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A sailor from the United States Navy assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron 142 (VAQ-142) "The Gray Wolves," deployed aboard the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, was photographed wearing a patch on his jacket that has sparked controversy.
The piece said: "Join the U.S. Navy! Save Venezuelan women with big backsides!" This image was posted on the official visual distribution channel of the Pentagon and was later removed.
The account that monitors open sources OSINTdefender shared the photograph on X, where a sailor is seen working on an EA-18G Growler - an electronic warfare aircraft - in what appears to be the hangar of the aircraft carrier, with the patch clearly visible on the right arm of his tactical jacket.
The patch mimics the style of American World War II military recruitment posters, featuring a retro illustration of a female figure in tropical and sensual attire, offering drinks to a sailor, with palm trees and a beach in the background.
The image was originally published by the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS), the official visual communication channel of the Pentagon, before being removed, highlighting a failure in the editorial controls of the service.
The incident could have implications for the military. It could be considered a violation of the Navy's uniform regulations (NAVPERS 15665J), which prohibit unauthorized patches or those that affect professional appearance; only specific ones, such as the inverted flag or the "Don't Tread On Me" emblem, are allowed.
The use of unauthorized patches may also constitute a violation of Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice for disobeying orders.
On social media, many users see it as just a joke, but others believe that the image contains misogynistic and sexist content that perpetuates a stereotype about women.
For some, it may be interpreted as derogatory towards the Venezuelan people, especially considering that the VAQ-142 was part of the Ford attack group during Operation Southern Lance, deployed in the Caribbean since November 2025, and participated in the Absolute Resolution Operation, which led to the capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3.
The Pentagon had already removed images from DVIDS in 2025 for various reasons, including unauthorized religious patches and content related to diversity policies, but in this case, the reason would be the offensive content of the patch towards Venezuelan women.
The question that remains open is how an image with such content was able to bypass the editorial filters of the Pentagon's official channel and be published before its removal, at a time when relations between Washington and Caracas are experiencing an unprecedented phase of normalization.
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