US Marines posed with Nazi symbol in Afghanistan

I'm conflicted here. I'm a fairly liberal person, but I support the work ISAF is doing in Afghanistan, Sure, bad things go down and sometimes civilians die. Thats the nature of asymetretic warfare. The Taliban hide in compounds where civies and children may well be. They hole themselves up in these compunds, fire on our troops - Taliban knowing full well that there may be women and children inside. So, when the airstrike comes, innocents dies. Tragic, believe me the terrible loss of innocents is not lost in me. That said, its that, or let the Talib live to kill another sad. A sad reality.

The Talib have no qualms killing innocent women and children. For the most part, there are exceptions, but for the Marines do.

Getting your picture as a group, weapons at the ready, in front of a Waffen SS flag screams to me a huge level of stupidity. Every High School student knows what the SS stands for. Sure, they're Sniper Scouts, I get that, SS, so why not have a nice flag made with S's with a little less negative connotation than the Nazi bolts.

They're going to have a hard time pleading ignorance on this one - that flag has clear Nazi connotations and the young men in question should have used better judgement. Ignorance isn't an excuse.

It also begs the question of why bring a Waffen SS flag to Afghanistan in the first place? Does the individual who brought it, or perhaps got it in the mail from home, have other Nazi memrobelia? Swastica flags, a Hitler Youth knife or two?

Maybe neo-Nazi groups have infiltrated the armed forces.

There are many layers to this, like an onion, which is why symbols, especially nazi symbols are so powerful. If they are just doing this to put fear into their enemies, maybe it will work, or maybe it will just make them look like fools. Imagine in 50 years armed forces of america wear the gadafi libya colors, or saddam colors. Think of the irony long and hard. Same thing you got here.

There were almost a million men in the Waffen-SS during World War II. While there is evidence that some of the units did participate in various war crimes, it would be unfair to condemn all the units for the same. The Waffen-SS also had many instances of brave and fierce fighting during different battles. I would think the US Marine scout-snipers are only taking the thuderbolt SS symbol because of the abbreaviation and are only considering the men who served in the Waffen-SS honorably. Most World War II German veterans served their country and did not participate in criminal acts.

Just a thought on this but possibly this unit just reflects every other area of humanity - some people are simply idiots. I'm sure the military has it's fair share, same as everywhere else.

Originally posted by purplemer
Hey bud even my granny could kill a man at 1.5 miles away with a sniper rifle.

I sort of doubt that.

Originally posted by purplemer
Then I guess the mightiest military machine going around picking on third world countries is an act of cowardness too.. Funny how the US won have a go at Russia or China..

Funny. I do remember seeing British troops in Iraq and A-stan. Guess they're cowards, too, right?

Originally posted by purplemer
What about when the gencoide was occuring in Kosovo and the UN wanted to send in active ground troops. Well it never happened becuase the US was to scared to put troops on the ground and vetod it and as a result a lot of innocent civilians died.. The British should have gone and done the job without them

Hmmmm.....thought I remember US Troops on the ground in Kosovo, too.

And since when are US Troops suppose to be at the beck and call of the UN whenever they decide?

Originally posted by purplemer
Yes the American troops fight like cowards. I have friends in the British army that have said that too. Sometimes you cannot see the wood for the trees..

Yep, we all fight like cowards. Guess a big, brave, tough guy like you fights like....wait, you're not in the military at all, are you?

Yep, thought so. No guts.

reply to post by Corruption Exposed


to me this is just photographic evidence that the American military is the Facist military of the facist empire !
what more evidence can you provide when you have this !

The marines didnt even bother to go out of their way to use a different typeface / logo for the SS sniper squadron
they blatantly used this SS logo !

If anything they are being disrespectful to any family who suffered at the hands of the brutal SS.

Either these marines are incredibly ignorant and dumb , or they are proud to promote the fact that they too are also facist out on a bid of genocide for der fuhrer Obama !

Didn't a man from a British regiment behead a Talib in Afghanistan during a firefight? Their mission was to bring the body back for identification, but this chap decided, as they were taking heavy fire from the Talibs, to just take the Mooj's head.

If an American or Canadian did that, you UK lot would be screaming bloody murder. But since the serviceman in question was from the UK there wasn't a whole lot of anger over there about it was there?

Your double standards are sickening.

the "lightning bolt S" is common

-subfab

reply to post by Monger


That was a Gurkha soldier and although he was carpeted for it, it wasn't considered a war crime due to the conditions on the ground at the time of the action. The order was actually to confirm the identity of the suspected commander killed and the Gurkha in question decided that as they were under heavy fire, it was simply easier to take the head with them rather than the full corpse.

ETA:

It is a bit pathetic this thread is descending into the usual tribalism. Some idiots posted a picture they probably regret posting now - something i am sure happens regularly in all walks of life. Who on here, at some point in the last month, hasn't done something they since regretted? Hell, if you are honest, i am sure some of you will regret some of the posts you have made over the last day, never mind the last month.

The guys in the photo were total idiots. As i am sure they now recognise and probably wish they had a bit more sense at the time......

www.dailymail.co.uk...

A Gurkha solider who beheaded a Taliban gunman and carried his head back to base in a bag has been cleared to resume his duties. Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk...

The private, from 1st Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles, was involved in a fierce firefight with insurgents in the Babaji area of central Helmand Province when the incident took place earlier last July. Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk...

What I'm saying is, that if an American soldier did that, you UK lot would be calling him a war criminal, a facist, and whatever else it is you like to call our servicemen on this side on the pond.

Originally posted by Carseller4
Do Nazi's have a copyright on this?

We kicked their arses and if someone (especially Marines) want to use the SS symbol they should go right ahead and do so.

Some people just go out of their way to be offended.

edit on 9-2-2012 by Carseller4 because: (no reason given)

The Americans arrived too late and in too few numbers to play the dominant role.

Since 75%-80% of all German losses were inflicted on the eastern front it follows that the efforts of the western allies accounted for only 20%-25%.

The attack on the Third Reich was a joint effort ,but, it is clear that the Red Army played the dominant role in the defeat of the Reich, demoting the Anglo-American war effort to secondary or tertiary importance.

If any other country's soldiers should do something like this, people will not be okay with it.

Originally posted by Flavian
reply to post by Monger

 

That was a Gurkha soldier and although he was carpeted for it, it wasn't considered a war crime due to the conditions on the ground at the time of the action. The order was actually to confirm the identity of the suspected commander killed and the Gurkha in question decided that as they were under heavy fire, it was simply easier to take the head with them rather than the full corpse.

What I'm saying is, that if an American soldier did that, you UK lot would be calling him a war criminal, a facist, and whatever else it is you like to call our servicemen on this side on the pond.

I'm not American by the way.

reply to post by Flavian


A picture is worth a thousand words , a head is worth a million!

he could have nipped a phoatie wae his wee iphone !

after all they all have phones to take pics of them pissing or abusing prisoners or dead taliban
why cant they take pics of their severed heads !

Originally posted by Monger

Originally posted by Flavian


What I'm saying is, that if an American soldier did that, you UK lot would be calling him a war criminal, a facist, and whatever else it is you like to call Our servicemen on this side on the pond.

I'm not American by the way.

Why are you even bothered then ?

reply to post by Monger


It was actually orders from the American leadership of the area he was responding to (and getting himself very confused by!).

And while i will admit that there is an element of truth in what you say, i would turn it back round - are you seriously saying the Canadian and American members of our community don't indulge in blind patriotism?

The troops were idiots, nothing will change my opinion of this. Do i think they seriously compare themselves to the SS? No, obviously not, they just made a very foolish choice. Trying to turn it into UK versus US versus whoever is just ridiculous.

reply to post by sapien82


He was a Gurkha. I highly doubt he had a camera phone. I will concede he may have had 2 plastic cups and a lot of string though!

Originally posted by Flavian
reply to post by Monger

 

The troops were idiots, nothing will change my opinion of this. Do i think they seriously compare themselves to the SS? No, obviously not, they just made a very foolish choice. Trying to turn it into UK versus US versus whoever is just ridiculous.

I didn't turn this into a UK/USA/Wherever else issue. Go back, read the first page. You'll find the person who made it that issue.

I was simply pointing out a pretty blatant double standard.