Posted on 07/28/2008 11:20:58 AM PDT by flyfree
ARLINGTON, VA -- Today, Chief Warrant Officer (4th class) Michael J. Durant (Ret.) issued the following statement on Barack Obama's canceled visit to Ramstein and Landstuhl:
"Over the last week, Barack Obama made time in his busy schedule to hold a rally with 200,000 Germans in Berlin, hold a press conference with French President Nicholas Sarkozy in Paris, and hold a solo press conference in front of 10 Downing Street in London. The Obama campaign had also scheduled a visit with wounded U.S. troops at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, but this stop was canceled after it became clear that campaign staff, and the traveling press corps, would not be allowed to accompany Senator Obama.
"I've spent time at Ramstein recovering from wounds received in the service of my country, and I'm sure that Senator Obama could have made no better use of his time than to meet with our men and women in uniform there. That Barack Obama believes otherwise casts serious doubt on his judgment and calls into question his priorities."
Michael Durant, CW4 (Retired), US Army; born July 23, 1961 in Berlin, NH. He entered the United States Army in August 1979. Following basic training he attended the Defense Language Institute, and was then assigned to the 470th Military Intelligence Group, Fort Clayton, Panama as a Spanish voice intercept operator. He then completed helicopter flight training at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Upon appointment to Warrant Officer 1 in November 1983, he completed the UH60 Black Hawk Qualification Course and was assigned to the 377th Medical Evacuation Company, Seoul Korea. His next assignment was with the 101st Aviation Battalion, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where he performed duties as an instructor pilot.
Michael joined the 160th Special Operations Group on August 1, 1988. Assigned to D company, he performed duties as Flight Lead and Standardization Instructor Pilot. He participated in combat operations Prime Chance (Persian Gulf in 1989), Just Cause (Panama invasion in 1989), Desert Storm (Liberation of Kuwait in 1991), and Gothic Serpent (Somalia in 1993).
On October 3, 1993, while piloting an MH60 Black Hawk in Mogadishu, Somalia, he was shot down and held captive by hostile forces. He was released eleven days later.
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Way to go chief, stick it to the jerk. Obama, the liar, the communist, the liberal, the marxist, the would be dictator of the USA. What a guy!/SAR
The version I read was that one of Obama’s senior military campaign advisors, ex-general and a former CO of Landstuhl had a s**t fit when he was told that, as a campaign staffer, he would not be allowed in. Obama deferred to his outraged ego and the rest is history.
At least that’s one version.
More classic smelly Obama. What a POS who clearly hates the American military. He should be running for office in Venezuela where he would be much more at home....
Yep - this POS could address a quarter-million Germans like he’s the Obamafuerher but no time for the wounded. Of course, this will never make it out to the press anywhere but Fox. Did somebody get this to Rush and Levin?
What a lot of folks don’t grasp...is that this set of rules in place, are the same which Obama played with in Iraq and Afghanistan. Its only when a senior point-man (AF retired general) arrived to arrange the final details at Landstuhl...that things began to fall apart. The general insisted that he was not entourage...and was quickly corrected on that point. The general intended to walk into the complex with the hospital commander and Senator Obama when the tour started...because of his status as a retired general. The PA officer said “no”....and this whole thing spiraled out of control because the general couldn’t carry out his part of the arrangement.
I don’t think the Obama headquarters ever grasped what this guy did and how things fell apart...until it was too late. As for future planning episodes involving this retired 2-star general....I’d have serious doubts they ever involve this guy again.
Another bad decision on Obama’s part. He seems to make a lot of them.
Just speculation, mind you, but when the pictures were released of Nobama and the soldiers gathered around him in Iraq, it was pointed out that they were wearing camis with no patches and that several were in civilian clothes, which makes me wonder if they were staffers dressed up (95% were black, if I recall). Wonder if they planned to dress the staffers up on Landstuhl as well. Wouldn’t put it past him. From what I hear, soldiers HATE this POS.
It’s all well and good to visit the heads of state, in case he has to work with them, but, other than for show, there was no compelling reason for him to make a big speech in Germany. His time would’ve been better spent with the soldiers, whilst his staff was praising him to the rafters for doing so. He really botched that mission.
Everything in Obama’s campaign is a media event. The MSM go along and continue to build him up. Obama keeps repeating the same lines about change and hope and hopes the voters are too stupid to figure out what is really going on.
He could have gone. He was never told he couldn’t. It’s just too back that he wouldn’t go without making it a photo op.
Why couldn’t he just go and tell the troops that he was proud of them and thank them for the service they give to the United States of America!
Everything else is just a trash of an excuse which is first degree disgusting.
bottom line is he was there and if he really wants to be commander in chief he should have visited the wounded even if he was alone.
“it’s just too back” should read “it’s just too bad”
Sorry
You are very observant and insightful to notice this. Do you have these pictures you can post?
Even more telling is that Andrea Mitchell was whining because reporters weren't allowed at any of these events. All the video you see was coming from campaign staff and AFRTS. The campaign did a great job of controlling the coverage and the media, for the most part, ate it all up.
I’m neither, but thanks for the compliment. My ex is in Afghanistan and when I sent him the picture, he was the one who made the observation. The picture was on Freep last week.
Way to go Chief!
Screw Chuck Hagel.
Because he is a POS and didn't think any would be voting for him??
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