In my mind, where the "tasteless" comes in is that "war" involves professional warriors and organized entities engaged in battle with like warriors and entities.
"Terrorism" involves zealots whose objective is to inflict and engender as much pain, suffering, and 'terror' upon civilian individuals and masses as possible; targets who are not similarly trained and equipped to engage in battle.
Thus, I see a big difference in marketing military models and marketing terrorists.
And, I don't think it's a "USA thing" at all. Ask the average citizen of the world whose homeland has been targeted by terrorists.