Montana Guard Recruitment Ad Goes Viral after WWII ‘Nazi’ Mishap

Since the creation of the internet, we have all discovered that you can buy just about anything through e-commerce. If you want a rare Pez dispenser, you can find it online. If you want 50 pounds of candy corn, you can find it online. It is amazing how anything in the world can be yours with the click of a button.

The internet is making it easier for people who are also looking to "cut corners" and simply their jobs or lives. But, another thing we have learned over the years of using the internet, you don't always get what you paid for.

Just recently, a Montana Army National Guard recruitment advertisement went viral after people noticed an interesting World War II photo in the ad.

The recruiters involved with coming up with an ad campaign decided to use the potential recruit's family legacy of military service as their hook. Hoping recruits would think "My grandfather fought in Vietnam, so I want to continue his legacy and enlist."

The ad features Montana National Guard Command Sgt. Maj. Lawrence DeBoo holding up a photo of his grandfather who served in the 1950's. Behind CSM DeBoo is a stock photo of what appears to be Nazi soldiers in uniform.

The ad quickly went viral, when the internet became confused by the message.

One of my favorite content creators online is an Army Seargent named Richard Hy, known for his YouTube channel called "Angry Cops." Hy recently posted a video explaining how and why the advertisement was taken the wrong way by many. The photo led people to believe that CSM DeBoo's grandfather was a German soldier. But, that is not the case. Just a proofreading error before printing. Hy believes that Montana Army recruiters simply hired a 3rd party company to produce the campaign image and didn't look it over before sending it to print.

If you are looking for a good laugh and an unhinged rant, check out my pal "AC."

WARNING: NSFW (Adult Language)

The Montana National Guard has apologized for the campaign advertisement.

According to a statement to Task and Purpose, spokesperson Major Ryan Finnegan said.

As soon as we became aware of the issue, we directed the vendor to remove the poster immediately. While the poster was intended to highlight Montana’s tradition of multi-generation service, the background image does not represent our history or values. Montana National Guard leadership is putting in place an approval system to ensure nothing like this happens again, and we regret and apologize for this serious mistake.

At the end of the day. We all make mistakes. Just hope the internet audience doesn't find out when you slip up.