Posted on 04/23/2018 5:02:17 PM PDT by naturalman1975
An Afghanistan War veteran has savaged the Chief of Army's directive that all 'death iconology' be banned from use in the Australian Army.
Lieutenant General Angus John Campbell said icons like the skull mask and Grim Reaper were 'arrogant and ill-considered' and 'eroded the ethos of the Army'.
However former 2RAR Platoon Sergeant Justin Huggett has written an open letter to General Campbell after learning about the new directive and ban.
Mr Huggett is a veteran of the Afghanistan War where he was awarded the Army's Medal of Gallantry.
'As a soldier that served under you at the 2nd Battalion, it only disappointments me even further to read of this,' he wrote in the open letter.
'Going the next step, the fact you yourself are an Infantry Soldier...my head spins with confusion!'
Mr Huggett said he found the calls 'so left of field and farcical' that he thought it must have been a hoax.
'But now, I am just left wondering as to the levels of stupidity that this order can be interpreted or enforced he wrote.
.....
Mr Huggett then goes on to hammer the most obvious point home.
'The Army, in particular the Infantry (sic), are a fighting force designed to kill!' he states.
'We are not and never should be a reflection of society, we are trained and programmed that way.'
He said that he feels 'every effort' is being made by the 'top levels' to denigrate the combat effectiveness of the army.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
One possibility is for Platoon Sergeant Justin Huggett to challenge Lieutenant General Angus John Campbell to a duel. Knives, carbines, fists, whatever.
How else does one confront a general who wants to eradicate your unit’s symbols? Personally, I think the general sounds like a bought-and-paid-for NWO weenie.
What’s your opinion, naturalman1975?
Good to see some push back to the left wing retardation among the higher ranks.
Snowflakery has now infiltrated the Australian high command. Like us they too have their politically correct perfumed princes. Not the same blokes who decimated the Japs in Burma & New Guinea or fought alongside us in Vietnam.
I’m a retired officer of the Royal Australian Navy and... to some extent, I’d prefer to stay out of this argument :)
I think I understand where the General is coming from. At times I have seen some death iconography being used far more casually than I think is appropriate.
But I think the General’s approach is way too heavy handed. This is not something that should be being addressed so formally at Chief of Army, or Chief of Defence Force level. A much more quiet and subtle directive could have been allowed to filter down.
I also think he should have at the very least made it clear that he was not talking about traditional symbolism that has been used for a long time and has been in some cases incorporated into official or semi-official badges and devices.
The General would have fit nicely into Obama’s American military. Social experiments first, war fighting capability later, maybe.
“Like us they too have their politically correct perfumed princes. Not the same blokes who decimated the Japs in Burma & New Guinea or fought alongside us in Vietnam.”
I hear you, elcid1970. Don’t know about the Aussies in 2018, but they were very good back in 1970. I’m not about to criticize the Aussie troops, so let’s wait for naturalman1975’s opinion.
Well done Sergeant Huggett!
I agree with this. Our own military has been overrun with death cult icons like skulls, etc.
In saner times, American military units had lots of Americana such as native American symbols on patches, or emblems having to do with geographic locations.
A list worth scrolling through. Aircraft had sexy women and fun art.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Division_insignia_of_the_United_States_Army
Now you can find unit emblems with grim reapers, death skulls, etc. And we aren’t talking from a murderous society like the USSR or nazi germany.
This kid is dead wrong when he says the Army should not reflect the society from which it comes. That is precisely the thing it should do. Not a thing wrong with reminding everyone that we are the good guys.
Avenger, Dauntless, Hellcat, Wildcat, Tigercat, Mustang, Thunderbolt, Lightning, Kittyhawk, Tomahawk, Devastator, Mitchell, Marauder, Flying Fortress, Super Fortress, Liberator, Ozark Division, Timberwolf Division, Iroquois, Screaming Eagles, All American, Rail Splitters, Thunderbird Division, Dixie Division, Arrowhead Division, Yankee Division, New York Division, Keystone Division, Old Reliables Division, Big Red One Division, Indianhead Division.
Saner times... But this generation prefers the satanic crap.
“Id prefer to stay out of this argument :)”
You’ve jumped into the conversation here with both feet. That’s good, and I appreciate your input because you give us a down under picture into Australian military culture.
Australian troops’ forbearance and tenacity touches my family going back to New Guinea during WW II where my uncle fought.
Carry on, naturalman1975.
For the record I never served, myself, so my opinion is just that, JMHO and not much more. On one hand I'd never be one to spoil the lads having a bit of fun with their insignia.
That said, now that you mention it here's the baddest insignia ever worn by any division in any Army, ever:
From native American lore, the Thunderbird, worn by the 45th Infantry Division, more recently the 45th Infantry Brigade.
The discerning reader is invited to look it up...
Anyway thanks for your link; see "Thunderbird".
http://www.native-languages.org/thunderbird.htm
Looking at the article it had a photo of the “skull mask”. It’s literally a balaclava type mask with the face of a skull on it.
This is more in tune with the SS than the traditions of the Australian and Commonwealth militaries.
Someone needs to remind this good sgt of exactly who he is and what he represents. It isn’t Hells Angels out on a weekend run. Time to look like a soldier, not a sociopath. The violence of war is very seductive to young men.
They either wallow in it and become worse for it, or the discipline and historic traditions of their military help to keep them on the rails.
And he needs a shave.
That Thunderbird indeed was a good patch.
I’ll put on my geezer hat, but I think these kids need to be steered away from the satanic and death cult crap. The Nazi SS skulls shocked people back then for a reason. What kind of people would wear a skull and crossbones on their hat and collars? That’s what people thought.
And again, war makes young people wallow in death and misery. They need to constantly be jerked back into the “we are Americans” thinking.
However I do have a personal affinity for the Thunderbird...
Well, not to be trite, but they are YOUR army.
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