Posing with SS on a flag

[dross]

Maybe their grandchildren will use crossed scimitars for their unit's flag in a few years.

 

[jeremy]

Maybe their grandchildren will use crossed scimitars for their unit's flag in a few years.

Sure could.

There are already US Army Units using Scimitars as PCS or Retirement Awards. Some of the Units are even working to include a Scimitar into their Crests even...

 

[thebishopp]

Comments are often times made based on lack of knowledge.

The people saying these Marines are racist or that it's in bad taste to use the symbols obviously don't know but one very small piece of the history around the symbols. From that lack of knowledge they make comments about the integrity of Marines who in my opinion deserve better.

The Nazi's used all sorts of symbolism in their propaganda. Are we to hate brown shirts? How about the colors red, black and white? Should we also hate Mausers, P38's, or anything else they designed? Heck, I have a Nazi marked K98 that likely killed an allied Soldier since it was a war trophy. Am I racist or a Nazi sympathizer for owning it?

I was actually reported to YouTube by some clown because I gave a favorable review of my WWII P38.

It's absolute silliness.

I know quite a bit about the use of those symbols and I say it is in "bad taste". Not because of what the symbols mean, but because of how they were used at a fairly recent point in history.

That being said I agree that it is a shame that symbols that existed long before the "nazi's" got their hands on them were perverted in that fashion by them to such an extent that they still bear the stigma today... though I do not agree that WWII is "ancient history" and that people need to "get over it". If you, or anyone else does, then I recommend they follow the same advice and "get over" 9/11.

As far as your comments about brown shirts, red/white/black colors, WWII paraphernalia...

I believe it is in how you put those things together. Much like building a bomb. Separately not a problem, put them together in a certain configuration and you got some thing that will go BOOM.

Throw on "nazi" gear, slap on the swastika red white and black armband, and pin your SS thunderbolts to your collar, then shoulder your Mauser and wear your sidearm and go walking down the street, see what happens.

Odds are you will be mistaken for a "nazi sympathizer" In fact other "nazi sympathizers" will probably think you are one of them, maybe even want to pose in a photo with you. May even be a good chance you can be featured on one of the many "nazi" websites or even on one of their posters or flyers.

Or better yet slap on all that gear and go strut proudly around some place where there are a lot of WWII survivors and explain to them how you aren't a "nazi sympathizer" just because you like wearing all the gear. I'm pretty sure that your initial reception is not going to be a warm one.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Maybe their grandchildren will use crossed scimitars for their unit's flag in a few years.

Ummm, we already use scimitars (or rather a derivative of scimitars) and not just on flags.

 

[kyotekilr]

I don't really care but, they could have pick different s's

 

[hornadylnl]

How many here would boycott a small business that had an Obama 2012 sign in their store front?

 

[birdwing]

I stand by my challenge. Go to your place of employment and ask them to change their logo, that represents them, that everyone sees to a new Nazi looking "innocent" one. NO one in their right mind would do this.


In case you're were wondering...
place of employment = Marines and USA
logo= American Flag hung with "SS" flag

I seem to remember Hanes having some tv adds not too long ago featuring Michael Jordan sporting the ever famous "Hitler" stache.
Two questions: Were you upset about this?
Do you own anything with a Hanes tag on it?

 

[radonc73]

http://militarytimes.com/static/projects/pages/ngic_gangs.pdf

I remember when they went through the barracks of the 3 Jackasses James Burmeister, Malcom Wright and Randy Meadows who killed a black couple outside of Ft. Bragg in 1995. I cann't find the link directly to what the Armys response was but did find one on gangs CURRENTLY in now.http://mediafilter.org/caq/CAQ57Racism.html

Found it.
http://mediafilter.org/caq/CAQ57Racism.html

 

[halfmileharry]

Yes we stepped in this time. Yes it was poor judgement. No I don't think the Marines involved are Nazi type hate mongers.

The Nazi SS originated from the "Sig" or "Sigel" or even "Siegel" rune and was part of Hitler's widespread use of occult symbols.

It is not as big a deal as the news is making out. I'm sure the Marines will be corrected by the Corps. Nothing more to see here, move along.

I don't see this as a Nazi logo.
I have no problem with some kickarse Marines having a negative image.
I like the idea of the fear portrayed by our specialty combat troops.
Our present and POTENTIAL enemies will get the idea we're no one to mess with and WE DON'T MIND KILLING YOUR SORRY ARSE WHEN NEEDED. I like our enemies knowing we do have the mindset to ruthlessly eleminate them as/when needed. DON'T MESS WITH THE U.S. AND DON'T MESS WITH THE U.S. MILITARY.
I don't see this as a Nazi symbol but as a symbol of a specialty unit of death dealing Marines.
Snipers have never been or never will be a politically correct or socially acceptable group of war.
For years I've been wondering how long it would take some peacnik bunny hugging group to associate the US battle helmets with German helmets from WW2.
War ain't pretty and it sure as hell shouldn't be polite.
Leave our warriors alone and let them do their job.

 

[sonovasailor]

NOT AN ISSUE! Gome on guys. These men are highly trained specialists that risk their lives for us. There is a huge differance between this flag and the atrocities that the Nazi Storm Troopers commited against their fellow countrymen, innocent civilians and not to mention the holocost. The skull was another Nazi symbol, why not criticize that?

 

[hornadylnl]

I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to display this flag in my barracks room, let alone use any part of it to make a unit flag out of. I bought this in Tazar, Hungary and also have several other Soviet trinkets I bought or traded for while in Ukraine. This flag is almost 4' tall and just over 5' wide. It is red velvet and weighs a bunch. Can anyone here translate it?

 

[MrYesterday]

Can anyone here translate it?

"Proletarians of all countries - be united" "Passing banner for high parameters in Socialistic competition" and "We will come to the victory of Socialistic labour".

 

[hornadylnl]

"Proletarians of all countries - be united" "Passing banner for high parameters in Socialistic competition" and "We will come to the victory of Socialistic labour".

In other words, it isn't worth much as I can probably get one in any local union hall.

 

[MrYesterday]

In other words, it isn't worth much as I can probably get one in any local union hall.

It's priced on the internet at about $200-$250. Bad thing is there are just SO many of them. I've seen enough velvet with Lenin's face on it to cover a few football fields.

 

[hornadylnl]

I forget what I paid for it but it was somewhere around $100. There was a Russian guy who had a temporary booth set up in the Fort Carson PX. I brought it in to him and he loosely translated it to mean something about workers and it was a civilian flag, not a military one. He talked like there were millions upon millions of this type of thing made in Russia.

 

[thebishopp]

The whole "nazi" thing aside... I'm surprised old corp members aren't a little annoyed

I mean, isn't the whole USMC thing enough to cause fear in the enemies? Shouldn't the old Anchor and Globe (maybe with some creative embellishments like skulls or reticles for the snipers) be enough to cause the enemy to tremble? Or it used to be from what I hear.

Shouldn't other units be emulating the symbols of the corp? What's it say when an "elite" marine unit chooses to use a symbol from another "elite" unit, who was defeated no less.

I guess if they can't strike fear with the use of their own symbolism then I guess one has to take from another beaten enemy with a more "feared" reputation to do so?

Then again I guess if the "SS" was so much better than the marines one would want to use their symbol to "boost morale", especially since the Marines don't have as "feared" or "respected" a reputation as Hitler's SS.

So sad...

 

[dross]

How many here would boycott a small business that had an Obama 2012 sign in their store front?

I wouldn't boycott it, but I wouldn't shop there if I had an alternative.

 

[Phil502]

In other words, it isn't worth much as I can probably get one in any local union hall.

 

[Cerberus]

Maybe the snipers were more familiar with ancient Norse runes than they were with the elite Waffen SS.

It could happen.

Yes it could very easily happen. Over the years of my full time and part time service I found that infantry not only contained both some of the dumbest, but also some of the most clearly intelligent of troops. In fact the 10 years I was a grunt the smart ones outnumbered the dumb ones (most snipers I've known were highly intellegent). It was quite common to get in some great discussions on military history going all the way back to ancient times. I spent 5 years in an Intel MOS and interesting conversations weren't quite as common, unless you enjoyed talking tech.

 

[Pocketman]

Aside from the fact a family member was killed by a German sniper in WWII, Americans using this symbol is in poor taste. Why would any military unit want to lower themselves to be compared to the German SS? The SS was a political police force aligned with the Nazi Party, not a part of the German army.