US Marines Pose with Nazi SS Flag in Afghanistan (Photo)

by NowPublic Staff | February 9, 2012 at 02:58 pm

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US Marine Nazi Flag Outrage: SS Flag in Afghanistan

The US Marine Corps has to go into damage control yet again due to Marine conduct in Afghanistan. Last time, it was Marines urinating on dead bodies. This time, we have a photo of US Marines posing in front of a Nazi SS flag.

US Marines Peeing on Dead Bodies: Video

The SS-flag photo, which you can see below, was taken in 2010 and posted to the blog of Knight's Armament, and quickly disavowed by the Marines. Camp Pendleton spokeswoman Maj. Gabrielle Chapin used the excuse that the marines involved just didn't know better, and that the soldiers depicted in the photograph are "no longer in the unit".

The Marine Corps is not planning on disciplining anyone over the Nazi SS flag, saying that there was no malicious intent. However, they've given the Taliban yet another recruiting tool.

So, none of these marines stayed awake during history class? None of them saw an Indiana Jones movie? Also worth asking: where, exactly, did they get hold of a full-size SS flag? We're not the only ones wondering these things:The Marine Religious Freedom Foundation is demanding an investigation. Meanwhile, other current and former marines are furious.

On the Knight's Armament blog, the photo is introduced thusly:

Group picture is of the 1st Recon BN Charlie Co. in Sangin, Afghanistan in support of 3rd BN 5th Marines in September of 2010. The “SS” flag has been adopted and used by the Marines in referrence to “Scout Sniper.”

Actually, no, that "SS" symbol only stands for one thing: Schutzstaffel, which started its life as Hitler's personal guard, and expanded into things like genocide: under the command of Heinrich Himmler, the SS were tasked with carrying out "the final solution", aka The Holocaust.

The US is an occupying force in Afghanistan, so you can probably see how carrying around Nazi paraphernalia sends the wrong message to the locals.

The ADL wants US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to orchestrate an education program for US troops on World War II history, outlining what the Nazis did, and how the US was instrumental in defeating them.

The Nazi flag photo was deleted from the original post, but this is the web and contend does not die.