ERIN Digital & Phone net Tuesday May 21, 2024; Go HERE for Current SOI
Again, the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) community finds itself in the spotlight because of recent policy passed down from senior leadership to remove the ?Navy Jack? patch from their uniforms.The current drama surrounding the Navy Jack is purely politically driven. It?s either been pushed from the top down by politicians, or there?s political concern that senior leaders inside NSW have regarding perception.The US military has had a long history of unit logos, and patches, it?s a tradition that spans over a hundred years. Admittedly, some in the past, have been over the top inappropriate, and racially offensive. In the 90s we saw the military take on a more professional approach, and there was widespread unit logo clean up that was both necessary, and appropriate. The Navy Jack?s ?Don?t Tread on Me? isn?t in this category. It represents American history, and Navy tradition. This is similar to the Polish symbol featured below, and worn by many in the Polish Special Ops community. It represents the Polish resistance against Nazi Germany, and is a symbol of pride, and historical significance.Bottom line, taking away this patch will have an negative impact on morale, and create (short lived) discontent among many SEALs who?ve worn this with pride in some of the worst places on earth. To me it represents a disturbing trend of the type of political correctness that is associated with careerism, and risk adversity. Hopefully someone will stand up, and do the right thing but then again, hope is not a strategy.
