Decorated Vet Rips General for 'Hide the Uniform' Order

NewsMax.com ^ | 4/19/03 | Kenneth Wiliams

[lshoultz]

Members of the U.S. military, in San Antonio and everywhere, should be able to wear their uniforms with honor, pride and dignity.

But they've been warned against wearing them in public by their own commander, Maj. Gen. Darrel R. Porr.

[12B]

Why is this guy ranting and raving? Doesn't sound like anything has changed since I was in. If you lived off-base you wore your uniform coming to work and going home. After that you were expected to take it off. You weren't allowed to hang around in bars or whatnot in your uniform during off-duty hours.

So what's the big deal here?

[Babalu]

Gotta agree with Mr. Shoultz. Our uniformed men and women should be able to PROUDLY wear their uniform anywhere they wish, so long as they do so with proper dignity and decorum.

I've served under commanders who promulgated similar policies ... such as restricting the wear of "fatigue" or battle dress uniforms to on-post or training areas. Such policies also prohibited wearing uniforms in areas where doing so clearly besmirched the uniform itself (civilian bars, brothels, and so forth), or in areas clearly considered "unfriendly" to our Armed Forces. In those instances, I thought those policies were sensible, and had the safety and welfare of our troops in mind. This policy, however, goes well beyond that and is just pathetic.

[Babalu]

There is a difference. I remember those polices as well, but they did not go as far as what this gen-gen promulgated.

By the way, was 12B your MOS? Combat Engineer? I served with the 130th Engineer Brigade in Hanau, Germany.

[AgThorn]

I love the closing paragraph:

soldier, sailor, airman, Marine or a member of the Coast Guard on the street, remember to tell them that we support them, honor them and thank them for our freedom.

Amen and dittos for sure!!!

[CyberAnt]

Sure ... that makes a lot of sense ... our men and women of the military should be allowed to wear their uniforms in public. EXCEPT IF IT MAKES THEM A TARGET!!!!!!!!!!

I worked with a lot of policemen from different areas. When they would first come to our unit, they would be stunned to see us wearing our uniforms outside the office. I never thought about it, but one guy said that in his county, he could not wear his uniform unless he was in his patrol car because it made him a target.

[12B]

Cool, I got to know some guys from the 130th during Joint Endeavor. They built the bridges at Zupanja and Slavonski Brod.

Do you guys have an alumni page or something on the net? I've got an excellent photo of one of the guys working a boat at the Zupanja bridge. I never did figure out who he was but I'm sure he'd like a copy. I'm not a very good photographer but it was just one of those shots that turned out really good.

BTW, I'm about 10 klicks West of Rhein-Main Airbase right now so I'm not far from Hanau.

[FairOpinion]

"EXCEPT IF IT MAKES THEM A TARGET!!!!!!!!!! "

---

But the answer shouldn't be to advise the troops against wearing the uniform, but to round up those who attack them, lock them up and throw away the key. All those "peace protesters". :(

I can see how they are trying to be practical, but it is a sad day in the US, when US soldiers can't wear their uniforms in the UNITED STATES, for fear of being targets.

[jpthomas]

General Porr would do well to recall President Reagan's change in his predecessor's policy regarding the wearing of uniforms by the armed services in the DC area. Resolution to Honor President Reagan on the Occasion of His 92nd Birthday

Tuesday, February 11, 2003

Twenty-two years ago, as a young Major of Marines, I had the high honor of serving President Reagan as his military aide. On inauguration day in 1981, this great man started immediately to improve the morale and pride of the armed forces. He had real admiration and respect for Americans in uniform, and real concerns about the status of our military forces in that troubling decade following the war in Vietnam. It seems impossible now, but in those years we were not permitted to wear the military uniform, unless by exception, in our nation’s capital – a sad indicator of the state to which pride and confidence had fallen.

During his first inaugural parade, President Reagan told each of the service chiefs that it was time for a change. He told them he wanted to see more uniforms on the street. He knew that this change of direction and attitude was important not only to those wearing the uniforms, but to all Americans. The time of shame and remorse was over. We owe a great debt to this great man for many, many reasons. But, perhaps the first reason is his remarkable transformation of our armed forces.

Thank you, Mr. President and Happy Birthday!

-- Congressman John Kline, Minnesota 2nd District

[CyberAnt]

Oh yeah, right! Just arrest all the peace protesters.

Geeeee ... that sure makes a lot of sense.

Please ... put your brain in gear before opening your mouth!!

[lilylangtree]

What was the explanation given by Porr for making such an atrocious ruling? This is an emotional and patriotic issue so Porr should give an explanation.

[SandRat]

Doesn't sound like anything has changed since I was in. If you lived off-base you wore your uniform coming to work and going home. After that you were expected to take it off. You weren't allowed to hang around in bars or whatnot in your uniform during off-duty hours. So what's the big deal here?

It was and is that way if you are wearing a work uniform (Fatigues, Utilities, Dungarees, BDUs, DCUs, whatever they call the fatigues I wore.) But this story relates to wearing the Class A uniform not being safe to be seen in this town in because of a few scumbag peace-niks that want to start a fight or terrorize dependants.

[NewRomeTacitus]

Inversely they made us wear Class-A's when touring East Berlin before the wall came down. Blood was filling my left Florsheim and no one allowed me to approach them for tissue or paper towels. One doesn’t forget a little girl asking you if you’re all right only to be jerked away by her mother as if you had leprosy. Because of the uniform required by treaty and the sword held over the heads of the East Berliners by their Communist overlords.
When I took my end-of-service vacation I made sure to appear European (couldn’t give up soap, though).

[fourdeuce82d]

This story has been posted before- one alternative mentioned is to sned out fishing expeditions. find the scrawniest, punkiest kids on the base, dress them up in their class A's, and send them out as bait.

Retired/Prior Service types, who are not subject to UCMJ, shadow them, and "come to their assistance" (with baseball bats) if they're hassled.

Couple of dozen shiite-birds with shattered humeri/femurs should have a good effect on the rest.

[Dutchy]

A San Antonio update bump....

[Ax]

Two words: bed adapters.

[NortNork]

I'll bet these US military haters were Mexicans.

http://www.vdare.com/awall/war_notes.htm

[FairOpinion]

"Just arrest all the peace protesters"

----

I didn't say all, only the ones, that while claiming they want peace, they stoop so low as to physically attack US servicemen.

[Babalu]

"Retired/Prior Service types, who are not subject to UCMJ, shadow them, and "come to their assistance" (with baseball bats) if they're hassled."

I like the scenario, but there are MANY "retired/prior service types" who are still and will be subject to UCMJ (retired Regular officers are but one example.)

Which raises a completely different point ... somebody ought to remind McCaffrey, Clark and some of their fellow "embedded generals" that they are still subject to the UCMJ, even if they are so-called "retired".

[FairOpinion]

I guess it wasn't in this article, but it was in another thread, that soldiers were being attacked by those who opposed the war. Here it is:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/892533/posts

"Because of recent instances of harassment of uniformed personnel, Porr, the commanding general at Fort Sam Houston, felt compelled to warn the men and women who serve under him to use caution when traveling, shopping and dining in San Antonio.

"Two separate incidents against military personnel have occurred," Porr reported. "In the first incident, two males on the city's Northeast Side made threatening gestures and pounded on the car window of a drill sergeant and his spouse while they were on their way home.

"The second incident involved two sailors, in uniform, who were accosted by several males who said, 'You'd better not go to war,' as they departed a River Walk restaurant."

Porr provided this possible explanation for the hostile actions:

"There has been a significant increase of demonstrations throughout the United States in opposition to the ongoing U.S.-led military operations in Iraq.

"As individuals voice their opinions against military operations, they tend to direct their frustrations toward governmental and military symbols."