A few days ago Joe Carter at The Evangelical Outpost posted about a picture that is currently up on the official US Marine site. (still up - I just checked).
As a former marine, Carter is objecting to content on the grounds of ignorance and disrepect.
What I found interesting was the comments.
Carter stated clearly what he thought and felt about what is up on the official site.
What troubles me most about the photo is not the offensive naming of a weapon of war after a sacred religious text. Having spent nearly half my life in the Corps, I’m well aware of the level of idiocy and offensiveness that my fellow Marines are capable of reaching. No, what bothers me is that no one put a stop to this display of ignorance and disrespect before it was included on the official website for the Marine Corps.
Where was the NCO or Staff NCO who was in charge of this particular tank? Where was the tank commander? Or Cpl. Ken Melton, the young Marine who took the photo? Or the Marine who cleared the photo for release? Or the webmaster who posted it on the website?
Was there no one who stopped to consider that there might be something wrong with a photo of two white American Marines rolling down the street in a Muslim country with a reference to a Christian sacred text on the barrel of their tank?
I completely agree with Joe on this. Reading the comment section, no amount of justification, approval, explanation or deviation from the topic is going to cut it.
I think the US public needs to see photos like this. And I think they need to read a clear explanation from a former Marine about why this photo does not belong on a government santioned site.
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I took the liberty of linking to your post this morning, hoping not to be too harsh, to make an oblique point that you may not have intended. You and Mr. Carter have a point, but when you “support the troops,” there can be grounds in the coffee.
I really like your blog and keep it on my Bloglines aggregator.
Hi John, thank you!
I was just over to your blog.:^) I didn’t see your post as harsh.
The course has been set at great and continued cost.
Individuals are dying. Iraq is crumbling into civil war and the military might of a hyper power can’t prevent that.
This war involves more than troops and military hardware and I believe the grounds in the coffee are important. Even collectively I think it is important to be diligent in the small things. I think that was one of the points Carter was trying to make. I don’t know what that picture says to the US public or what the painting on the tank says to the Iraqi people it passes each day.