The Washington Post Gets it Wrong on Memorial Day

(UPDATE: Correction made, see below)

With their layers of fact checkers and editors, the Washington Post can't tell the difference between a Sailor, a Soldier, and a Marine.

Sailors and Marines are not Soldiers.

This matters to many who have served. Please get it right.

This picture is from the front page. It is captioned "Soldiers salute during a ceremony in Kabul..." But the person in the picture is a Sailor not a Soldier. You can tell by her insignia, her rate or "crow" as we call it. She is a Petty Officer First Class, United States Navy. Show her some respect by recognizing that.

In the slideshow for today, this picture is captioned "US soldiers and civilians working in Afghanistan pay their Memorial Day tribute..." The person on the right in the picture is a Marine, not a Soldier. You can tell by the shape of his hat, the color of his uniform, his rank insignia, the globe on the pocket, and also the words US Marines over the pocket. I can't be sure with the resolution of the photo, he looks to be a Corporal, but may be a Lance Corporal or a Sergeant. Show him some respect by recognizing that.

I could rant on about how this exemplifies the lack of connection between most journalists and those who sacrifice to defend their freedoms. But I won't.

I'm just disappointed.

UPDATE:  An email to "corrections" at the Post and a few hours later the captions have changed.  Thanks Post for caring enough to make the correction. It is noticed and appreciated.  I've posted screen shots of the new captions.  Note they've changed to the generic "service members." Probably an 80% solution, but at least it's not wrong.  Thanks again!

The front page image is now captioned "US forces serving overseas remember...."

The slideshow image is now captioned "US service members and civilians working in Afghanistan pay their Memorial Day tribute...