Soldier flagrantly avoids flag salute, sets off online outrage

Pfc. Tariqka Sheffey posted a video on Tuesday expressing some regret over the controversy her selfie has caused.Army Times

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.

When asked if an investigation was underway, McNutt said, “The chain of command is aware and looking into the situation. That’s really all I can say at this point.”

McNutt said Fort Carson learned of the photo after receiving a number of complaints.

The online outrage has quickly turned to hate, with a torrent of abusive comments, racial slurs and threats being made against the young soldier.

Sheffey responded with a video on Instagram on Tuesday and expressed regret. But she stopped short of apologizing for her actions:

“I seriously just want to say thank you to everybody who stood up to me today, like seriously. That s— to me was not that serious. I am not a disrespectful soldier and I really appreciate you all.”

Attempts to reach Sheffey for comment via email were not immediately successful.

This marks the third time in less than two weeks in which a photo of service members has sparked controversy on social media. Several National Guard members have been suspended from funeral honors detail in light of a photo showing them comically posing around a flag-draped casket during training. An investigation is ongoing.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Cherish Byers is also the subject of an investigation, after a three-year-old photo of her tongue-kissing a Prisoner of War-Missing in Action symbol went viral.

http://www.armytimes.com/article/20140225/NEWS/302250023/Soldier-flagrantly-avoids-flag-salute-sets-off-online-outrage

8 thoughts on “Soldier flagrantly avoids flag salute, sets off online outrage

  1. I saw folks like this a lot when I was in. They aren’t doing it out of protest, they are just too damn lazy to get out of their cars and stand and salute. Every day the flag is raised and lowered at specific times. The lazy folks pretend they don’t hear it or intentionally stay inside until after. I have even seen these fools run to their car when they hear the cannon go off so they do not have to stand for 45 seconds and render a salute to our flag. I used to love publicly humiliating them at red lights or when I saw them run. Whether the wars are justified or not, it is our flag and if these bastards cant respect that I guaranty they will have no problem with martial law against us.

  2. Whatever they do to her they have to do to Obama for he stood with hands at side when everyone else had hand over heart. What’s the difference cause he is president bah humbug.

  3. She did it on purpose, she did not want to stand out there while it was being raised or lowered because it is a hassle for her so she laid her set back to not be seen easily. If I remember right I think we had to pull over our car and get out while in uniform while on base if we could see it happening and salute while it was taking place. Idiot confessed to it so how hard can it be to bring the good ole UCMJ against her?

  4. I doubt any diciplinary action will befall Pfc. Tariqka Sheffey; however, in fairness I wish she would explain just why she doesn’t give a FFFF.
    Michael New was run out of the Army, without due process, for refusing to wear a United Nations patch!

    http://www.mikenew.com/index.html

  5. “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.”

    And that’s the bottom line in my opinion! Throw her out of the country if she doesn’t want to fight for it. And if this is her way of getting attention because she was having a bad day, then she’s even more worthless and is a disgrace to the uniform and our country.

    1. There are a lot of folks in the Army that are there because of the “check”. They dont love our Republic and do not even know our history. That is the kind of “soldier” that they want for what is coming.

  6. POS overweight slug with not even enough common sense not to publicly post that. She needs an immediate MOS change to EOD and deployment to Afghanistan.

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