MARINES USING "SS" IMAGERY SHAME VETS AND OFFEND THE JEWISH PEOPLE, from CBS News

via www.cbsnews.com

(CBS/AP)  

Updated at 12:45 p.m. ET, February 10, 2012

SAN DIEGO - A leading Jewish organization and others outraged by a photo showing Marine snipers in Afghanistan posing with a logo resembling a notorious Nazi symbol are demanding President Obama order an investigation and hold the troops accountable.

On Friday, a Pentagon spokesman said Defense Secretary Leon Panetta asked the Marine Corps to "look into" the picture.

"Racist and anti-Semitic symbols have absolutely no place alongside the men and women of America's armed forces," Pentagon press secretary George Little said in a statement to CBS News. "Secretary Panetta has asked the Marine Corps to look into this matter and to take appropriate action."

The Marine Corps has said it does not plan any discipline because there was no malicious intent. The Marines mistakenly believed the "SS" in the shape of white lightning bolts on the blue flag were a nod to sniper scouts — not members of Adolf Hitler's special unit that murdered millions of Jews, gypsies and others, said Maj. Gabrielle Chapin, a spokeswoman at Camp Pendleton, Calif...."

My commentary: I have had family and a friend in the Corps so this is no slight to them. However, the Corps and the Defense Secretary would be foolish if disciplinary action were not taken.

If those Marines involved are still in the corps, they should be met with nothing less than immediate court marital. They should have to meet with still living WWII vets and explain their actions. I doubt excuses like, "We were just having some fun. We meant it to mean "Scout Snipers,".....etc," would go very far.

One CBSNews.com commentor said:

by shenboe February 10, 2012 12:57 PM EST

I hold engineering and juris doctor degrees and am widely read. My dad was a GI who participated in the liberation of Dachau. Since retiring a year ago, I have read Churchill's WWII memoirs and am reading Shirer's rise and fall of the third reich and spent countless hours watching military channel. Although I have seen the SS symbol on the collar of the SS, I have never seen the fat SS symbol on the SS flag. Why should these young soldiers be expected to know the symbol as anything other than cool lightning bolts. I understand the sensitivity of Jews to Nazi symbols, but the attack on these young soldiers who are sacrificing to protect all of us is over the top and draws a negative reaction by many as shown above.

Wow! So he is an engineer and a lawyer! That makes him the font of all wisdom on this topic. Obviously, he was not listening hard enough to his father. His reading comprehension and attention span too poor for his history lessons. He thinks the width of the font counts? If he knew all the history from his dad and other sources, he would know the answer. Why should these young Marines have known? Because they are Americans! They should know their own history. They should know why their ancestors fought against the incredible evil that was behind that SS moniker. I have had all the media history lessons, the commentor, shenboe has had. I have also talked to a Jewish camp survivor. She went over with me the pictures of her murdered family. If you do not get it by then, you never will.

These Marines have spit on the memory of every Marine and every other service man and woman who wore the uniform in World War II. Another commenter at CBSNews.com asks how long do we have to hold that symbol as a mark of the Nazis in World War II. "How long will the Jews consider it offensive?" Forever. That is how long! That is how it should be. It is a sign of evil. And I will stand with each and every Jewish person against it for as long as I live!

 

P.S.: Since writing my inital draft, I have read another commentor on CBSNews.com who makes some good and relevant comments. It does not excuse the behavior in my mind, but helps with the context of the situation. And he is so correct on America needing to learn more about empathy. He writes: "by RW0311 February 10, 2012 2:09 PM EST

I served in the Marine Corps infantry back in the early 1990's. My company worked with Scout Snipers all the time. The Scout Snipers used the "Waffen SS" lightning bolts to represent the Scout Snipers (SS). When I first saw the lightning bolts back in the Marines it was on some of the Scout Snipers personal equipment. When I pointed the lightning bolts out to my fellow Marine and friend he told me it represented Scout Snipers. I informed him of the true symbolism and history of the lightning bolts. He and another Scout Sniper did not think a lot about the coloration to the Waffen SS. I realized they truly where lacking the historical knowledge of the Waffen SS and World War II. They were both smart men, however they lacked the knowledge and education when it came to World War II. They did not portray any Neo-Nazi ideology or glorify the Waffen SS in anyway. They truly believed the lightning bolts represented the Marine Scout Snipers....Reading over the comments it's clear that some people believe the Jewish community should "get over it" when it comes to the Holocaust. It's unfortunate that people are not empathetic. They are misguided misinformed and lack the true impact of the Holocaust that is still felt today....The idea of telling someone how to feel regarding the murder of their family or people is absurd. That would be just as inconsiderate of people telling a widow of 9-11 to "get over it". Even an American who was not at ground zero would have an issue of someone telling them to "get over it" and "stop milking the victimhood". America needs to work on empathy."

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8618-201_162-57374598.html?assetTypeId=41&messageId=11940760&tag=accordionB;commentWrapper#ixzz1mT6C5ODN

This story wins my Stinky Sandwich Award: