Posted on 09/06/2005 8:57:38 PM PDT by Uncle Joe Cannon
PENSACOLA, Fla.,Sept.6-Two Navy helicopter pilots and their crews returned from New Orleans on Aug. 30 expecting to be greeted as lifesavers after ferrying more than 100 hurricane victims to safety.
Instead, their superiors chided the pilots, Lt. David Shand and Lt. Matt Udkow, at a meeting the next morning for rescuing civilians when their assignment that day had been to deliver food and water to military installations along the Gulf Coast.
"I felt it was a great day because we resupplied the people we needed to and we rescued people, too," Lieutenant Udkow said. But the air operations commander at Pensacola Naval Air Station "reminded us that the logistical mission needed to be our area of focus."
The episode illustrates how the rescue effort in the days immediately after Hurricane Katrina had to compete with the military's other, more mundane logistical needs.
Only in recent days, after the federal response to the disaster has come to be seen as inadequate, have large numbers of troops and dozens of helicopters, trucks and other equipment been poured into to the effort. Early on, the military rescue operations were smaller, often depending on the initiative of individuals like Lieutenants Shand and Udkow.
The two lieutenants were each piloting a Navy H-3 helicopter - a type often used in rescue operations as well as transport and other missions - on that Tuesday afternoon, delivering emergency food, water and other supplies to Stennis Space Center, a federal facility near the Mississippi coast. The storm had cut off electricity and water to the center, and the two helicopters were supposed to drop their loads and return to Pensacola, their home base, said Cmdr. Michael Holdener, Pensacola's air operations chief.
"Their orders were to go and deliver water and parts and to come back," Commander Holdener said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I agree but then I'm glad I'm not the one that had to make the decision to rescue or not rescue people.
B I N G O
True, but as cargo haulers they must know that they might be tasked with delivering food, water, or medical supplies on the next mission. The guy on the roof might look like a good deed, but saving countless others on a less glamorous mission is even more important.
Sounds like a Jason Blair wannabe.
Yes, if civilians followed orders like members of the military do their wouldn't have been much need for the Military to make rescues in the first place. The NO citizens ignored their evacuation orders.
Just like during the War crimes tribunals at Nuernburg
Orders are no excuse to do the wrong thing..
Sometimes you just gotta follow higher orders and then
live with the consequences
And hope someone higher than the guy trying to screw you
for it will step in and do the right thing..
imo
Don't hold back. There is no need to be polite. You are among friends. Tell us how you really feel about the bottom feeding scum at NYT.
Yes, and no. One of the things that make our military so good is it allows for a certain amount of individual initiative.
You can blindly obey orders, or, in time of emergency, stop and save a few lifes knowing you may have to pay a price for your disobediance.
A judgement call. What kind of man are you? One that blindly follows orders, or risk your life (or in this case your career) for others? Me, I would save lifes if it was within my ability, and take the consequences.
Those pilots work for the U.S. taxpayers. They don't work for Commander Holdener. Their money doesn't come from Commander Holdener and neither do their planes. Sometimes judgement has to be used, as was the case here. If the commander was anything but a jerk, he would have said "you know, the orders were to deliver the stuff, but you did the right thing in saving those people." Otherwise, we're no better than the Nazis - just following orders.
I was just going to post that. It's what my son always says. It sounds like they did what they were told to though.
That's not part of a Lieutenant's duties
Good for the pilots, and shame on their commanders.
This is not how Military thing works!
I feel that way for officers, who are basically called to live by double standards. Enlisted should be less accountable, IMO.
Soldiers don't always follow orders. And when you don't, you have to be aware of the consequences. And if you think their might be a life in the balance, well, then you just need to decide which consequences to accept.
well, it depends on the situation, not following orders could not only endanger yourself but also others. I'm not calling for jail time or anything, but they should have gotten yelled at.
I think the survivors were the "Target of Opportunity".
You get that freedom during war don't you?
Drop off your supplies and pick up some survivors on the way back.
Good Deal.
Spin it to a win win.
The rest of the article better explains that Lt. David Shand and Lt. Matt Udkow are heroes who did what was brave and honorable while they were out of communication with their home Chain of command. Commander Holdener exemplifies every negative leftist stereotype against the military today, including the stupidity of its leaders. Only a fool would make such a stupid comment during the nation's greatest natural disaster while thousands of American Citizens are still dying. Cmdr. Holdener's rank has clearly exceeded his ability.
What's always distinguished our guys from those of other nations is that when chaos breaks out, as it always does in warfare (or any other operation), right down to the last private American soldiers take initiative.
Our foes repeatedly break down into "nobody's there to give me orders and I don't want to do anything that'll get me in trouble with (insert acryonym for political office) so I'll just hole up and wait."
As long as they're doing right our guys should never have to fear the consequences.
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