U.S. Navy Mocked for Photo of Commander With Rifle Scope Mounted Backwards

A U.S. Navy photo posted to X is being mocked for showing a commander shooting an AR-platform rifle with the scope mounted backwards.

The photo shows a commander, identified as Commander Cameron Yaste by the Defense Blog, shooting an AR-platform rifle with what appears to be a Trijicon VCOG scope atop it. Problem: the scope is mounted backwards. This means the commander had no sight picture whatsoever as he fired the gun.

Text accompanying the photo reads, “From engaging in practice gun shoots, conducting maintenance, testing fuel purity, and participating in sea and anchor details, the U.S. Navy is always ready to serve and protect.”

The U.S. Navy pulled the photo after realizing the rifle scope was mounted backward, posting to X: “Thank you for pointing out our rifle scope error in the previous post. Picture has been removed until EMI is completed!”

Users of X also commented how the photo did not make sense because someone appeared to be steadying the commander from behind as he fired a rifle typically chambered for a .22 caliber round.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a Turning Point USA Ambassador, and a pro-staffer for Pulsar Night Vision. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and holds a Ph.D. in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..