Marines Pose with SS Flag

[dr. mabuse]

FWIW out there to any Marine scout snipers reading these posts, Carlos Hathcock
had some very, very unkind words to say about this subject in the '90's.

Seem to recall "no excuse at all..." being said among other things.

[gumby2/6]

Originally Posted by dr. mabuse

FWIW out there to any Marine scout snipers reading these posts, Carlos Hathcock
had some very, very unkind words to say about this subject in the '90's.

Seem to recall "no excuse at all..." being said among other things.

What other things? Could you provide a link?

[Pete]

Tattooes have been the subject of many a post on this board.

Once you got it - you got it.

What's OK today might probably be "Not PC" next year.

With the Military lookin' to downsize what would happen if they cracked down on tattooes?

[kawaishi]

Originally Posted by Spitfire34

Once upon a time Sgt Maj Barrett was my Company 1st Sgt, he has those SS runes tattooed on his leg. He's one hell of a Marine, a legend long before he became Sgt Major of the Marine Corps. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. Semper Fi

I re-read my last post and wanted to clarify that I meant no disrespect to the Sgt Major. It's because he has a reputation of being a stand up guy and a great leader that I think this may become an issue.

I can't imagine a man like that punishing Marines for following an example that he helped to set. He's not the only senior Marine to have knowledge of or participation in the SS usage, but his job does put him in the limelight.

[Sigaba]

At the risk of sounding too touchy-feely, I think that there's too much talk at this point about "punishment." MOO, this undercurrent is generating counterproductive comments on all sides of the issue that may ultimately serve to undermine the institutional legitimacy of the Marines and the intellectual effectiveness of its supporters.

I'd much prefer to see stakeholders do a good job at finding out what happened, how, and why, before making determinations as to what corrective actions should be taken.

During this process, civilian society might benefit some scrutiny. If we civilians are going to hold members of the American armed services accountable for a certain level of historical knowledge, we need to make sure that we also meet that standard. MOO, one should be sufficiently educated to make an informed choice when dealing with matters of historical significance, and to understand the potential consequences of those choices.

This is not to say that all Americans should be indoctrinated to have the exact same view of the past. Our strength as a nation grows in no small part from our capacity for rigorous debate.