Class of West Virginia corrections cadets are FIRED after giving Nazi salute in group photo
MORE than 30 cadets as well as staff at a West Virginia corrections academy will be fired after giving a Nazi salute in a class photo.
West Virginia Governor Jim Justice approved the firings of all cadets who participated in the photo of Basic Training Class 18.
The photo was released by the state's Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety on December 5th.
It shows the cadets – whose faces are blurred – posing with their right arms raised and most of them with their hands extended.
At the top of the image, the words "Hail Byrd!" also appear.
Gov. Justice said in : "As I said from the beginning, I condemn the photo of Basic Training Class 18 in the strongest possible terms.
“I also said that this act needed to result in real consequences — terminations and dismissals.
"This kind of behavior will not be tolerated on my watch in any agency of State government.”
“We have a lot of good people in our Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety.
"But this incident was completely unacceptable. Now, we must continue to move forward and work diligently to make sure nothing like this ever happens again."
"COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE"
As well as the termination of all 34 cadets who participated, the report recommended the termination of an academy staff member and four academy instructors, who allegedly had knowledge of the salute.
When the photo surfaced earlier this month, two training instructors and one cadet were fired within days of its release.
The gesture was used in the classroom within the first two to three weeks of training, the investigation found, and symbolized a "sign of respect" for an individual identified as "Instructor Byrd."
Byrd – whose first name was not stated – claimed she was unaware of the “historical or racial implications of the gesture” and reported it was “simply a greeting," according to the report.
According to the report, however, others contradicted these claims, saying the instructor encourage and reveled in the salute.
Some cadets reportedly made fists instead of a salute in an attempt to appease Byrd when the photograph was being taken.
FOLLOWING ORDERS
The report states that some cadets "only followed what they perceived to be an order from Instructor Byrd to do the 'Hail Byrd' for the photograph because they feared they would not graduate, or would be disciplined for failure to follow the order of a superior."
But, according to the report, the photo ended up being taken multiple times because not everyone participated until Byrd told them to do so.
The photo was then given by Byrd to secretarial staff, with a secretary questioning what Byrd intended to do with the photo.
Byrd allegedly reportedly said there was nothing wrong with the image because of the diversity of those pictured.
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According to the report, she then asked the secretary to caption it, "Hail Byrd!", and added, "That's why the do that because I'm a hard-ass like Hitler."
The report said: "The investigation disclosed that she [Byrd] encouraged it, reveled in it, and at times reciprocated the gesture.
"Additionally, Byrd appeared to overrule the corrective actions taken by others and assured the cadets the behavior was acceptable."
