‘Brutal blood pinning’: This country had painful military tradition, medals inserted directly into…, uniform removed due to.. not China, North Korea, the country is…

Brutal Blood Pinning Tradition: The army is the shield of any country; when an enemy attacks, the brave soldiers defend their nation with their lives. Armies have their own rules and rituals which differ from regiment to regiment and country to country. Some regiments follow the tradition of eating glass, and some settle for galloping mixed toast. These rituals are considered sacred in the armies. But do you know of a tradition which is considered one of the most painful traditions in the military? The United States Army used to follow a tradition of blood pinning. Typically, Marine paratroopers are awarded Gold Wings after completing their training. Receiving this badge is considered a major achievement among soldiers, but the process of earning it is quite arduous. Blood pinning is when the pin for the badge is placed on the chest of the soldier who completes the training, causing significant bleeding. This tradition is followed by a celebration. However, irrespective of how much blood is drawn, the pin is still placed on the Marine’s chest. Notably, the tradition of blood pinning is not entirely common among Marines and paratroopers in the United States.

Which Old US Army Video Went Viral And Caused A Stir?

A report by The Times, this tradition caused quite a stir in 1977 when two blood-pinning videos surfaced. The secret tradition of the US army led to a major public awareness of such painful practices in the army. The clips of the Blood Pinning were reportedly from 1991 and 1993. The clip showcased soldiers of the Special Paratrooper Unit being brutally impaled with gold pins on their chests after successfully completing the hard training.

In the video, several Marines can be seen punching gold pins into the bloodied chests of recruits. Marines can be heard screaming in pain. The military faced massive backlash after the tapes surfaced.

When Did The Blood Pinning Start?

There is no proper details on when the brutal and painful tradition started in the US army. However, it is said that the tradition of Blood Pinning, in which the recruits’ chest was pinned with gold pins, started during World War II. Notably, the US government doesn’t confirm the existence of such a tradition.

After the tapes, military officials assured that they would take necessary actions to prevent such abuse from occurring in the future.

Blood Pinning Tape Caused An Uproar

After facing major backlash, Military officials were forced to question some Marines, who were involved in the Blood Pinning incidents. However, because the statute of limitations had expired, the responsible soldiers could not be court-martialed.

Similar Traditions Exist In Other Countries

It is worth mentioning that the United States Army is not the only army where this informal practice of blood pinning is practised. It is practised many countries, including Canada, Australia, Britain, and Russia. In these countries, soldiers also went through blood-pinning. However, whenever such incidents arise, the military of any country has consistently denied any such tradition.