[TorryJens]

February 9, 2012

Responding to the breaking story that a U.S. Marine unit based in Afghanistan photographed themselves with a Nazi SS insignia, Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center said:

“That 70 years after the United States Armed Forces helped liberate Europe from Nazi Germany, to learn that a unit of the United States Marine Corps serving in Afghanistan adopted the SS insignia alongside the Stars and Stripes, desecrates the memory of some 200,000 Americans who gave up their lives to defend freedom against that infamous symbol. The SS units bore the principal responsibility for carrying out Hitler’s Final Solution, which led to the extermination of six million Jews including a million and a half children. In addition, members of the SS murdered unarmed American POWs from Normandy to the Battle of the Bulge.

We call on President Obama and the Secretary of Defense Panetta to immediately investigate on how such an outrage could have occurred and to discipline all those involved. In addition, it is clear that younger generations entering the US military need to be better educated about the lessons of World War II and the Holocaust. The Simon Wiesenthal Center stands ready to assist the US military in an ongoing education effort.”

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).

For more information, please contact the Center's Public Relations Department, 310-553-9036, join the Center on Facebook, www.facebook.com/simonwiesenthalcenter, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent direct to your Twitter page or mobile device.


http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/apps/...67&ct=11624277

[Fegasderty]

Maybe I am in the giving the "benefit of the doubt" mood, but I believe it was a naive mistake. I am not even sure what percentage 20 year old American Jews would know what that symbol stands for.

[doctorzlo]

Hi.

Honestly, I don't think anyone older than 12 or so can be that ignorant. Also, within the context, I don't think they just dug it up at grandpa's flea market and posted that picture to ask their Facebook buddies what the flag is of. I guess those 20-year-olds also didn't know better when they abused and posed with prisoners or laughingly threw puppies to their death or peed on enemy corpses. The problem is just that - it's no isolated incident of inexcusable conduct.
I say 99% of people with an IQ over 90 and older than 12, with basic history education, will know what the SS symbol and the Hakenkreuz look like, and if not, then I don't know whose idea it was to put firearms in their hands. If you don't know such basic Nazi symbolism when you're going to war, how do you tie your shoes?

Don't get me wrong, I don't care about the flag. A flag is a piece of fabric and doesn't hurt anyone unless on fire and thrown on people. But in the entire context and the poor ethical record of that entire "war on terror" that sowed a great deal of what it was supposed to eliminate, it's just one out of countless rotten apples stinking up the whole basket. I'm not saying it was wrong to declare war on terror and I'm sure most US soldiers were not acting like cavemen, but shouldn't those fighting it, keep a hold of the moral high ground?

Shabbat shalom.

[Big A]

I guess I agree to disagree. As Israelis, the symbol seems obvious and like a symbol that anybody should know what it stands for. Sadly, the state of ignorance amongst the general population of teens/early twenties in America would surprise you. They would be able to shoot off Lady Gaga's biography and every performance like a programmed robot, but ask them anything about American history, let alone any other history (Holocaust) and they would give you a blank stare. History is not the first thing on most youngsters' minds, unless it is their favorite subject and I would not be surprised if the majority of American teens couldn't tell you what the "SS" symbol stands for.

Shabbat Shalom.

[LottiFurmann]

I don't know, I grew up in Europe and the only times I saw 8-year-olds use Swastikas or Nazi terminology, was in an act of deliberate defiance or insult...
As for Israel, I just recently scrubbed off Swastikas from a lamp post in Hadar.

[Big A]

But its just a symbol It doesnt mean that those ppl are anti jews
The swastika the most infamous nazi sign of all time is considered very sacred in Hinduism and is drawn outside almost every Indian house
Does that imply we are anti jews?
my point?Its just a sign and it wasnt the exactly the original SS sign just similar

[Drugmachine]

I don't know, I grew up in Europe and the only times I saw 8-year-olds use Swastikas or Nazi terminology, was in an act of deliberate defiance or insult...
As for Israel, I just recently scrubbed off Swastikas from a lamp post in Hadar.

DUDEEEE!
you gotta stop taking things soo personally
just cuz hitler adopted it doesnt mean that every person who uses it is anti ISrael

[tgs]

You are being naive. The swastika that represents "osher ve osher" usually turns left, not right. Also, people nowadays know exactly when to use what symbol for what message. Are you really gonna tell me the person in Hadar, Israel, sprayed Swastikas there to spread the love of Hinduism? All those Swastikas on German public bathrooms and Jewish graveyards?
Hardly anyone nowadays thinks "Aaaw, Hinduism/Buddhism!" when they see a Swastika. Certainly anyone outside of India, Japan, and some other countries of that region.

And you really think 8-year-old German kids spraying Swastikas on the door of their least favorite teacher, are spreading the love of Buddhism? I was one of them, and we shouted "Hitler-child" and "Jew swine!". We didn't grasp the horrors of the Holocaust, didn't even know who against who, but we knew it was something very, very bad. If we hadn't known, we wouldn't have done it, because nowadays people spray Swastikas to say "I hate you".

The meaning - or the commonly attributed meaning - of symbols can change through time, and the time where the Swastika was, in the eye of the Western and Middle-Eastern populace, the symbol of sunshine and wealth, ended in 1933. Just as a skull with crossbones nowaday can denote even harmless, humorous rebellion, rather than murdering, raping pirates, the most commonly associated meaning of the Swastika, is a sign of hatred of some form, usually against Jews or Zionism, but also homosexuals, gypsies, black people, immigrants, etc.

You cannot, by the way, even wear a left-facing Swastika in Germany nowadays without being arrested; in most countries people would frown because guess what - 90% of the world's population will think "Nazi", not "Hotoke-sama", no matter what way the thing faces. I know because I have an idol in Japan, his name is Yosuke Kubozuka, also known as Manji Line. Manji = left-facing Swastika. To show my enthusiasm, I bought left-facing Swastika necklaces in Japan, but upon my return to Belgium, I soon realized I should be a bit less obvious of a fan...

I'm not taking anything personally; I'm judging from the perspective of the populace and the populace think Nazi, not Buddha.

[doctorzlo]

In my opinion, Wisenthal.com is making a mountain out of a mole hill. These troopers are not saying "we hate Jews," they are saying "we are bad SOB's."

The SS to most Americans are Waffen SS....elite troops who were the best of the German WW2 forces ...not Concentration Camp SS. These guys are killing muslims daily and are saying "we are the toughest, bunch of muslim killing SOB's around."

Don't make them your enemy by getting them into trouble.


PS: these guys are all snipers by the way. So part of the could be related to SNIPER. (look at their weapons)

[MannoFr]

Come to think of it.....SS probably stands for Scout Sniper.

These are probably US Marine Scout Snipers.

[MannoFr]

I don't know, I grew up in Europe and the only times I saw 8-year-olds use Swastikas or Nazi terminology, was in an act of deliberate defiance or insult...
As for Israel, I just recently scrubbed off Swastikas from a lamp post in Hadar.

Most of Europe was under Nazi occupation during WW2 and Israel has historical connection to the Nazi persecution because of the olim. I would have to agree with Aliyah1995, if there's no personal family account of the Nazi occupation and it's just piece of 20th century histore combined with not so great passion for the subject then even the obvious facts become not so obvious. And these are also soldiers in this case, great in what they do but safe to say they aren't always highly academicly oriented (in no disparaging way).

[MannoFr]

so let's fly Confederate flags and tell all the black people to get a grip and sit down (at the back of the bus preferably)

[LottiFurmann]

These are Marine Scout Snipers (SS), and as they are probably all under the age of 25; they don't wake up every morning thinking of World War II. They probably think the flag looks cool. If Wisenthal makes a big deal out of it and gets them in big trouble, you will have grown some enemies for something really stupid.

Sometimes it is just best to say "hey guys, you know what that flag is?" Instead of making a major media event out of it. Miltiary Generals are as bad as politicians and they will fry these brave men

PS: i sent an email to the wisenthal center saying the same thing.

[Lillie_Steins]

I am sure the Department of the Navy is not responding to the SWC but to the political and media overtones of the act itself. I am sure that the SWC is not the only body to object to this, e.g. everyone still alive who actually fought the Wehrmacht is probably angry.

[MannoFr]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flags_o...ury_popularity

During the first half of the 20th century, the Confederate flag enjoyed renewed popularity. During World War II some U.S. military units with Southern nicknames, or made up largely of Southerners, made the flag their unofficial emblem. The USS Columbia flew a Confederate Navy Ensign as a battle flag throughout combat in the South Pacific in World War II. This was done in honor of Columbia, the ship's namesake and the capital city of South Carolina, the first state to secede from the Union. Some soldiers carried Confederate flags into battle. After the Battle of Okinawa a Confederate flag was raised over Shuri Castle by a Marine from the self-styled "Rebel Company" (Company A of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines). It was visible for miles and was taken down after three days on the orders of General Simon B. Buckner, Jr. (son of Confederate general Simon Buckner), who stated that it was inappropriate as "Americans from all over are involved in this battle". It was replaced with the flag of the United States.[22] By the end of World War II, the use of the Confederate flag in the military was rare.[23] Wonder if the NAACP was offended and protested back in the days...