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Tag: Soldiers

  • Soldier Flag Salute: An Instagram Photo Stirs Online Outrage

    Yet another Instagram photo has a U.S. military soldier under public scrutiny.

    Just last Wednesday February 19, a Madison, Wisconsin-based soldier from the 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment posted a rather disrespectful photo to her Instagram.

    The ‘comical’ photo, which was found on private Terry Harrison’s Instagram, was clearly taken at a “mock” funeral.

    The picture shows an empty flag-draped casket surrounded by a group of soldiers smiling and making playful gestures.

    The caption reads:

    “We put the FUN in funeral — your fearless honor guard from various states.”

    Following a stream of backlashes and threats, Harrison and several other National Guard members were suspended.

    Now, in recent news, another soldier from the 59th Quartermaster Company, 43rd Sustainment Brigade, at Fort Carson, Colo., posted a controversy photo on Wednesday under the handle name “sheffeynation.”  (image)

    Pfc. Tariqka Sheffey shared a “selfie” of her posted up in her vehicle and the caption indicated that the soldier was hiding from a routine flag salutation:

    This is me laying back in my car hiding so I don’t have to salute the 1700 flag, KEEP ALL YOUR ‘THATS SO DISRESPECTFUL/HOWRUDE/ETC.’ COMMENTS TO YOURSELF cuz, right now, IDGAFFFF.

    Angry servicemen and family members initially sent the photo to Army Times.

    According to the news company, the “online outrage has quickly turned to hate, with a torrent of abusive comments, racial slurs and threats being made against the young soldier.”

    On Tuesday, spokesman Dee McNutt of Fort Carson said that Sheffey is under investigation

    However, it appears that the original account was disabled and replaced with another one under the handle “teriqkasheffey.”

    The photo has already received over 300 comments to date.

    Recently, a commentator responded: “Hey miss, why not leave America and stand against if you really hate it that much? Why are you still in USA? And why join the force and stand with us instead of going in front of us and against us?”

    While another said: “As much as I can’t stand any disrespect towards our country, black, white, purple, orange…it doesn’t matter, but this account doesn’t seem legit to me. All these pictures got posted in a matter of 1 or 2 days. It seems that someone is taking this to a whole new level…”

    Some have questioned the authenticity of the new account.

    However, Sheffey’s nonchalant video response Tuesday clearly verifies that she’s a real person.

    “I seriously just want to say thank you to everybody who stood up to me today, like seriously,” she said in the video, according to Army Times. “That s— to me was not that serious. I am not a disrespectful soldier and I really appreciate you all.”

    Image via Youtube

  • Soldiers Empty Casket: Wisconsin Soldiers In Hot Water Over Photo

    Many people in the United States take their country’s military very seriously, and hold high expectations and respect for the soldiers who populate it. So, when something is deemed disrespectful to soldiers, the armed forces, or veterans, there are often waves of angry individuals who raise their voices in protest and anger against the people who disrespect those who serve the country. The situation becomes muddled, however, when the people who instigated the act of disrespect are, themselves, soldiers for the United States.

    One such instance of this conundrum has made itself apparent today. When the photo above was posted by Terry Harrison, a soldier from the Madison, Wisconsin-based 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment, to her Instagram profile, it was accompanied by the caption, “We put the FUN in funeral — your fearless honor guard from various states.” The photo quickly spread and caused an outrage of massive proportions; the original post, as well as Harrison’s account, was deleted, and Harrison has been placed under protection after death threats were made against her on social media sites.

    People who have taken offense to the photo have claimed that it shows blatant disregard and lack of respect for fallen soldiers and veterans. Judy Vincent, and Oklahoma resident and mother of a fallen soldier, expressed disgust with the photograph after seeing it re-posted on Facebook. “It was like somebody slapped me in the face. I’ve never in my life seen such disrespect for the fallen or the families,” she was quoted as saying. She elaborated further, saying, “It raises questions in your mind. What did they think of me and was my loved one treated with disrespect?”

    Vincent is just one of the hundreds of people who flocked to the Wisconsin National Guard’s Facebook page, leaving angry comments and asking that the soldiers involved be disciplined. The investigation is currently on-going, as many of the soldiers in the picture were from other units. Harrison has been suspended from the Honor Guard and is performing other duties as the investigation continues.

    Regardless of one’s personal opinions concerning the levels of respect (or lack there of) present in the photo, it must be said that the people involved are soldiers, as well, and demand a certain level of respect, as well, even in light of such a blunder. Death threats are almost never appropriate, after all, especially when made against soldiers.

    Image via Twitter.

  • Roger Waters Returns To Wounded Soldier Benefit

    Roger Waters is making a return to the wounded soldier benefit, Stand Up For Heroes. He previously played the benefit in 2012, which was the 6th time the event had happened, in New York. He performed along with other musicians and young soldiers who had been injured in the war.

    The annual fundraising benefit supports wounded veterans through the Bob Woodruff Foundation. The foundation was started in 2008, and has supported more than 1 million veterans.

    While the young veterans are excited to play with the rock legend, he has great admiration for them as well, and is happy to be a part of the benefit. The aging legend mentioned during their rehearsal on Monday that he “feels a great sense of empathy for the people that live on the sharp end of conflicts and the ones that actually get injured.” He also discussed how he gets much more through the experience himself than what he puts into it.

    Roger Waters is known for his work as the co-founder and frontman of the progressive British rock band, Pink Floyd. He was the primary singer-songwriter for the group, and they have been hailed as one of the greatest rock bands of all time, with their hit albums such as “Dark Side Of The Moon” and “The Wall.”

    The issue of war is also very important and personal for Waters, who has written songs about the previous conflicts including “The Wall” and “The Final Cut.” He has also lost two family members to war, his father and grandfather. Before the performance last year, Roger Waters said “If any of us have a responsibility in our lives it is to tear down the walls of indifference and miscommunication between ourselves and our fellow men.”

    This year, for the annual benefit the 70-year-old rock legend will be joined by fellow rocker Bruce Springsteen, Jon Stewart, Bill Cosby, Jerry Seinfeld, and more. Last year’s benefit included Ricky Gervais, Robin Williams and others in addition to Springsteen and Waters who both performed last year.

    Roger Waters is set to play the Stand Up For Heroes benefit on November 6 at Madison Square Garden.

    Image via Youtube

  • Troops Liposuction: Soldiers Needing to Pass Physicals

    The AP via ABC News reports that desperate service members are seeking liposuction in order to pass the Pentagon’s body fat test, which can determine one’s future in military service by measuring the waist and neck.

    One plastic surgeon, Dr. Adam Tattelbaum out of Rockville, MD, described how “They come in panicked about being kicked out or getting a demerit that will hurt their chances at a promotion.”

    The “tape test” utilizes a tape measure wrapped around the neck and waist rather than relying on the civilian BMI index, which calculates based on height and weight. Those who fail the test are ordered into an exercise and nutrition program (dubbed by the Marines as “doughnut brigade” and “pork chop platoon). Three failures can represent grounds for a discharge.

    Service members have complained that the Department of Defense’s weight-measurement regimen weeds out both the flabby candidates and the bulky ones, who are often lumped together by the test. The Pentagon, meanwhile, defended its policy by saying that only a small fraction of service members who exceeded body fat limits actually performed well in drills.

    The director of the Navy’s Physical Readiness Program, Bill Moore, said “We want everybody to succeed… This isn’t an organization that trains them and says, ‘Hey, get the heck out.’”

    The number of soldiers in the Army being discharged for their weight has risen from 168 in 2008 to 1,815. Marine Corps numbers fluctuated a bit more, with 102 discharges in 2010, 186 in 2011, and 132 in 2012. The Air Force and Navy do not keep track of “tape test” discharges.

    Another plastic surgeon, Dr, Michael Pasquale of Aloha Plastic Surgery in Honolulu, reported his military clientele spiked 30 percent in two years, with about six service members arriving each month looking to have some work done.

    Jeffrey Stout, a professor of sports science at the University of Central Florida, said the tape test accurately describes body shape, not composition or the fat-to-muscle ratio. “I wouldn’t want my career decided on that,” he said.

    [Image via this YouTube video]

  • Bagram Air Base Attack Leaves Four Dead

    Four U.S. troops died in an attack on Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan on Tuesday.

    According to an Associated Press report, the soldiers were killed by “indirect fire,” such as a mortar or rocket. The report cites anonymous officials who could provide no more detail on the attack or deaths.

    Bagram Air Base was originally an airport, built during the 1950s. The site was used by the U.S.S.R. during their invasion of Afghanistan in the 80s. After the war, the airport was a heavily contested site between Northern Alliance and Taliban forces. With the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the site was quickly secured for the use of NATO troops. The airport’s runways have since been repaired, and even more runways have been constructed for the use of larger aircraft.

    According to the AP, the attack came just as U.S. troops were handing over control of Afghanistan security to the Afghan army and police. U.S. troops will not, however, be fully withdrawing from the country just yet. They will be staying on to consult with Afghan troops, as well as to provide back-up, training, and air support.

    (via AP)

  • Should We Limit A Soldier’s Access To Social Media?

    United States Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Brown lost his life in Afghanistan earlier this week. While that is extremely sad news, it was how his wife was notified of his death that was the big news. A woman in his platoon contacted Mrs Brown via Facebook to tell her about the tragedy before the chaplain could deliver the news. This has prompted security questions such as “should a soldiers ability to use social media such as Facebook be banned?”

    The common answer to a question like this is an emphatic no. We need out fighting men and women to be happy, because without great morale, our troops will start to suffer. This is what a commenter (rjm56) had to say about contact with home:

    “Long ago (very but don’t ask more) as a ground pounder Marine there were often delays in getting snail mail. Our military tried real hard to get it to the troops but movement, equipment failures don’t help. It really is very important to communicate with home as you are often is a strange place wondering who death will take next. Today’s world of instant communication would have been a dream. Regardless of even being heartbreaking at times (mom’s cooking vs. c-rat? 99% of moms win) moral goes way up with home communications. I agree, keep it going. If the soldier in question disobeyed orders, it will cost him some pay, a stripe or whatever. Human error happens and as a soldier we are held accountable for the screw up. No reason to punish the rest by going back to snail mail.”

    The guy has a point. number one being how do you punish over a million men and women because of the actions of one misguided friend? I understand that she was doing what she thought was the right thing, but the military has policies in place for a reason. So then the question becomes, “how do we stop this from happening again?” The easiest answer is tho further the education of the men and women fighting overseas. Explain why we notify people of loss the way we do, and explain the process of how the notification takes place.

    The difficult answer is to go back to a blackout with censored mail that can take months to get back and forth. I’m pretty sure neither the families, the soldiers, or command want that to happen. Because a happy Army is an effective Army, and an effective Army is nearly unstoppable in this day and age. If we limit our soldiers capacity to communicate with their families, we are basically saying that we do not trust them to make the correct decisions we have trained them to make. So please, let’s have more education and not a quick, irrational response.