Posted on 04/25/2010 6:22:04 PM PDT by patriotgal1787
The reporters who covered Kennedy made a great deal about it. For weeks and months later, all one had to say was “Wabash” and we would bust out laughing...
Read Tonight BUMP!
Where is the comparison? You listed Son Tay as an example in context of our military failures due to malaise or decay, I said that the Son Tay raid was a success by the military, we raided two compounds, killed perhaps a couple of hundred of the enemy and didn't lose a man, although no prisoners were inside the taken compounds I have always seen Son Tay as one of the great raids in history.
Here is a description.
I remember that cold hearted bitch.
She was on the hot seat during the 'airbags killing kids' fiasco. It marked one of the few times that the media held the government accountable - not just the elected officials but the departmental heads and anyone who pushed airbags willy-nilly. She did NOT like being questioned and/or doubted.
It was one of those stories that got wiped out by 9/11.
My company Sgt Major, Murphy, of Co A, 1st Bn, 7htGroup was on the raiding team. Nice little operation that didn’t accomplish it’s goal. Not one single prisoner rescued, all the while tying up rare, skilled talent, resources and equipment for near a year that would of been applied somewhere else with at least some effect.
You need to see the operation, sunk costs of failed enterprises. Men, equipment, money, time are limited. To an extent it is a zero sum. Use them one place and they are not available somewhere else.
I’m not much of a touchy feely self esteem type. The mission failed. Parts of it went fine, but none of it’s goals were accomplished, and at great expense and risk.
That that late into the war, that the intel services, in such a high profile task, proved incompetent really makes one wonder at the intel failure systemic in the war. That the military services seems so blase about the intel sectors, so late in the war points to massive command and institutional incompetence.
I understand your point completely, and I agree with you, but the raid itself was conducted fine, what got me off on a different path than you are on was the post that you responded to, #9.
I just didn’t want readers to think that the Son Tay raid was a debacle at the ground level by the soldiers, the raid itself was a success and it seems to have shaken up the North Vietnamese.
You have to wonder why, the military is so anti-raidish, or at least then. I’m actually pro raid, to an extent, in that they do, what was done, destabilize and put at risk that which was once thought safe. They cause the enemy to expend resources defending that which they didn’t defend.
As an exampl, ( if you ignore the immense cost to the allies ) were bombing over Europe. Millions of Axis men, and hundreds of thousands of guns, gun crews, ammunition were tied up that could of been used against ground troops. Even Dieppe raid in 42, not only was a failure, but a test bed, and caused the Axis to have to, again, tie up resources. But, it too was a failure.
The Rangers at Point du Houc. Another intel failure.
Everyone seems to get caught up in the romantic daring do, but seems to not notice a common trait of good men let down by intel. Like the pre 9/11 intel debacle.
I can see from a command standpoint reviewing the history of raids that one would conclude not to do them as it seems that 90% end, despite grand heroic effort, in failure.
Looks like some historical life-changing events were omitted from the bio. of this “VETERAN OF THE DAY” -—Gen. Vaught
I just cant believe how many people have no clue as to what happened.
I’m sure the folks who wrote this deliberately omitted the most important and disastrous assignment of Vaught’s career. They want people to remain clueless.
please see freepmail
Carter was tough on the Russians, he showed them after he pulled us out of the Moscow Olympics. /s
LOL!
Agree. The author's conclusion is unsupported by historical fact. Carter didn't lose the 1980 election until the debate.
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