as a symbol of the Waffen SS. When he came home I showed it to him and he recognized it immediately. He also had some very brisk things to say about the snipers who did this. He’s planning to be a USMC sniper if he can, and was not happy that these people brought unpleasant scrutiny to the Corps. But he agrees that many young people don’t know much about history and think that symbol looks cool and represents badassedness, without being aware of the terrible associations.

[apoliticalone]

I’d wager that the dude “that scouted the internet looking for such photos” has had his own long time agenda, and this photo find allowed him to get his 15 minutes of fame and trash the military in the process.

I agree p%ss on em. This is media pc bs trying to analyze how American 20 yr old Marines who are sacrificing their lives, should think about the terminology from 70 years ago.

To put it in perspective if you are 60 years old, how sensitive are you to the events surrounding the Spanish American War? Especially since political correctness has become the guiding force instead of the US Constitution.

[Sirius Lee]

Marines snipers sporting lightning s’s are far less troubling to me than all the fat TSA rent-a-cops who actually behave like Nazis.

I’ve never in all my years met a Marine who acted anything like a Nazi.

[steve8714]

No, but they know about the nasty white man killing all the Indians.

[Salvavida]

I call BS.

The “SS” has nothing to do with Nazism. It stands for “Scout Sniper”, and it attempts to replicate lightning, within the context of sudden death.

Many of the snipers have it branded on their bodies (I estimate about 25% of my STA platoon sported them), and this was waaaaaaaaayyyyy back in the 1980s. The “brand” was voluntary, and was done after the candidate graduated from Division’s Scout Sniper School. It was also done with great pride within a service that has always prided itself as being the best in marksmanship. These guys are the best of even the best. It was normally done by fashioning a clothes hanger, and heated by MRE heat tabs, or sterno. And yes, a Navy Corpsman usually attended to the wound so that it wouldn’t get infected.

Furthermore, I have never met a SS that was even REMOTELY connected with Nazism. It’s not, nor has it every been a part of the STA ethos. Actually, they are too preoccupied with being the best in the business. And dealing death is their business.

Also, it is TOTAL BS that the Marine Corps acts like it’s new. It was never a secret: all of the Ground Intel officers and SNCOs that have ever served in a Marine infantry battalion have known. Most of the other officers knew too: you can’t hide their logo when it’s plastered in every room. So add every battalion SgtMaj that has EVER served in an infantry bn.

People will see what they want to see.

2/9

[KantianBurke]

“It’s pathetic that we have to keep making excuses for what is definitely stupid and intentional bad behavior that was not corrected by their own leadership.”

Agreed. This thread is a depressing display of excuse making. One would think that repudiating the use of Nazi imagery would be a straightforward process. Evidently not.

[dinodino]

Well, regardless of what the snipers wanted it to represent, unfortunately the Nazis came up with the symbol first. I took one look at the picture in the article and “Nazi” was the first thing that came to my mind. I’m not saying that the snipers are into Nazism (I am sure they are not!) Rather, it was a really stupid choice of logos, and they should expect some blowback.

[Yorlik803]

With all due respect It doesnt matter what the lighting bolts mean. The runes are connected with Waffen SS forever.
Your average joe blow on the street sees that and thinks the USMC has been taken over by skinheads.And the military hating media,the same people who calls every rifle a assault rifle, will re-enforce it because they are either too stupid or too lazy to look into it.
I am a military buff and I have friends who were either active Marines or retired never mentioned this. But then again it never came up and it could be a brotherhood thing that they only talk about to other Marines.
perception becomes reality...and the military has to be as pure as Caesars wife these days.

[KantianBurke]

"Anybody here though who tries to pretend it's anything other than the notorious SS runic symbols is full of crap."

Needs to be said bump

[wtc911]

One would think that repudiating the use of Nazi imagery would be a straightforward process. Evidently not.

________________________________________________

Hell, there was a long-time freeper posting all day today on another thread that the nazis were justified in killing six million Jewish men, women and children because they represented a threat to the reich and they were just so many --- and I quote --- "hungry mouths to feed".

[KantianBurke]

I trust said nutzo poster was banned? If folks who criticize Newt get the ax, one should expect that Holocaust “justifiers” are treated similarly.

[rawcatslyentist]

The KISS Army, without the KI.

The panty wad dhims can go blow sand nazis that declare they want to murder Jews and everybody elsle!

[BOBWADE]

these are action fiures

[21twelve]

As a courtesy to Jumper, and to KantianBurke if they so determine to see if your characterization of Jumper’s posts are accurate.

[rawcatslyentist]

>"Maybe 50 years from now, US soldiers will stand behind an al qaeda flag and not remember what it once stood for."

50 years???

Mr 0b0t0 has us aiding/arming AQ in Libya, to cover his BC Trump fiasco!

[Salvavida]

Appreciate your comments.

I merely put forward facts that have not been mentioned on this thread, nor in the media. As for your acquaintances in the Marines that have never mentioned it, I wholly agree that it is a brotherhood thing. It’s not a newsworthy topic in the Marines because it’s a non-issue. We who know, know what it means.

I did suggest however, that there are many, many senior ranking Marines that know about it. You will see this discussion come out in the Marine Times.

If the Marine Corps, ever protective of its image had thought there was a connection, they would have squashed it long ago. So instead of saying the Marines are guilty (as some have suggested in this thread), the Marines should get out ahead of this media story, state the facts, and carry on.

As for the stupid, hyperventilating public, I don’t see anyone getting twisted over the motorcyclers wearing Nazi-style helmuts: this will blow over once the facts are stated.

[Future Snake Eater]

The “SS” has nothing to do with Nazism.

But it is still the same insignia as the SS.

Furthermore, I have never met a SS that was even REMOTELY connected with Nazism.

Only an idiot would think it was connected with Nazism. It's still in very poor taste and does demonstrate something of a lack of judgment.

There are a lot of things that CAGs do/say that would be highly offensive to many, many people--some of them in the military, too. You have to pick your audience and you have to use judgment. These guys didn't, and they're gonna get reamed for it. It happens all the time.