Modified: This is your a) reason to loathe the military or ....

Typical liberal response.

Why are you such a Democrat, IJAG?

 

Curse I have to bear, Ruck.

 

further proof you must be miserable.

 

Now that's a picture. Too bad we can't put some of those goat herders with turbans ruining the Middle East on these.

 

Headlines may not write themselves, but Yawndust's shit positively rolls off the press.

 

Saw this last week. Concerns me for two reasons. There are NCOs in the photo, which is obviously a class photo, and the class' instructors allowed this photo to be taken.

 

Just more of the incessant "some people associated with the government did something wrong, which proves the government cannot possibly do anything right ever, so we need to defund anything and everything connected with the government in any way" propaganda drumbeat.

In other words, "I don't want to pay no taxes for nothin,' ever."

 

With the citizen journalist news cycle here to stay and with the countless toes this sort of thing can step on, there's no question that the photo was a bad idea.

However, listed right there in the comments (albeit featuring an unnecessary, snide, but typical Joe-enlisted lead-in remark) is a precise and accurate explanation. Having been around the military for some time, I believe this is an honest and accurate description of the intent of this photo.
No apology from military needed, though internal redirection and teaching might be beneficial.

" ... you are all imbeciles.
This is a training safety poster, it means (crossed arms=stop, da dump= sound of loose cargo pallets inside aircraft, rolling right at you will up to one thousand LBS of cargo, the rope is attached to a WHEEL CHOCK, to keep the airplane from rolling on humans, the chains secure cargo, the NOOSE! is actually a ratcheting cargo strap, for mooring cargo into the FLOOR ROLLERS ON THE AIRCRAFT DECK!, and the dead soldier CAN BE YOU if you do not follow safety protocol, STAY ALERT, STAY ALIVE, and under the poster is a caption that reads, not following cargo handling procedure can land you in a box, and then the proper Air Force Publication reference to the technical manual about how to use chains cargo straps and what to look for to assure the aircraft is safe to load and unload cargo,

THIS POSTER was meant for AVIATION GROUND CREWS, not for the general population, that is why it escapes you, you do not know the message because it was not meant for you, bureaucrats and civilian air force representatives, ARE NOT AVIATION GROUND CREW PERSONNEL, they cant even imagine where to put oil on an aircraft, or even about how to push the cargo from the carrier rack truck into the pop up rollers attached to the floor of aircraft."

 

Any time anybody involved in any government operation cuts a fart or picks their nose, the anti-government dingbats go berserk claiming this is evidence everything the government does should be shut down.

 

Blitz hit on the key point here: The picture alone lacks context, and it's left to the perspective of the observer to interpret it. Most observers have no idea how military tasks get done.

If they're posing with a dead body -- the Yahoo story indicates this is not the case -- then that's hugely disrespectful and inappropriate. But it seems more likely this was intended to drive home a point about safety procedures. Its intended audience would get that. 99 percent of the rest of us probably would not.

As for the delay in investigating, there may well be a lack of perspective relating to that, too. If the first complaint went to the commander of the unit in question, that person might well have initially dismissed it, given that he/she was part of the intended audience.

Personally, I think the reaction to this is overblown.