HK with their backwards bullets...

[shane45]

So the photoshop claim is a cover story?

[Totem Polar]

Nobody is going to mention the hand on the shoulder...

You never talk about hands on your shoulders in the Navy!

[TC215]

We were wondering if some disgruntled subordinates mounted the optic backwards to embarrass him.

That's the theory from the prior .mil guys at work.

[42Willys]

Nah, it's not that deep. The "CO shoots a carbine" thing was staged by the ship's PAO or XO. The CO was probably shooting at the ocean.

One of the gunner's mates decided to have a little fun at the CO's expense. They'll regret it during their 30 day restriction (plus loss of half their pay for two months and a bust down a pay grade).

Beyond that, small arms aren't really the Navy's thing.

This, times 10.

[hufnagel]

Commander of the USS John McCain ...

yea... that right there, says it all.

[TC215]

[Oldherkpilot]

Commander of the USS John McCain ...

yea... that right there, says it all.

I was only THINKING that.😁

[Shawn Dodson]

@TGS, @Le Français, and I were discussing this photo a few days ago. I’m not familiar with Navy ranks but TGS said the yellow stitching on the bill of the cap indicates the sailor is a Captain (O-6). He’s probably not been trained on a rifle in a couple of decades because that’s not really his job. We were wondering if some disgruntled subordinates mounted the optic backwards to embarrass him.

FWIW

Navy O-5 (Commander) and above wear covers adorned with scambled eggs on the bill.

The guy's wearing a gold "Command at Sea" pin (visible underneath his right elbow) signifying he's the ship's commanding officer.

[JRB]

Line unit fobbit Army dweeb here.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I know we want to *believe* this was done intentionally for any myriad of understandable military reasons. But I really don't think ya'll understand just how spectacularly ignorant most arms room babysitters are about the weapons and equipment in those arms rooms. I hesitate to call them 'Armorers' anymore because the overwhelming majority of them are glorified bookkeepers that do little beyond printing out buttstock labels and finding the serial numbers on everything every month for the SII/monthly inventories. So they know where to find the serial number and do a functions check. But correct mounting, zeroing, maintenance, etc - totally beyond them.

Things I have actively seen on live ranges:

Every optic you can imagine, I've seen it mounted backwards unintentionally. Yes, even thermals and NV. Including an ACOG on a carry handle, backwards. 'I can't really see through this one, Sarn't' It was the only ACOG mounted on any of that unit's weapons so the poor sod didn't have any visual reference, but yeah. ACOG's mounted too far forward and too far back, often. Even one ACOG mounted with a TA51 mount to a carry handle gooseneck meant for red dots. Eye relief problems? You betcha. M68 CCO's mounted on the KAC rail system instead of the upper receiver. Lots of M68's (CompM4's) mounted backwards... LOTS of them. One excuse given was 'the knob looks stupid on the other (correct) side'.

M9's in old 1911 holsters that came from who-knows where. M17's in old M9 holsters, because the M17 was being used for a qual and whoever was issued that M17 had to share and couldn't be bothered to take off the holster as well.
I have witnessed Army and Navy personnel trying to put M9 magazines into their M17/M18's, and wondering why it didn't work... and vice versa. "Armorers" dumped all the pistol mags into one box, expecting them all to work. At least they're easy to tell apart.


So truly I believe it happened something like this:

-PAO decides they need a picture of the skipper shooting a rifle
-PAO goes to arms room zombie and tells him to get the coolest looking rifle they have out of the arms room
-Arms room zombie sees that Trijicon scope and some other crap, and starts bolting it all on to make the rifle look cool. Not knowing shit about the scope, from all the old pics of hunting rifles etc all over the world he thinks big end goes to the front
-Skipper gets handed this rifle
-Skipper realizes he can't see shit through the scope, but knows it's a PAO photo op, so he doesn't say shit because he's not going to embarrass himself in front of everyone on his boat. Skipper moves the selector from safe to semi, dumps some rounds for the camera, calls it a day, and not a soul in eyeshot of the whole thing had any idea there was something amiss with the weapon

Then it gets posted, then the internet happens, and here we are.

[TC215]

So truly I believe it happened something like this:

-PAO decides they need a picture of the skipper shooting a rifle
-PAO goes to arms room zombie and tells him to get the coolest looking rifle they have out of the arms room
-Arms room zombie sees that Trijicon scope and some other crap, and starts bolting it all on to make the rifle look cool. Not knowing shit about the scope, from all the old pics of hunting rifles etc all over the world he thinks big end goes to the front
-Skipper gets handed this rifle
-Skipper realizes he can't see shit through the scope, but knows it's a PAO photo op, so he doesn't say shit because he's not going to embarrass himself in front of everyone on his boat. Skipper moves the selector from safe to semi, dumps some rounds for the camera, calls it a day, and not a soul in eyeshot of the whole thing had any idea there was something amiss with the weapon

Then it gets posted, then the internet happens, and here we are.

It's way more fun to think he was sabotaged.