Is it insulting when the media shows the Dallas police sniper in his military uniform?

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 10 Jul 2016 12:47:10 -0400

Far to often the media connects someone violent or a murder to their military picture. This is disgraceful as they don't represent our military or the sacrifice made by millions of honorable Veterans.

Response by Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen made Jul 10 at 2016 1:00 PM

Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen — Sun, 10 Jul 2016 13:00:24 -0400

More disappointing than insulting in my mind.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 10 at 2016 1:03 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 10 Jul 2016 13:03:18 -0400

No.

Response by PO1 John Miller made Jul 10 at 2016 1:48 PM

PO1 John Miller — Sun, 10 Jul 2016 13:48:39 -0400

Insulting? No. Double standard? Yes.

What I mean by that is, had Johnson been a white man shooting black men, the media would have portrayed it as "The US Army encourages racism..."

Response by SPC Kirk Gilles made Jul 10 at 2016 1:50 PM

SPC Kirk Gilles — Sun, 10 Jul 2016 13:50:58 -0400

It's intentional. He has to be portrayed as having been indoctrinated by the Military, then abused by it, and thrown away. It's a visual association method. "Mommy, why did the Army man kill those people?"
His real professed motivation has to be suppressed.
Now part two: Showing him continually as a soldier, and calling him that, helps the anti cop narrative. He's just a guy who served, he couldn't take the injustice, they blew him up. Martyrdom?

Response by SSG Roderick Smith made Jul 10 at 2016 3:09 PM

SSG Roderick Smith — Sun, 10 Jul 2016 15:09:10 -0400

No. He was in the military. There's tons of douchebags that have served and currently serve. Nature of the beast.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 10 at 2016 3:22 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 10 Jul 2016 15:22:53 -0400

I find the media positing the picture as a direct insult to every soldier who has served and lived honorably. Pictures in the media are utilized to attract attention and provide interest, which are strictly for their financial interests.

So in this case the are utilizing a picture, without any details on his dishonorable service or true connection. His military service had nothing to do with his racism and unstable mindset. If anything it provided him with a chance to build a foundation to lead and succeed.

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Jul 10 at 2016 5:00 PM

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel — Sun, 10 Jul 2016 17:00:58 -0400

Personally, No, It's not Insulting to me, Does it give us fuller picture of the Individual, Sure. The First Pictures I saw of him was not in uniform but more dressed like some kind of Hippy it was until later that his Uniform Pictures started showing up in the Media. I think the best I saw was a composite side by side with both pictures.

Response by CPL(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 10 at 2016 5:01 PM

CPL(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 10 Jul 2016 17:01:38 -0400

They are trying to dilute us and discredit our voices. Look at the bigger picture.

Response by SFC Joseph Weber made Jul 10 at 2016 6:58 PM

SFC Joseph Weber — Sun, 10 Jul 2016 18:58:52 -0400

No, it's part of the story.

Response by SSG Roger Ayscue made Jul 10 at 2016 9:19 PM

SSG Roger Ayscue — Sun, 10 Jul 2016 21:19:22 -0400

I think so, yes. I resent the use of the term "Sniper" A "Sniper" is a highly traind professional that uses a skill to protect or accomplish his mission, not to commit murder.

Response by TSgt William Meyer made Jul 10 at 2016 9:29 PM

TSgt William Meyer — Sun, 10 Jul 2016 21:29:52 -0400

do you think it would be different if he was a shoemaker or worked in McDonalds ??? They use it to make the story more sensational, not that this one needed to be sensationalized.

Response by SGT Jerrold Pesz made Jul 10 at 2016 11:34 PM

SGT Jerrold Pesz — Sun, 10 Jul 2016 23:34:20 -0400

Yes.

Response by FN Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 10 at 2016 11:57 PM

FN Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 10 Jul 2016 23:57:23 -0400

How can we expect the media to understand when only 1% serve in the military? Most people wouldn't know what it means to sacrifice. There's always good and bad apples in every walk of life including our own military.

Response by SPC James Harsh made Jul 11 at 2016 1:42 AM

SPC James Harsh — Mon, 11 Jul 2016 01:42:56 -0400

The president defends BLM and says of course when there's a group that there will be a part of it that makes stupid decisions. So President Obama has no problem giving a voice to the BLM and condemning US Police across the country. Wow, Democrats are really confident that they have the support of "the police union". The President doesn't present both sides of the situation either, we must listen to HIM and not judge BLM. He FAILS to mention Police as an entity that should not be criticized the exact same way. Now, about this SHOOTER that is a Veteran. When I saw engineer I thought possible EOD, he actually probably never saw the other side of a hesco. Makes veterans look bad what else is new.

Response by SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 11 at 2016 2:46 AM

SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 11 Jul 2016 02:46:47 -0400

I think the media is focusing too much on his military background. Nothing against the Reserves but he was not Active Duty and only served for like 3 years. That is nothing compared to what most other Soldiers have. They need to focus more on what happened after he got out, not his 3 years in the Reserves. He was a civilian for a long time after that and needs to be referred to as such.

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 11 at 2016 3:41 AM

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 11 Jul 2016 03:41:58 -0400

Once a brother, always a brother. Just because he isn't in the military anymore doesn't mean he isn't one of us. I feel its more insulting he would do such a thing to our civilian brothers in arms. Anyone who wears a uniform weather it be military, police, fire, etc.. should treat each and every other member as family. Charles Whitman did was in the marines, but back in the 60s media didn't steer opinions of the people. The media is using this military photo to show that he was a "good" guy fighting a cause. I don't agree with what he did but he was in the military and he was apart of our family. No family is perfect.

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 11 at 2016 5:27 PM

1LT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 11 Jul 2016 17:27:09 -0400

This is the first thing that came to my mind when I saw the picture. Why not use another picture? It's not like the guy was still in the service. I am very disappointed in our media. They contribute a large in the division in this country.

Response by Capt Chris McVeigh made Jul 11 at 2016 6:10 PM

Capt Chris McVeigh — Mon, 11 Jul 2016 18:10:11 -0400

No, he was a member of the military at one point so the image is accurate. It's not like they went out and photo-shopped him into a uniform. If you find facts to be insulting, life is going to be rough.

Response by LTC Paul Labrador made Jul 11 at 2016 6:33 PM

LTC Paul Labrador — Mon, 11 Jul 2016 18:33:06 -0400

Well it depends on the angle they are trying to make. If they are trying to infer that his military service screwed him up so badly that he went out and killed cops because of it, yeah, it's a bit insulting.

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 11 at 2016 11:57 PM

1LT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 11 Jul 2016 23:57:53 -0400

I think they did it in purpose to get as much attention as possible.
By doing this, It might cause employers to rethink wether to hire veterans or not ><"

Response by Cpl Justin Goolsby made Jul 12 at 2016 10:13 AM

Cpl Justin Goolsby — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 10:13:27 -0400

Yes, because it perpetuates the stereotype that Veterans are unhinged and may snap at any moment due to PTSD.

Response by 2LT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 13 at 2016 9:26 PM

2LT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 21:26:43 -0400

The truth is that everyone is more than the sum of what the media likes to share. I'm a veteran, a member of the Guard, husband, father, etc. what's insulting is that anyone would think his actions were a viable option.

Response by LCpl Hilton Hoskins made Jul 17 at 2016 11:40 PM

LCpl Hilton Hoskins — Sun, 17 Jul 2016 23:40:57 -0400

It's very insulting. We as Veterans have a hard enough time as it is, when the media throws in that somebody that committed a shooting it makes it even worse because now it makes police officers more antsy when dealing with Veterans and it makes Veterans feel like we need to be on our guard more. It causes more public unrest because people end up getting the perception that Veterans are more likely to do something like this which is not true.