An investigation was launched by the Army after a National Guardsman was seen wearing what appeared to be a Nazi symbol on his kevlar helmet in an image posted on social media. The photo was posted on the 20th Special Forces Group’s official Instagram page on Sunday, showing three soldiers with one of them wearing a patch that resembled the Nazi SS Totenkopfverbände. The caption of the post emphasized the importance of continuous training and vigilance.
The faces of the soldiers were blurred out in the post, indicating that the photo had been reviewed before being posted on social media. The 20th Special Forces Group responded to the controversy on their Instagram page by stating that the patch was a 3rd group team patch taken out of context. However, the image has since been removed from the account. The Totenkopf logo was confirmed to be the unofficial emblem of the 3rd Special Forces Group but was banned in 2022. The soldier wearing the patch was attached to the 20th Group based in Birmingham, Alabama.
The use of symbols and patches depicting historic images of hate is not tolerated within the military and is considered a violation of their values. The situation was being investigated by the Army Special Operations Command, with spokesperson Jacqueline Hill confirming that they were aware of the matter. It is unclear how the logo was used before it was banned or how many teams within the special forces community adopted it. Maj. Russell Gordon shared that the soldiers wearing the patch before the ban were ignorant of its historical meaning.
The Totenkopf symbol was historically associated with the Schutzstaffel (SS) and was worn by members involved in running concentration camps and mass murders across Europe during World War II. The patch worn by the soldier in the Instagram post resembled an SS division’s insignia from Africa, with the Death’s Head symbol placed above a palm tree. This incident is not the first involving Nazi imagery within the US military, with previous controversies in the Army and Marine Corps involving similar symbols.
The Army had to apologize in the past for a recruiting poster for the Montana National Guard that featured Nazi soldiers marching during World War II. The Marine Corps also faced backlash in 2012 after scout snipers were photographed with a flag resembling the lightning bolt-style flash of the Nazi SS. However, in that incident, the intentions of the snipers were not to glorify or reference the SS but rather stood for “Scout Snipers.” It is essential for military personnel to be aware of the historical significance of symbols and imagery to avoid controversies and uphold the values of the armed forces.
