Replies

This man seems to be Obama’s military advisor:

Scott Gration: A retired Air Force major general and fluent Swahili speaker, General Gration met Senator Obama on a trip to Africa and the two have been in close touch ever since. General Gration flew missions as a command pilot in Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he served as commander of Task Force West

http://www.nysun.com/article/71651

Here’s his resume (through 2005 - he’s now retired)

EDUCATION
1974 Bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J.
1988 Master of arts degree in national security studies, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
1988 Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
1993 National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
1999 Executive Program for General Officers of the Russian Federation and the United States, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
2002 National Security Decision Making Seminar, the Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md.

ASSIGNMENTS
1. September 1974 - October 1975, Undergraduate Pilot Training, 14th Student Squadron, Columbus Air Force Base, Miss.
2. October 1975 - March 1976, Pilot Instructor Training, 12th Student Squadron, Randolph AFB, Texas
3. March 1976 - July 1978, T-38 instructor pilot, 50th Flying Training Squadron, Columbus AFB, Miss.
4. July 1978 - November 1980, F-5 instructor pilot, 425th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, Williams AFB, Ariz.
5. November 1980 - August 1982, F-5 instructor pilot and operations officer, Technical Assistance Field Team, Laikipia Air Base, Nanyuki, Kenya
6. September 1982 - August 1983, White House Fellow and Special Assistant to the NASA Deputy Administrator, Washington, D.C.
7. September 1983 - December 1983, F-16 replacement training, 63rd Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, MacDill AFB, Fla.
8. January 1984 - December 1985, F-16 instructor pilot and flight commander, 429th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.
9. December 1985 - January 1988, international politico-military affairs officer, Office of Regional Plans and Policy, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
10. January 1988 - June 1988, student, Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va.
11. June 1988 - May 1990, Chief, Offensive Air Operations, Headquarters 6th Allied Tactical Air Force, NATO, Izmir, Turkey
12. June 1990 - August 1990, F-16 replacement training, 314th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
13. September 1990 - August 1991, F-16 instructor pilot and operations officer, 512th Fighter Squadron, Ramstein AB, Germany
14. August 1991 - June 1992, Chief of Safety, 86th Fighter Wing, Ramstein AB, Germany
15. July 1992 - June 1993, student, National War College, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
16. June 1993 - July 1994, Deputy Director, Chief of Staff of the Air Force Operations Group, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
17. July 1994 - November 1994, Executive Officer to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
18. November 1994 - April 1995, U.S. Air Force planner for joint and National Security Council matters, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
19. April 1995 - June 1995, F-16 replacement training, 310th Fighter Squadron, Luke AFB, Ariz.
20. June 1995 - July 1996, Commander, 4404th Operations Group (Provisional), King Abdul Aziz AB, Saudi Arabia
21. August 1996 - June 1998, Commander, 39th Wing, and 39th Air and Space Expeditionary Wing, Incirlik AB, Turkey
22. June 1998 - January 2000, Commander, 3rd Wing, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska
23. January 2000 December 2001, Deputy Director for Operations, J-39, the Joint Staff, Washington, D.C.
24. December 2001 - July 2003, Director of Regional Affairs, Office of the Deputy Undersecretary of the Air Force for International Affairs, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. (January 2003 - June 2003, Commander, Joint Task Force-West, Southwest Asia)
25. August 2003 - May 2004, Assistant Deputy Undersecretary of the Air Force for International Affairs, Office of the Undersecretary of the Air Force, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.
26. June 2004 - present, Director, Plans and Policy Directorate, Headquarters, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart Germany

http://www.eucom.mil/english/CommandStaff/gration.htm

He mainly has been a pilot, a flight instructor, and what looks like a political guy. Now I love the Air Force, as I come from an AF family, but this guy’s resume does not look to have adequate qualifications to advise on the kind of war we are fighting.

I need to find it, but I read somewhere that General McPeak (AF Chief of Staff, retired) had something to do with Obama’s campaign too. Many thought McPeak was a disaster to the AF.