M1 Abrams Tank Flies An Anarchist Flag In Kuwait
Wanneer: 04/02/2020 - 16:06
The symbol originated with anarchist political movements, but has since migrated to other less political media, including popular television shows.
The practice of crews naming tanks, or otherwise adorning them with artwork, slogans, and flags, has been around since the very first types appeared on battlefields in Europe during World War I and the practice continues to this day. Pictures recently emerged of an M1 Abrams main battle tank from the South Carolina Army National Guard in Kuwait flying a large black flag with a stylized red "A" inside a circle, as well as one showing a crew member sporting a patch with a similar circled A and the phrase "No Masters." These are symbols and slogans that originated with anarchist movements more than a century ago, but they've since made their way into far less politicized subcultures.
The 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team's public affairs office posted the pictures online on Feb. 4, 2020. The headquarters of the Brigade is part of the North Carolina Army National Guard, but it also includes the 4th Battalion, 118th Infantry Regiment, an element of the South Carolina Army National Guard. The M1 tank in question, which has the bumper code A-112, is assigned to 4-118th Infantry's Company A. The bulk of the 30th is presently in Kuwait as part of a rotational deployment to the Middle East and it also has personnel presently forward-deployed in Syria. 4-118th Infantry was notably the unit that briefly sent Bradley Fighting Vehicles to that country last year.
The morale patch with the "No Masters" slogan and the circled A, which are also overlaid on top of the South Carolina state flag.
A-112 fires its main gun during the gunnery training on Feb. 4, 2020.
The pictures show A-112 conducting gunnery training with other tanks from the battalion. This includes one with the name "Circled X," the exact meaning of which is also unclear.
https://archive.is/Ve2CH#selection-283.0-287.414
UPDATE:
U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Cindi King, a public affairs officer for the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team in Kuwait, has provided the following statement to clarify the use of the flag It was not intended to be a political statement, as we already indicated was very possibly the case.
Here is the full statement:
"They are A company - so it is tradition they nickname their lead tank and company after something that starts with A. There was nothing intended to be disrespectful nor political."
"They do not want to appear disrespectful or making any type of statement other than they are A company and this nickname sounds tough. To ensure there is no further misunderstanding or appearance of making any statement- these photos are deleted and the unit is notified that this appears to represent something that it is unintended to. They will proudly continue to fly their state flag and US flag and think of something else that begins with A. We apologize if this sent any type of negative message or appeared disrespectful or offensive. They did not want it to come across as any type of political statement - as it is not. Thank you for allowing us the chance to clarify this."