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US Army's recruitment ad uses Lana Del Rey quote, sparks outrage: 'Is this a joke?'

The controversial ad has riled up some conservative commentators with many questioning why the Army decided to quote the singer

The US Army is being slammed by conservatives for posting a tweet allegedly quoting singer Lana del Rey as part of its recruitment advert. Earlier this month, due to a reduction in membership, the Army made a decision to increase the maximum enlistment bonus to recruits committing to six years of service in order to bring in new recruits. 

As part of the recruitment drive, the US Army on Saturday, January 22, posted a picture of a female soldier crawling under barbed wire while wearing face paint with the hashtag #SoldierSaturday. Just above the picture it says, "Being brave means knowing that when you fail, you don't fail forever", a quote by Lana Del Rey. 

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The controversial advertisement has riled up some conservative commentators on social media, with many questioning why the Army decided to quote the "Video Games" hitmaker rather than someone with more of a background in the military or warfare. Conservative radio host Jason Rantz tweeted: "Our Army is doomed if a Lana Del Rey lyric is supposed to bring in recruits."

Daily Wire reporter Ryan Saavedra tweeted a quote from WW2 General George S. Patton as a comparison. The quote read: "No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country".

The US Republican political commentator Dinesh D’Souza wrote: "You can lose most of the time, as in Vietnam and Afghanistan, without failing 'forever'. This is an extremely low standard for the military of a great nation to aspire to." Ian Miles Cheong tweeted, "Is this a joke?," in response to the tweet. "The US army is now posting Lana Del Ray quotes. This is why Putin thinks we're a joke," U.S. House Republican candidate Desi Cuellar tweeted.

Dylan Park, a director has pointed out that, Del Rey once declined the Army’s offer to sponsor her video and use it for recruitment purposes. He tweeted, "Lol years ago I was going to direct a LDR music video. The theme was WWII to present-day military Americana. Like some Marilyn Monroe USO shit. The Army was going to finance it. Tanks, helicopters, the works. But Army wanted to use the video for recruiting and LDR said fuck that."  Others doubted the quote’s credibility. A fan account claimed: “Lana Del Rey not only never said these words, but also refused to promote military recruitment and canceled a whole high budget music video you were supposed to sponsor. Stay away from her.”

Meanwhile, the backlash comes only a few days after the HBO Max hit show 'Euphoria' featured Del Rey’s newest single 'Watercolor Eyes'. The singer is yet to comment on this alleged quote attributed to her.