‘Inappropriate and Disrespectful’: Air Force Investigates Casket Image
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Image credit: Facebook
The Air Force is investigating a photograph that circulated on social media of several airmen standing around a comrade pretending to be dead in an open casket, a spokesman told ABC News today.
In the image, 15 men and women, some with their arms crossed in an X, surround the casket in which a man lies with his eyes closed, a noose around his neck and chains across his body.
At the bottom of the photo reads: “Da Dumpt, Da Dumpt … Sucks to Be U!”
Todd Spitler, an Air Force spokesman at the Pentagon, told ABC News today via email that the image had been taken in August. He said the airmen pictured were assigned to a training detachment belonging to the 345th Training Squadron at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas and had been attending the Air Transportation Apprentice course at Fort Lee, Va.
Spitler said the Air Force learned of the photograph after the Air Force Times sent it to the Pentagon Dec. 12. According to The Associated Press, the image was posted to Facebook in October.
Spitler said that although airmen were encouraged to engage and tell their story through social media, “they are reminded to do so in ways that don’t discredit themselves or our service.”
“They know there are policies against sharing information that violates operational security and they understand there is a fine line between funny and distasteful,” he said via email. “These photos are wholly inappropriate and disrespectful. … It is disappointing to see professional airmen choose to depict themselves in an unprofessional manner.”
Spitler said that the investigation would last one to two weeks and that the 37th Training Group commander would determine what actions should be taken. In addition, he said a policy letter would be issued requiring squadron commander-level approval of all photos, plaques and memorabilia before they were posted by graduating classes.
The photo incident comes a little more than a month after Air Force officials confirmed to ABC News that its mortuary at Dover Air Base had been disposing the unidentified cremated remains of service members into a landfill.
Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said via emailed statement that the recent image incident saddened him that it might cause more grief to the families of “fallen warriors.”
“Such behavior is not consistent with our core values and it is not represenatative of the airmen I know,” Donley said.
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This is a training/safety photo. The floor of the C130 can be covered with rollers and every pallet Ive moved on C-130s or C-17s has made a the dumpt sound. If a heavy pallets rolls into you, it could crush you. Its safety and humor. Crossed arms means “Stop.” Has nothing to do with casualties of war.
The fact that worries me and actually makes my heart bleed is that the young service men and women in this training photo have received negative publicity so that you can have a controversial “news story”. I hope you have enjoyed your 5 minutes of fame.
Let me say this as clearly as possible: if any of these young men or women in this training photo harms themself or gets harmed as a result of this story, the next headline will read “Irresponsible Journalism Led to Suicide of Airman in Training Photo”.
Posted by: TinaFrey | December 16, 2011, 7:19 pm 7:19 pm
i think this whole picture is blown out of proportion. They are letting off steam and finding some kind of humor in the jobs they perform. Give them a break!
Posted by: hereticzero | December 16, 2011, 8:03 pm 8:03 pm
This is a perfect example of “group think”. It’s hard to believe that out of all these airmen, not one stopped to think about how inappropriate this might look. Tunnel vision and immaturity. It’s a shame that they’ve been exposed to the world for this.
Posted by: Taintedbylies | December 16, 2011, 8:05 pm 8:05 pm
Shame on David Larter and the Air Force Times for this useless propaganda story. Every story by him will be questioned after the fact that this is a training photo/safety photo comes out. Weak “journalism”.
Posted by: Shirley | December 16, 2011, 8:22 pm 8:22 pm
They should get some EMI (extra military instruction). It was a dumb thing to do but we don’t need to make a damn felony out of everything in this Nanny Country. If Bonds can have thirty days at home for a felony than leave these folks alone.
Posted by: johnbald1 | December 16, 2011, 9:09 pm 9:09 pm
Too bad the jackass from the Air Force Times that released the story did not take 5 seconds to research the fact that this is a training photo. Instead, he sent a bunch of young service members to slaughter.
Posted by: RobertP | December 16, 2011, 9:16 pm 9:16 pm
This story is about innocent service members inappropriately put in negative spotlight. I was Navy and I would think anyone that served or is currently serving would collectively be outraged that the media would post a picture like this purely for shock value without the entire story. This is a safety/training photo and if any of the innocent service members commits suicide because of the negative, social commentary, I hope everyone responsible for pushing them there goes straight to hell!
Posted by: David | December 16, 2011, 10:01 pm 10:01 pm
Not the Sharpest knife in the drawer are they. First mistake was taking a picture like that. Second was email, facebook, airforce times. Third was the gang sign they are all making with their arms. Forth is thinking about how many have died over the years? Fifth was being an NCO in the picture. Sixth was that guy in the front who looks almost like a Lt. and seven was AF putting bodies in the land fill.
Also I think all in the picture are thinking “I’m going to save my country money by getting kicked out”
Posted by: Brandon | December 16, 2011, 11:38 pm 11:38 pm
Let me tell you something as a former military wife. If those soldiers don’t laugh about death, it can really eat them alive. We civilians have NO IDEA what it is to do that hugely important work of keeping America safe. How about some gratitude? These guys are perfect. They are people, too.
This is just another example of the liberal media exploiting someone’s mistake in judgement to denigrate soldiers and the military and try to turn public opinion against the military.
We’re going to wake up one day as a country, probably too late, and realize what fools we’ve been. We, as a nation, have been listening to the wrong voices and have permitted ourselves to be hypnotized into self-destructive thinking through the media.
Posted by: Colleen | December 16, 2011, 11:43 pm 11:43 pm
It is a training photo as mentioned above. Please don’t let the media insult your Intelligence.
Posted by: Thomas Brown | December 16, 2011, 11:49 pm 11:49 pm
Why does ABC news have this story posted? To further insult and damage the innocent service members in this class photo? CNN is the only major news outlet that did not fall for this hype and post this sensationalistic news story.
Posted by: Lisa Sharpe | December 16, 2011, 11:51 pm 11:51 pm
This was clearly a joke! Let the soldiers who went overseas to fight a dumb war have some fun! no one is getting hurt in this.
Posted by: Woody | December 17, 2011, 12:36 am 12:36 am
This simple pic is inappropriate??? It’s not like they were dumping soldier ashes in a landfill. WTF?
Posted by: aeconfidential | December 17, 2011, 7:57 am 7:57 am
The pic is not a joke, nor is it disrespectful. It is an brutally honest display of what happens when procedures are not followed when loading/unloading cargo planes – military or civilian.
If you don’t pay attention you will end up dead and covered with the chains meant to hold down cargo. STOP! PAY ATTENTION! DON”T WIND UP DEAD!
And what gang uses their arms for signs? Gang bangers use hand signs.
This is nothing more than an education/training pic. Somebody went off half-baked without finding out why the intentions were.
Kind of like the pics/videos you see in driver’s ed every now and then, only those are real and much more gruesome.
Posted by: raggmopp | December 17, 2011, 2:05 pm 2:05 pm
Wow, you guys are idiots. This photo is incredibly inappropriate and disrespectful. Period.
My job in the military was directly correlated to extremely violent deaths for our enemy, as well as many serious safety hazards to ourselves. Did my graduating class illustrate death in our photos? No, because it is distasteful and there really is no point. Especially in a freaking casket in a heavy… everyone knows that this is the way our fallen come home. These Air Force cargo idiots don’t have a clue because they will never experience combat. Sounds like the military needs to drill some respect into the minds of the majority of Airmen who don’t experience war.
Posted by: K | December 18, 2011, 12:11 am 12:11 am
I look at this photo for a couple of seconds and I understand what it is. Some others have posted and I will re-iterate because they are right on the money. That The Dump..Da Dump is exactly the sound of a 463L cargo pallet going over the rollers of an aircraft. This is a photo from their tech school, one of the main safety concerns of their career field is getting crushed between two pallets weighing (up to) 10,000 lbs. One of the huge operational emphasis in the air force is safety safety safety. So of course this is going to stick to them. They wanted a class photo the portrays something particular to the career field. The chains and devices are a symbol of their career field. Ask any Port Dawg 605/2T2 and they will understand the main concept of this photo. Not saying they thought it through, but they took a photo that had a meaning in mind, a simple one, not considering outside views. Getting squashed between two 10,000 lb pallets..#$%$ sucks to be you…..you can end up dead.
I was never even in the Air Force (I served in the Navy) and I get it. I am very sad and concerned that these innocent service men and women are being persecuted because of this weak attempt at journalism.
Posted by: Kevin | December 18, 2011, 8:14 am 8:14 am
As a former Air Force veteran, I want these guys to be able to defend their side of the story. It probably wasn’t the best though out thing, but I find it hard to believe that they were dissing the war dead. All of us know and knew someone that was hurt over there–I definitely believe this was not their intention. They all know they could all could easily be one of the deceased.
Posted by: Anna | December 18, 2011, 10:51 pm 10:51 pm
I truly want this to remain in the media so that it can be revealed as what it is – a unit training/safety photo. We need to hold journalist to a much higher standard when reporting about our brothers and sisters in uniform. Period. This is not a Bob Woodward or Daniel Ellsberg journalistic piece – this is just a cheap shot and an attempt to get a “hot story” by riding on the backs on innocent service members.
Posted by: Cyd Med | December 19, 2011, 3:19 am 3:19 am
Incredible quest there. What occurred after? Good luck!
Posted by: Maxima Stipek | February 23, 2012, 12:33 pm 12:33 pm