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.

[turn_to]

Well, Marines have never been accused of being the smartest guys in the world. I bet you the Air Force knows what Nazi imagery looks liked, it seems that’s where the smartest people with the highest ASVAB go.

[cynwoody]

Uh-oh!(via google images)

Note Herr Himmler's hat ornament.

[Old Teufel Hunden]

" It was never a secret: all of the Ground Intel officers and SNCOs that have ever served in a Marine infantry battalion have known."

I can't speak to how long the SS symbol has been a part of Scout Snipers. But I can speak to the above statement. As someone who was a former SNCO in a Marine Infantry battalion I never noticed the SS symbol.

I notice you were in 2/9 during the 80's. I was in 2/5 during that time, one of your sister batallions up at Camp Margarita. Probably humped a lot of the same hills and I know we ran up Magarita peak a few times. However, I never noticed the SS symbol on the STA guys, but then again I didn't have a whole lot of contact with them.

[Salvavida]

Wow, you brought back a lot of fond (and painful) memories. Margarita peak was no joke. Those ridge runs sucked too. Yep, we were definately in the same place at the same time. I reported to 2/9 in April 1986. I can’t remember if we relieved you in Oki, or you relieved us (the following year).

As for the SNCOs, I was refering to those that served with the Ground Intel officers (plt cmdr and plt sgt). But the knowlege of such was very well known. The SS symbol predates me, but I lived in the same barracks, and later served in H&S, my roommate was a SS. Even the other SSs that I met, they all sported the insignia in some way, particularly on their green “lifer” book.

It will be interesting how this all plays out since SECDEF ordered a probe. There is going to be a big surprise once all the data comes in. I bet a run up Margarita peak that NCIS will get involved to investigate whether or not Nazism in any form, was part of the culture.

Semper Fi

[Old Teufel Hunden]

I still do a lot of running, but I’ll pass on the bet of running up Margarita Peak. That’s a butt kicker!! It wouldn’t be the first time that top brass were covering their rear ends.

Remember in the 90’s when that video came out of that guy getting his wings “pinned” on? There was outrage about that. I never went to jump school, but I heard about that years ago. Then I saw some general being interviewed on the news and he was shocked and outraged that this stuff went on. He had jump wings on his alphas. You know damn well that he got his wings pinned on at some point.

I just hope that if they still have wog day out there on the equator they don’t film that. Can you imagine the public outrage about that? Even though it’s in your SRB that you’re a shellback all the top brass will be “shocked” that this goes on in a naval ship.