Posted on 09/07/2005 10:41:05 AM PDT by Thud
US military leadership has a consistent principal - "better that American civilians die than that we (the brass) be blamed for making a mistake." See the following from a Washington Times editorial today:
http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20050906-093817-7790r.htm
"Lt. Gen. Blum said the National Guard did not move sooner to secure the Superdome and convention center because commanders were waiting to amass "an overwhelming force."
Massing an "overwhelming force" you see, reduces military casualties. Let the civilians die while the military is assembling its "overwhelming force". Because avoidable military casualties might get the brass blamed. They know that avoidable civilian casualties won't get them blamed.
This needs to change. Immediately. Military leaders with this mentality MUST be fired.
Because worse things will happen.
We're not gooks. Our lives are more important than servicemens'. This is why we HAVE armed forces. To protect us, not them.
This was not an issue of protecting force capability so the military would be capable of performing a more important mission later. It was about covering the brasses' asses.
Here is another example, where the commander involved had a better reason, but it still shows the mentality involved.
Some Navy helicopter pilots ferrying supplies to a base isolated by hurricane Katrina responded to emergency rescue calls rather than continuing with their base resupply mission. They were reprimanded for this, and one pilot was literally assigned to the doghouse (kennel duty) for protesting the reprimand too strongly. See this New York Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/07/national/nationalspecial/07navy.html?ei=5090&en=06075c63487da80b&ex=1283745600&adxnnl=1&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1126066516-ZWEWir1R5v0Ow/zEtb4PCg
Military discipline is important, and it may be that the commanding officer involved was trying to save more civilian lives in the long run by fostering his base’s capabilities in the short run. But that might also not be the case – he might have been just mindlessly following orders or pre-set policies without thinking that those should be altered given that so many civilian lives might be saved by not following orders.
"His majesty made you a major because he believed that you would know when not to obey his orders." — Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia.
Other pilots at the same base expressed their opinion this way: “In protest, some members of the unit have stopped wearing a search and rescue patch on their sleeves that reads, "So Others May Live."
The servicemen in the area blasted by hurricane Katrina know what their real mission is, and have put their lives on the line for us over and over. But the brass as a group doesn't.
We should remind them who they work for, and that their real mission is not their own careers.
Sorry they couldn't untrain themselves in 24 hours.
ping
This is appalling.
You never, never, never, go into a scene until its secure. If you barge in, the rescuers become the rescuees.
"Massing an "overwhelming force" you see, reduces military casualties."
If you go in with too few, the armed thugs feel free to try to take you out, and succeed to some degree, what do you end up with? Too few and even less.
If you go in with "overwhelming force", you stand a greater chance of stopping the idiots without a shot being fired.
This article is crap.
If the closest serviceman immedialtely responded to a disaster, the core would be operating with no discipline and would waste supply therefore possibly making the process longer.
What mass disaster planning needs to take into account is severe losses, for what ever reason, to local law enforcement.
"First response" needs to be more than rescue, to include traditional policing duties. A plan should account for immediate introduction of state police forces, and not wait for the National Guard to organize.
This idiot couldn't pour piss out of a boot with the instructions on the heel. Thank God all he can do is whine and not actually give orders.
Bye bye boob.
What the?
quite a stretch to blame the admin if you ask me.
we have a second ammendment to protect civilians until the marines land, doncha know
""His majesty made you a major because he believed that you would know when not to obey his orders." — Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia.
http://www.washtimes.com/op-ed/20050906-093817-7790r.htm
The article implies no such thing..Thud's interpretation may deserve the comment however..
snip
delay in requesting the necessary troops is inexplicable and there was no justification for it. In a press conference on Saturday, Lt. Gen. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, said: "The real issue, particularly in New Orleans, is that no one anticipated the disintegration or the erosion of the civilian police force in New Orleans." New Orleans musters only 1,500 police officers, insufficient for dealing with a storm like Katrina even without any "disintegration."
Lt. Gen. Blum said the National Guard did not move sooner to secure the Superdome and convention center because commanders were waiting to amass "an overwhelming force." Again, there was an an insufficient number of troops. Since then the Guard has mobilized quickly, and there are now more than 40,000 troops deployed in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
Mrs. Blanco appeared to have been unaware of the prospects of catastrophe in New Orleans and other areas. Those left behind could tell her about it.
snip
"We're not gooks. Our lives are more important than servicemens'. This is why we HAVE armed forces. To protect us, not them."
You Mr./Ms. Moron, are a sorry peice of subhuman fecal matter. I'm not going to go any further with this.
Could you define "gook"?
I for one am getting damned tired of all the navel gazing and armchair quarterbacking.
"His majesty made you a major because he believed that you would know when not to obey his orders." — Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia.
Is this supposed to be bad? Hasn't the MSM taught us that it's not about winning or losing, it's about getting the troops home as soon as possible? Make up your minds.......
>an overwhelming force
Heh. Shades of Shinseki.
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