Marines order probe after troops adopt Nazi symbol

The commandant of the U. S. marines Friday ordered an investigation to determine the prevalence of Nazi or “other unauthorized symbols” among elite scout- sniper squads. He was reacting to an uproar after a photo of a group of young marines in Afghanistan was circulated that showed them with a flag they had adopted for their unit that consisted of the stylized double- s symbol used by Nazi Germany’s SS military units. An investigation determined the incident was not racially motivated nor did it indicate any sympathy for Nazis, the marine corps said, noting the young men didn’t understand the Nazi connotation and thought that “SS” was short for “scout- sniper.”