Posted on 01/27/2013 5:03:43 AM PST by expat1000
The new soldier is expected to be a psychological cripple or a social worker
As far as the warrior ethic is concerned, this excerpt seems spot on.
You've obviously served in a combat unit more recently than I, so I defer to your expertise.
It isn’t really the army, it’s the hall monitors of the United Nations, the State Department, NATO and every liberal group on the planet.
&&&
Precisely!
Well done!
I thank you both for your service and for your perspective.
The article sounds a lot like what my son (E-4) says the Army WANTS, and he returned from Afghanistan in Dec 2011. It isn’t what he DID, but he has lost confidence in his superiors. He said he will not re-enlist, period. His comment?
“I don’t want to die for something I don’t understand.”
Clausewitz wrote that the way to win wars was by eliminating “friction” in your army. It would make sense that the reverse is true. If you want to lose wars, increase the “friction” in your army. It is also “fair” that women should now be required to register for the draft. All women should be required to register as a show of solidarity and a commitment to defend their country. Too many women have been sitting on the sidelines on this. If women want to show their love of country by serving in the Infantry, then let’s let the whole gender prove it. No exemptions for pregnancy or children. You want to serve your country, then serve your country. Be a bigger target when you’re pregnant. Turn your children out on the streets to show your patriotism. Be real Soldiers.....real American Infantry Soldiers. They are behind the curve. The draft should be immediately reinstated with all women called up to serve in Infantry units. This will make them equal in a faster manner. Failure to do this means that a few women are just complaining and not addressing the issue.
“Used to sit and watch TV, now I’m in the Infantry!”
“Used to drink my nice latte, now I’m walking all the way!”
“Used to have my hair done nice, now I’m sleeping in the ice!”
“Used to drive the girls to ballet, now I’m walking all the way!”
Have it all ladies, you’re welcome to it.
LOL! (but, but,....that’s not fair)
Can you imagine Soldiers saying the same thing upon returning from Korea or Vietnam?
This is hardly a unique situation or mindset in our country’s or military’s history.
Greenfield's concern is about how progressives see the role of the US military - and where they're trying to take it.
The left has traditionally hated the military. Why has that changed? It's changed because leftists have decided to use the military to push progressive goals: gay rights, social engineering, Peace Corps values, make 'em luv us policies. But not to have men with guns protecting the United States. The conversion will be a slow process for them - but it is a process going in one direction... toward leftists goals. Obama's weeding out traditional military types - and replacing them with folks 'more amenably' to leftists thinking.
It might be nice to build schools and bridges for 3rd world countries and have all the local women and children smile and show appreciation - but that's not what taxpayers are paying for. And it's doubtful it's doing any good. Would you want the Chinese military coming to your city to build things as gifts? Build a recreation center for the women? It's creepy.
US Citizens are paying for defense against people who want to kill us - we're not paying for a bunch of well meaning young people to 'peace corps' it on our dime.
W started such a policy with Afghanistan and Iraq. Obama just kept it going. After the success of the Surge in Iraq, there was obviously talk of doing the same thing in Afghanistan. There was a huge debate from Afghanistan veterans as to whether Afghanis would care about improved infrastructure, cars, etc. since they’ve been living like cavemen since the beginning of time. Bush gave the go-ahead, Obama let the inertia do its thing, then Obama’s handpicked 4-star made the whole situation vastly worse. Now, here we are.
My point is, elections have consequences. The military handles missions within the framework of commander’s intent, and that goes all the way up the chain to POTUS. You can’t complain about a girly military when 12 years of POTUS direction have required such restraint.
Having said that, this article wants us to think that the military is little more than a series of Boy Scout troops, that the fundamental mindsets have changed, and that’s just BS. I’ve no doubt some of the higher-ups are well pansified, but they’re not out there getting it done. A general’s order to “respect the culture” isn’t worth the oxygen he used giving it when a Fire Team sees a man raping a boy in a backwater village or if a Rifle Platoon comes under enemy fire while on patrol.
“To do all this our military has to become less American and more European, less imperial and more multilateral, an international consensus building exercise with bullets that aren’t meant to be fired.”
They seem to ordering an awful lot of bullets that “aren’t meant to be fired”, for some reason…
At whom are the guns going to be pointed?
“These are not the wars of a warrior culture, but of the police patrols in the more dangerous parts of Detroit, Miami or Chicago.”
Ah, ok, it all makes sense now!
I enjoy your comments Snake Eater... You have an insiders view of what's happening - and an insightful one that that... Our military leaders are following the Constitution - accepting a civilian's in charge and for now that's President Obama. They're doing what they're suppose to do - but so are we in critiquing Obama's choices.
You seem optimistic the good people in the military won't be drummed out - and that when the will of the people changes in a few years the military can go back to protecting the country. I like that ... it offers hope.
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