Posted on 10/20/2015 6:00:30 PM PDT by usdefensewatch
In 1971, Colonel David Hackworth was interviewed on ABC’s, “Issues and Answers.” During the interview, Hackworth, a career Army officer, stated in no uncertain terms that the Vietnam War was a disaster and unwinnable. Furthermore, he chastised his fellow Army officers for poor leadership and ineptness. Hackworth was a decorated combat veteran of the Korean and Vietnam Wars, who had earned enough medals for a whole battalion. He was instantly ostracized by the defense establishment and forced to retire.
Hackworth, who later went on to a distinguished career as a journalist was a polarizing figure who was hated by the brass and loved by the troops. At the time he went on “Issues and Answers” he was being groomed for promotion to general. Hackworth was well aware that his appearance on the TV show would doom his career. He didn’t care. He knew that he had to follow his conscience and tell the public the truth about the Vietnam War.
Where is such moral courage among the Army’s senior leaders today?
(Excerpt) Read more at usdefensewatch.com ...
Just prior to the launch of the ground war in 1991 all the retired ossifer corpse media experts trotted out by the News Cartel that I saw were talking up all the friendly casualties that the battle hardened Iraq Army was going to inflict on the Coalition. You know, “10,000 casualties the first week”.
Hackworth was the only “expert” I heard say that the Iraqis were about to sustain a monumental ass-kicking.
We lost Viet Nam due to Walter Krankheit.
One wonders - if after 1973, the US gave South Vietnam the basic support it promised South Vietnam (and which it gave to Korea) what would have happened.
1976 - Mao and Zhou Enlai died in China.
1979 - Russians Invaded Afghanistan
1985 - Rise of Gorbachev
1989 - collapse of Berlin Wall
1990 - collapse of Soviet Union
North Vietnamese war-making might have stopped a mere 3 years after the US departed, or 12, or most certainly - 16 years later. I believe the US could have certainly “won” in Vietnam. Would it have been worth it? I’ll leave it to everyone else to decide.
Look up Navy CNO Admiral Jeremy Boorda, and the role David Hackworth played in his death.
Some Freepers are still bitter that Hackworth didn’t support the Iraq war.
I remember agreeing with Hackworth on some things he did and not agreeing on some others though I don’t remember specifics. But, I could say that about many, many people in my life.
The point of the subject FR article tonight is that the Army today has no apparent David Hackworths willing to sacrifice their Army career by exposing the truth where the truth desperately needs to be exposed (uh, Bergdahl, the girls in Ranger School, to name just two).
So, I thank you for coming to Hackworth’s defense including his courage in combat and his unquestionable service to this country on and off the battlefield. The Army is a 200+ year old venerable institution that needs every American to step up to the plate and defend it. WE might need it again some day............., on our own borders.
The VN ware was certainly not unwinnable. We won that war twice. Twice Ha Noi was ready to sue for terms. Twice Ha Noi was getting ready for an Occupation. Twice the bright men in DC pulled back the troops and stopped the bombing in 1968 and 1972 to provide space for Ha Noi to recoup and regroup.
Hackworth was running brothels in Vietnam. We don’t need military leaders like that. He had the morals of a slug. I had a conversation with him about that and he saw no issue. Completely clueless. His reputation never talks about his criminal activity...
Active Duty ping.
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| "I am an American fighting man. I serve in the forces guarding our country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense." |
If recall Johnson ran the Vietnam War from the White House. He didn’t let his Field officers run it. Which is why it went so badly. Lt Col. Hal Moore’s team of advisers were the first to be KIA in action. Hubby was on the USS Midway when they pulled the AMB and all families out of Nam.
Now we know old Powell was a affirmative action LIBTARD idiot.
I want to know the feeling about Lt. Col. Allen West who we know is a conservative, had a term in congress, would he make a good VP or Sec of Defense, to repair our Military.
I’ll take Trump if he is the nominee, but want our Military fixed from the mess 0 has mad of it. And rebuilt to the strong Military we had under Reagan after he rebuilt it.
It has to be rebuilt, the ‘unwanted’ gotten rid of, and just give them the items they want and need, not the pork packages congress insists on. Most of it sits unused.
We are Retired Navy, hubby was a SCPO. We are 11 miles from the Millington TN Naval Base, once a training base, now BUPERS. So we are on base at least once a week. Lots of unnecessary construction going on for the past 2 years. Last year was a not needed repave job on the Commissary parking lot. Along with $7 K humongous speed bumps for both the Exchange and Commissary, these are 5 mph parking lots where even the direction you park is controlled, only the gates got any others. The ones at the gates I can buy. This year the Exchange had a roof leak, so we got a total remodel of the whole bldg except the Pharmacy/Dispensary which did need to be expanded because the DOD MANDATE which was supposed to be a pilot program just became permanent that all Retired Military use the Military Dispensary or Express Scripts for daily meds. And if you get a 1 time script for a drug that can be bought OTC Medicare/Tricare Live won’t cover it. Then they built a new huge building along the main entry street, when there were empty buildings available. Lots of damage during the flood that got Nashville a few years ago, that never got reported. But it was all repaired. Several unnecessary statues went in too in the past 2 years, noting huge, just unnecessary. The electronic gate entry things for active duty I can buy too, you have to have your ID and a pass code. Retired use the rear gate on weekends. Electronic pricing units went into the Commissary last year. Prices match the local grocery shopping places, Kroger’s is the main one, with Walmart as secondary.
Security at the gates is pathetic. Mix of Military and Rent a guard. Only armed with side arms.
When they went from a training base we lost all the medical including the hospital. The city finally bought the air strip, but the Navy still has use of it.
Shame to see the base get so bad.
When I read that he said the war was unwinnable I couldn’t believe this guy was being portrayed as a hero. None of the vets here on FR or that I have read about have said anything of the sort. Was he a political butt kisser?
Petraeus is advising his former boss on ISIS along with the infiltration of the Muslim brohood, so we know why that is going so well.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3257511/posts
And from the article I am going to conclude that fear is what is what is keeping the brass in line. What from? Psy-ops. The same the communist Viet Cong used against the boots and the same way the Russian communists stay in power.
“The Army’s senior leaders are AWOL. They are in hiding, for they know all too well that the Army is the victim of a vast cultural revolution; a purge, not from inside, but from outside forces, who are determined to reshape the Army, even if they have to destroy it....” Any utterance, any sound, any comment that is not marching in lockstep with the New Order is met with banishment, forced resignation or both.”
So. Not only do the boots have to fear the rising rape stats, the rising suicide rates, the hog-tying rules of engagement, if they want to make it a career, they have to face the betrayal of the politician that rules them. Then let’s talk retirement or going inactive and the VA. The VA is defended by the DOJ and oversight investigated by the Office of the Inspector General. All who work for the same people who rule the military. We all know the fear within the ranks of the VA employees who want to defend the vets but face retaliation.
After re-reading it hit me that instead of the KGB, many departments have been given power to hide the unconstitutional abuse of that power.
I can’t say the military or the government or the churches or the schools are any different than our society. The Biblical principles upon which our culture was founded are no longer viewed as the truth. The thing is, those principles had conditions attached and the consequences of not following them are what we see happening today.
He was always a tough guy, a lot like Curtis Lemay. He was known as "RoboCinC". I wonder where he is today. He is too talented a personality to just disappear as he did during the Clinton years - but he did.
What America needs is a General Turdgeson.
Col Sellin: CONTINUING TO MARCH!
(Where Col Hack Left Off!)
*****
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/authors/detail/lawrence-sellin
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Dick.G: AMERICAN!
aka: Gunny G
Semper FIDELIS
*****
George Patton comes to mind as well.
He said the Army didn’t need APCs and could ride on the backs of tanks. A bit of a problem when you get to turbine powered vehicles.
The last general to fall on his sword over principle was probably AF CoS Gen Ron Fogleman when he quit over the Kobar Towers blame game
Fogleman quit over the Lt. Kelly Flynn fiasco..not the KB Towers disaster. Flynn was banging a GI and told to stop..she didn’t. Fogleman wanted to court martial the idiot, but Sheila Windal, Sec of AF, told him to back off or retire..he retired.
Since then, the AF has become a sad joke.
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