[GreyFriar]

Please to not discount the “paper pushing Majors in the Pentagon” as useless. Virtually everyone of them have served as a lieutenant, captain or major in Iraq and Afghanistan. I know this because I work with them. Is Major Smith in my office, who lost his left leg to an IED on patrol when he was a captain in Afghanistan now just a “useless paper pusher” or is he on a tour that enables him to be with his family and to get continuing care at Walter Reed National Medical Center that will enable the “pentagon” to have benefit of his experience?

What about the now full colonel who did 4 tours in Iraq and Afghanistan? He is working on a history of the war in Iraq.

Yep, if they are being shot at right now, I guess they are useless under your criteria.

And this reduction of force has happened in the past: Revolutionary War, War of 1812; Civil War; Spanish-American War; WWI; WWII; Korea; Vietnam; and the Cold War — When I got my RIF notice because there were NOT going to be any more wars.

Thus the focus, IMO, ought to be at a “president” who despises the military and wants to gut it.

[BCW]

Exactly right...as a CPT...And now honorablly discharged as of OCT 2013...because Anti-Terrorism Officers aren’t seen as important anymore by this Administration....this is going to bit us hard in the yrs to come....!

[SpeakerToAnimals]

I never said they were useless. I will say we waste a lot of money in the pentagon. I prefer to cut non combat positions if we must.

If it were up to me we would have a thousand F-22 Raptors, lots more Abrams and Bradleys, and 2 million ready to go Soldiers, Sailors Airmen and Marines.The money wasted in the pentagon generating mountains of top secret paper nobody will ever read would buy a couple F-22's.

Instead we have a welfare state. And no F-22 fighters. And I do blame Obama and those who voted for him.

[GailA]

Reduction in forces has happened after all major wars, or conflicts America has ever fought. Is it a mistake to take it down so low, YES! Just not for the reasons it is being done now. What we don't need is politicians still fighting the last war with out of date info and policies. These new ROE's are getting our Men and women KIA or maimed for life.

Get out of their way, and let them fight!

And yes your Major Smith is a contributor to his Country still. As is your Colonel, he will tell the real story, not the MSM story of what happened in Iraq and Afghanistan.

My dad served under MacArthur, 5 major battles, including The ROCK, Corregidor, 503rd, (Airborne) he was a T/5, he and a PFC put up the first US Flag on a telegraph pole under sniper fire, both received Bronze Stars for it. If not for a former Officer writing books on it that would not be a known factoid.

We do not learn the truth until such warriors write it.