Culture Of Marine Snipers In Spotlight After Nazi Flag Incident

Nazi Flag Incident Puts Culture Of Marine Snipers In Spotlight -- Anna Mulrine, Christian Science Monitor

The photo of Marine snipers in Afghanistan posing in front of a Nazi flag has prompted the top Marine officer to start a review of sniper protocol and training.

A top Pentagon officer is launching an investigation into the prevalence of Nazi symbols within the Marine Corps.

The nation’s highest ranking Marine officer, Gen. James Amos, also issued an apology “to all offended by this regrettable incident.”

The “incident” was a photograph of 10 US Marine Corps snipers in Afghanistan, posing with a Nazi SS flag. The SS, or Schutzstaffel, was the notoriously murderous arm of the Nazi party.

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My Comment: It is a shame that my father is not alive to comment on this. As a Soviet soldier who fought against the Nazis in the Second World War, he had many opinions on the enemy .... but as a soldier he was most fearful of fighting against the SS. As he told me once, their military culture is one of being fearless and brutal .... and they usually won their battles. As far as he was concerned .... they were/are history's most dangerous warriors.

Flashback to today .... I really doubt that the Marine sniper squad that was photographed with an SS flag in the background have an in-depth knowledge of the philosophy and culture of the Waffen SS .... someone probably gave them the flag and they felt that it would be cool to be photographed with it .... not being sensitive to its history. But should this one incident be a reason to examine and scrutinize the culture of what makes up a marine sniper squad .... I hope not. The U.S. Marine sniper program is probably one of the best in the world .... they have a good track record in killing the enemy .... and they continue to do it effectively. If more problems and questions arise .... OK .... a re-examination is in order. But after a decade of war and countless casualties .... one photograph should just be treated as an isolated (and stupid) incident.