Kyle Becker | On 11, Sep 2012

The Cold War’s over, but it’s not that over.

At the Democratic National Convention, a gushing pro-military party saluted America’s veterans by proudly displaying naval warships — four titanic Russian warships, to be exact.

The Navy Times was contacted by a former serviceman who recognized what seemed to be ships from Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in a Democratic convention photo. The Navy Times then ran an article conveying that the sailors were none-too-amused:

“I was kind of in shock,” said Rob Barker, 38, a former electronics warfare technician who left the Navy in 2006. Having learned to visually identify foreign ships by their radars, Barker recognized the closest ship as the Kara-class cruiser Kerch.

“An immediate apology [from the committee] would be very nice,” Barker said. “Maybe acknowledge the fact that yes, they screwed up.”

Beyond the dissimilarity in radar configuration, there was a dead giveaway: the Cross of St. Andrews emblazoned upon the flags on the ships’ sterns, which is a distinctly Russian naval sign.

Perhaps veterans should be “flexible” with the Democrat Party and not take the completely absent-minded gaffe to heart. It’s not like Russian President Vladimir Putin has endorsed Obama or anything.