A soldier who hid in her car to avoid saluting the flag — and then flaunted it on Instagram — is the latest service member to come under attack via social media and be accused of dishonoring her service.
Pfc. Tariqka Sheffey, whose Instagram handle is “sheffeynation,” posted a selfie with a caption that reads:
“This is me laying back in my car hiding so I don’t have to salute the 1700 flag, KEEP ALL YOUR ‘THATS SO DISRESPECTFUL/HOWRUDE/ETC.’ COMMENTS TO YOURSELF cuz, right now, IDGAFFFF.”
The image was distributed via Facebook and also sent to Army Times. Angry service members, Gold Star mothers and spouses have called for the soldier’s removal from service.
“Any soldier who refuses to salute the flag is in the military for the wrong reason, and should be removed by dishonorable discharge with loss of all benefits,” one Facebook commenter said. “If they won’t salute it, they damn sure won’t fight for it.”
Sheffey is a member of the 59th Quartermaster Company, 43rd Sustainment Brigade, at Fort Carson, Colo., post spokesman Dee McNutt confirmed Tuesday.
This article came from The Army Times
I spent a lot of time on Thursday night reading on this and then reading on the many comments posted, most were the "Dishonorable Discharge" comments and boot her out. A few people advocated lesser punishment. I finally posted this on the Army Times Comments:
Have her chain of command handle it. Her Colonel on down will have some imaginative ways for attitude correction, she has brought her unit and her command into it, and people take that stuff seriously. Before anybody piles on me, I am a Gulf War veteran so I have some background on this. She is a young private, and privates can and do dumb things. Let her chain of command deal with it. I have a few times made a run for the doorway, not the brightest thing I have done and in my "older" years I have a more appreciation than I did back then. Could I go back in time and would I serve, Yes I would. My 6 years of service, 5 of it overseas have taught me much and to have a real appreciation for being an American. What she did was stupid, her posting and bragging about it compounded the error in judgment. Have her chain of command deal with it. Article 15 for with suspension or reduction of rank and some forfeiture of pay and some hard duty or some variation of the same. Dishonorable Discharge will mark her as a felon for the rest of her life, kinda extreme for dodging the flag. Now if she was involved in seditious activity I can see some of the other punishments applying. What she did I find personally "tacky" and showing a lack of moral fiber, but rising to the level of a BCD...Nope don't see it. Again let her chain of command handle it.
There have been other incidents lately of soldiers running afoul with social media. From the incident involving a Wisconsin Honors Team being investigated for posing in front of a flag draped casket that was empty to another incident involving an airman pretending to french kiss the POW/MIA emblem has sparked outrage. What is the cause of all of this...is it the era o self gratification when we have the President doing it at a funeral for Nelson Mandela?
I don't know....Perhaps I am an older person and something I flat out wouldn't do. The Spousal unit calls me "Mr Manners" because I am soo polite in public especially from my speech pattern which has been harkens to "Old Southern" as I was told one time. I honestly believes that manners is what separates us from the primates...that and food utensils.
It seems like everybody is in a rush to throw out what is "acceptable" in society. I used to have a book written by Robert Heinlein that used phrases from his long living character called "Lazarus Long" one of the phrases was "Manners are the lubricant of social interaction." Pretty much self explanatory. He also was the person that had the comment that a "Well armed society is a polite society, you may have to pay with your lack of manners with your life."
I wonder if all this stuff is a new belief that tomorrow may never come so live for the now. This is the attitude of a lot of the urban denizens because they truly believe that tomorrow may never get here, so it is that fatalism that drives a lot of what they do. I am trying to reach for a reason for all of this but maybe I am too old and have lived too long to understand what drives all of this. Is it the breakdown of a moral code in society? I don't know.
*Fixed grammer error*
I think you're correct. This is an action that the chain of command should handle. Perhaps 6 months of being ON the 1700 Flag lowering detail, full battle rattle and maybe MOPP4?
ReplyDeleteBTW, I think you've got a double negative in " This is the attitude of a lot of the urban denizens because they truly don't believe that tomorrow may never get here, so it is that fatalism that drives a lot of what they do." Truly believe or tomorrow may get here, I think is what you're wanting to say. Pardon the editing.
Yep, let the CoC handle it... And I think there IS a breakdown in the morals of America today... No personal responsibility for actions, no discipline at home OR in the military because the race/gender/whatever card gets played...
ReplyDeleteHey Juvat,
ReplyDeleteYou are right...Dangit;) I didn't catch it. My old English teacher would scold me for messing that up. I will correct that. Normally I catch stuff like that on a proof read, but I still was trying to stumble toward a conclusion and didn't catch the poor grammar.
Hey Old NFO;
You are spot on on the no personal responsibility from the president still blaming everybody else but himself for the state of the economy and the many scandals then the dodging of responsibility for the same. This attitude is spreading like a rot in this society.