On June 4, 2020, a picture of me in a short sleeve shirt began circulating on social media referencing a tattoo that, I admit without context could be construed in ways never intended. YMMV. Speaking with the local newspaper the Union-Bulletin, Small said that he understands the concerns but called the accusations against him “unfounded.”. I have a friend who is a retired sergeant major who taught scout/sniper skills. More by Hakim Bishara. “When I became a police officer over 35 years ago I did not give up my first amendment right and neither did Nat Small,” Bieber said in front of hundreds of protesters. “We regret the fact Officer Small’s tattoo has contributed to divisions within the community, and we hope his decision to change it will help to unite — rather than untie — us,” he said in the release. Nathan Small is the officer who sports the tattoo, a relic of his service in the US Marines. They adopted the SS logo for 'scout sniper.' The S’s beneath was a reference to our service as Scout Snipers. “There is simply no excuse available for Officer Nat Small to continue to sport this shockingly evil Nazi SS symbology on his left forearm,” Michael Weinstein, the founder and president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, said in a statement. Members of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, which threatened a lawsuit several weeks ago when alerted to the tattoo, said they may still file a federal suit if Small doesn’t disclose how he plans to alter the tattoo and when. After the organization and several community members did not get a response to their initial concerns about the tattoo, a protest was planned last month, but the event was flooded with supporters of local law enforcement instead. As a former Marine, and an American I can tell you that the massive historical illiteracy prevalent in the US is detrimental and infectious in all aspect of American life. When he covers his tattoo on the job, but ventures to the store, off duty and in short sleeves, the man in line behind him at the store is far more likely to see a Nazi than a Scout Sniper… While it recognized that the symbol is associated with Nazi Germany, the department claimed that it was “not the intent or denotation of the tattoo on Officer Small’s arm.”. “We don’t answer to Mr. Weinsten, and that’s all I have to say,” Bieber said. 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Welch School of Art & Design Is Now Accepting Graduate Applications, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. “The two S’s under the rest of the tattoo is a recognition of both officer Small’s and Cpl. From New York to HUSAYBAH . The Eagle, Globe, and Anchor What is the significance of each the pieces of the Marine Corps emblem? “If anybody here is from the paper, I know it’s after 5 o’clock, so I’m on my own time,” he said. “The … On Wednesday, June 24, WWPD Chief Scott Bieber spoke at a rally in support of Small, organized by local right-wing groups. Weinstein said his organization has clients representing various Jewish, LGBTQ, people of color and related communities in Walla Walla who expressed disappointment “that the city allowed this issue to go on so long and especially the role of the Police Department headed by the blatantly incompetent police chief, Scott Bieber.”. The Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a private nonprofit civil rights advocacy organization, in June threatened a federal lawsuit against the Walla Walla Police Department and others responsible if one of three things didn’t happen: removal of the tattoo, alteration of the tattoo or removal of the officer from duty. Small’s use of the Nazi symbol is not an isolated incident. At the time, the snipers adopted the double lightning bolt as their symbol. Just a question and an observation. The tattoo features the double lightning bolt symbol associated with the Nazi SS corps (Schutzstaffel), a murderous paramilitary group that pledged an oath of loyalty to Adolf Hitler and was instrumental in the execution of the Holocaust. Small has been a police officer since November 2018, but was a Scout Sniper in the U.S. Marine Corps beforehand, when he was sent abroad to fight for the U.S. The group’s spokesman, Michael Weinstein, also called for Police Chief Scott Bieber to be fired for wrongful exercise of his authority and wrongdoing in his response to the outcry surrounding the tattoo. Quote History. The facts and history of the tattoo matter.”. The Association was started in 1998, and received its IRS ruling as a 501(c)(19) Veterans’ Organization in 2004. He escaped the dangers of life in the streets of the Bronx only to battle for his life in Iraq during two combat tours as a Marine scout sniper. Just a question and an observation. But I stepped outside of the basement and got some perspective on the world. My tattoo was inked in 2010, and I was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in 2011, prior to the public outcry in 2012. Small added that he reached the decision on his own and that he wasn’t pressured to remove the tattoo by the Walla Walla Police Department (WWPD) or the Washington city. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. Jonathan Peters is on Facebook. In February 2012, U.S. media reported that Marine scout snipers had been using the double Sig rune (ϟϟ, "SS") in its " Armanen " form () to symbolize their function since at least the 1980s. The Walla Walla metro area leans conservative; however, a group of concerned local residents continues to push for measures against Small ahead of the planned town hall meetings. Related: A Washington town is protesting its police department over a Marine veteran's 'Scout Sniper' tattoo. This piece badly needs another revision. Update 7/9/2020 3:15pm EDT: Nat Small announced he will alter the tattoo to remove the double lighting bolt symbol. Scout Sniper Tattoo – July 10, 2020. Steam Ship, Social Security etc etc etc. In 2010, members of a US Marines sniper team in Afghanistan posed for a photo in front of a flag featuring the SS symbol. A follow-up statement from the city of Walla Walla welcomed Small’s decision and praised the officer’s “sensitivity to the concerns raised by members of our community.”. “Officer Small says that the tattoo means something else to him personally, but no one gets that creative license with a symbol of hate responsible for the death of six million Jews and millions more. Walla Walla police Officer Nat Small announced Wednesday he will alter his tattoo to remove the double S portion, the Scout Sniper memorial he has worn since 2010 that has been under recent community fire as a symbol of neo-Nazism. Please consider supporting our journalism, and help keep our independent reporting free and accessible to all. See more ideas about usmc, sniper, military. “MRFF and our Walla Walla clients were horrified by the police chief’s blatant Christian proselytizing from the back of that vehicle during the recent public protest and where he made it clear that only one person in human history was ever ‘perfect’ who walked the face of the earth; obviously a direct reference to Jesus Christ,” he said. The article highlights Small’s tattoo but fails to address the Nazi history of the insignia it’s based on. You are aware that there are many people, places and things that use the abbreviation SS right? The item consists of tattoos in the style of a Chinese dragon, accompanied by bracelets and various other trinkets. This symbol came to fruition in a cube at Scout/Sniper Instructor School Quantico, Virginia; in the spring of 2001. Originally Posted By joshdb50: Originally Posted By Jerret_S: That looks like a skinhead tattoo 100%, if I didnt know the back story. WALLA WALLA, Wa — Walla Walla Police Department Officer Nat Small has written the following statement regarding his tattoo: My name is Nat Small, and I have been a … View Emily Thornton, Walla Walla Union-Bulletin's articles. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. He said the organization and its local Walla Walla clients needed to see the new design, know when he would have the alteration made and witness action taken against those who allowed the tattoo in the first place, specifically the police chief. “And when I became a police officer over 35 years ago, I did not give up my First Amendment right and neither did Nat Small.”, He also said, “I’m not going to lie to anybody and say we are perfect. For those reasons, I have decided to alter my tattoo to eliminate the ‘Double S’ portion.’”, The city of Walla Walla stated in its release that it appreciated Small’s “sensitivity to the concerns raised by members of the community, and welcomed his decision to change his tattoo to better uphold the trust residents place in him as an officer in the Walla Walla Police Department.”. For about a month, local residents of Walla Walla have held rallies and sent hundreds of letters and emails to the local city council and the police department urging them to address the employment of Nat Small, a former US Marine scout sniper and current member of the local police force. The double lightning bolt SS tattoo was informally adopted by some members of the elite group. In 2012 it was denounced by the Marine Corps. Are you folks really going after a Marine because of a tattoo? I have even seen some HOG’s get branded with a hot piece of hand-made wire and heated with the SS lightning bolt brand. The Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) is currently considered a secondary MOS, meaning it is not open to new recruits. The tattoo on my forearm was an early and heartfelt memorial to my teammate. “We are aware officer Small has a tattoo in honor of his deceased fellow Marine scout sniper, Claudio Patino IV,” the force said in its now- deleted statement. This morning, Bieber told the U-B he wasn’t aware of any communication from the foundation. Spelling Skout Sniper with a “k”, like in KKK? ©2020 Walla Walla Union-Bulletin (Walla Walla, Wash.). Officer Small, a Marine Corps veteran, said the “SS” stands for “Scout Sniper,” and the tattoo is a tribute to his fallen comrade and friend in the unit. Military News Town Hall, Protest Planned over Former Marine's Scout Sniper 'SS' Tattoo A Marine enrolled in the Scout Sniper Team Leaders' … My tattoo was inked in 2010, and I was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in 2011, prior to the public outcry in 2012. 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