LtCol Chessani’s BOI Begins - Marine Veterans Watch in Dismay (NOT A FT HOOD ARTICLE, just a reminder)
December 04, 2009 ANN ARBOR, MI – On Wednesday, December 2nd, in a military courtroom at Camp Pendleton, California, the government began its case against an American warrior. They know this is their last chance to disgrace and destroy the 22 - year career of Marine LtCol Jeffrey Chessani, and it’s evident they are pulling out all the stops. Many of the spectators in the small courtroom were battle-hardened Marine veterans of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Some were veterans of the Korean Chosin Reservoir battle, considered the most violent small unit fighting in the history of American warfare. All the veterans looked on in disbelief as government lawyers ridiculed a loyal combat officer. The consensus among these battle-hardened veterans ─ they never would have won their battles had their officers been subjected to the same kind of treatment as LtCol Chessani. LtCol Chessani had served 3 tours of duty in Iraq and was considered one of America’s most effective combat commanders. Chessani, a deeply religious man who read his Bible every morning and evening while in Iraq, stoically listened to the government lawyer’s demeaning remarks, while his wife, pregnant with their seventh child, sat behind him reading her Bible. Richard Thompson, President of the Thomas More Law Center commented: “What has happened to LtCol Chessani is a good argument to get rid of lawyers in the combat arms. Combat troops don’t need pencil pushers second guessing commanders and troops in the field, long after an event, in their air-condition offices. The fact that this hearing is even taking place does a grave injustice, not only to Chessani and his family, but to America. LtCol Chessani should be leading his troops, not defending himself in a courtroom.”
I think it’s interesting as well as worrying that the left should conform to a historic pattern of appeasement and enabling of our totalitarian enemies. I am referring to the left that extends from the Chomsky supporters of Hamas to the Joshua Micah Marshall-Huffington Post liberals who may despise Chomsky — 0r may not — but in any case regard Robert Spencer and David Horowitz as the greater threat, regard the term Islamo-fascism as religious hate speech and join the chorus of apologists for America’s enemies. With the liberals’ acquiescence and active help, Islamo-fascists have penetrated our military and intelligence apparatus, and are welcomed into the bosom of the Obama Administration. Here is a disturbing article by Andy McCarthy whom a decent wartime president (as Obama is not) would have made his Attorney General in place of Eric Holder who needs to be impeached.
NRO — The Corner
SOMEBODY AT FORT HOOD SHOULD BE WALKING THE PLAN [Andy McCarthy]
INSPIRATIONAL... not ft hood related, but IMPORTANT
An ‘Older’ Man Joins the Military
American Thinker ^ | December 04, 2009 | Steven Podnos, MD
Posted on Friday, December 04, 2009 2:08:38 AM by neverdem
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400000/posts
I’m part of the first generation in a century that wasn’t bound to war. World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam were the calls to service for every young man (and many women) between the early 1900s and mid-1975. Born as a late boomer, I just missed the final conflict, finishing high school in 1974.
I remember spending a summer in Israel during college and admiring the fact that every eighteen-year-old went into Army service for up to three years. The sense of pride in the young adults serving their country was almost palpable — and much in contrast to the calumny heaped upon the soldiers returning from Vietnam back home. These thoughts were quickly pushed to the back of mind on my return to the U.S., when concerns of family and school took over. A twenty-year career in pulmonary medicine and in raising three children kept my plate full until the last few years.
Being the child of an immigrant from Hitler’s Europe, I had no illusions about just how wonderful a place America is. My wife and I drummed the theme of gratitude into our children over numerous dinners and talks. After 9/11, I followed the war on terror with great interest and a profound sense of thankfulness for those individuals and their families who were making the sacrifice of military service for me and mine.
Mid-life brings reflection on the past and the future. Have we accomplished what we wanted to? Were our goals the right ones? Did the kids turn out okay? What is next? How much time and health are left?
As my children began the process of leaving our home for college, the call to “pay back” for all that I’ve been given began to drum out the background noise of daily living.
The idea that I was “too old” rankled. I began the process of researching service as a volunteer, and then as an active reservist in each of the military branches. After a conversation with a colleague who was serving in the Army Reserve as a physician, I felt some envy over his experience and opportunity to deploy in Europe to help operate on returning injured soldiers. Another physician who had just completed twenty years of active Air Force service related a great sense of satisfaction with his time there. He told me about an intriguing role of Air Force Reserve physicians who provided critical medical support for airborne intensive care units transporting injured soldiers.
I scheduled a meeting with an Air Force recruiter and the medical commander of a local Florida Air Force Reserve medical unit. In talking with them and with other physician members of the reserve unit, I found a group of like-minded individuals. They were motivated by service and patriotism and finding much fulfillment in their part-time reserve duty. Being fifty, I was accepted into the Air Force Reserve by waiving the right to retirement benefits, but with a clear sense of welcome.
Training for the Critical Care Air Transport Team involved spending eighteen months away from home in the Reserve. Following this, I was able to deploy for a month to Europe in October 2009. There, I served as a Critical Care Physician in the Landstuhl Army Hospital ICU (receiving the worst injuries from Afghanistan), and I was on “backup” for transport flights in the European theatre. The medical care there was exceptional in every way. The entire staff worked together with a great deal of spirit and excellence to ensure that our soldiers received the very best care possible.
During my monthly drills at our local Air Force base, and in the three months I have spent on active duty since joining, my choice to join has been rewarding. The quality of military medicine is exceptional, and I find an enthusiasm for service and caring that far exceeds what I experience in the civilian world.
On reflection, I believe my generation missed something in not being called to serve. How many others of my time are out there, “missing something” as I once was? We all seek purpose in life. For most, a marriage and children are the bedrock of purpose, and a career might provide more. I have all this, and am most grateful. But I found I needed more...and I have found that “more” in the military.
Steven Podnos, M.D., is a physician in private practice in Merritt Island, Florida. He is a Lieutenant Colonel in the 920 ASTS, U.S. Air Force Reserve Medical Corps, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida.