|
Posted on 04/29/2005 11:12:32 PM PDT by snippy_about_it
|
|
 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
|
| Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support. The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer. If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions. We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.
|
 Foxhole folks know we are always asking for suggestions and Foxhole FReeper PzLdr suggested we offer up subjects for discussion. Today is our first go at it. We'd also like suggestions for other persons, places, and things you would like to see discussed in this new Saturday forum, the Foxhole Saturday Symposium. sym·po·sium : a social gathering at which there is free interchange of ideas So now let's get on with the discussion. Pull up a chair or grab a spot on the floor around the virtual Foxhole Cabin and let's chat about "Who is your favorite General in American Military History and why?"      |
I'll start. It has to be Patton. He had the right idea but politics got in the way. IMHO, he should have had the lead all the times Ike let Monty lead and most importantly Patton had the right idea about not stopping with Germany but going after Russia.
Next...
:-)
Lt. Gen. Thomas J. Jackson. The navy even named a submarine after him. SSBN 634. There aren't many generals who didn't also serve as president who have received the honor of having a major ship named for him.
How about a thread some time on Patton and the Battle of Shreveport?
Hmmmmm ... favorite General ... I gotta say ... having been in the NAVY, and having been on the staff of a few ADMIRALS ... I really can't think of a favorite General ... maybe someone on this ping list could provide some insight on "Generals" ... I can think of several Naval Officers (not just Admirals) deserving of their own threads ... :)
Meantime ... I'm gonna help myself to a cold brew out of your cooler and put my feet up on your desk ... Carry on!
±
"The Era of Osama lasted about an hour, from the time the first plane hit the tower to the moment the General Militia of Flight 93 reported for duty." 
Toward FREEDOM
This is my Military/Veteran's Affairs ping list. FReep mail me if you want ON/OFF the list.
Though Patton certainly ranks, so to speak, among my favorites, I'm going to have to go with General Douglas MacArthur.
Yes, I know he was/could be a pompous ass jerk, and had something of a God-complex; I'm also aware of the mistakes he made in the very opening days of WW II in the Philippine's.
Nevertheless, his strategic vision for the remainder of the war--and much of Korea beyond--was, IMHO, unmatched, decision-by-decision, command-by-command, order-by-order. He fought the enemy hard where he had to, but fought them smarter where he could. As a consequence, MacArthur incurred less casualties in his command during the entire War than were inflicted on the Allied Forces at the single Battle of Anzio in the ETO.
To an extent, such comparisons are Apples/Oranges, of course. The circumstances at Anzio were vastly different than any MacArthur faced in the Pacific. And I hasten to add, this surmise is in no way a denigration of those who served and fell at Anzio, or anywhere else in the ETO. Their sacrifices were not in vain. I just don't believe MacArthur would've chosen to fight that particular battle, or do so in the way it was conducted, for sound strategic reasons.
Much critical commentary about "Dugout Doug"--as many derisively referred to him as--centers on his personality, as opposed to his achievements. Those achievements, from Nadzab to Inchon, were substantial, and left a legacy of military genius rarely matched in the history of modern warfare. His tactical field analysis was sometimes flawed, but his strategic vision was nearly always superb.
So I stand by "Mac," for all his manifest flaws*:
*This series of photos was taken by my grandfather during an inspection General MacArthur was making of his Fighter Squadron during WW II. General George C. Kenney is the officer conversing with MacArthur at the Jeep door in the first picture.
I was enlisted in the US Navy, and so, you being an Officer must have opinions about flag rank men. (Enlisted had no opinions in those days.) (Old enlisted get to tell officers what to do, and sometimes what they say is wise, if not often!)
How about Chester Nimitz? Admiral Lockwood?
How about Halsey at Santa Cruz?
http://www.microworks.net/pacific/battles/santa_cruz.htm
The Guadalcanal Campaign and the concurrent New Guinea Campaign together put the Japanese in an impossible bind.
The Navy was critical to success at Guadalcanal. Guadalcanal would have been lost except for Midway, 4-7 June 1942.
Midway was every bit as important as Trafalgar, and so then Spruance and Nimitz were Collingwood's and Lord Nelson's peers.
Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Foxhole.
Good morning
George Washington. We say no one is indispensable--he was indispensable.
Washington had the strategic smarts to understand that the political goal of indpendence was best served militarily by maintaining the Continental Army as a military threat to the British; i.e. preservation of the Army was more important than the risk of defeat. He had the understanding of human nature, though, to realize he needed some victories to maintain confidence and suport for the rebellion, and was willing to be audacioius to achieve them, such as his surprise attack at Trenton.
Washington was personally courageous and set the example for his troops, often visibly placing himself in the line of fire. Unlike any other general in our history, he had to start from scratch and train, organize, equip, maintain, and employ an Army in combat simultaneously; and had to do so with very uncertain resources allocated by an inconsistent Continental Congress and unreliable state legislatures. His unquestionable character earned the trust of the nation and and his personal leadership qualities kept the Army together.
Then, at the end of the war--as arguably the most respected and popular American of all time--when he could have been king or dictator or president for life--he instead submitted himself to the democratic ideals, values and processes we still use. Truly our best general ever.
On This Day In History
Birthdates which occurred on April 30:
1309 Kazimierz III de Great King of Poland (1333-70)
1602 William Lilly England, astrologer/author/almanac compiler
1651 Jean-Baptiste de la Salle French priest/theorist/saint
1675 Trussell world famous hand model and Tiddlywink champion of south Pocatello Id, born in a small modest 4 bedroom splitlevel log cabin she grew up and went on to fame and fortune as the woman who put the the Edsel on the map, also noted for having one of the worlds largest collection of mustache cups.
"Middle Age - When you choose your cereal based upon the fiber, not the toy."
1770 David Thompson English/Canadian explorer (Columbia River)
1777 Carl Friedrich Gauss Brunswick Germany, mathematician (number theory, non-Euclidean geometry, gravitation)
1805 William Kerley Strong Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1867
1830 Davis Tillson Brevet Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1895
1858 Mary Scott Lord Dimmick Harrison 1st lady (1889-1893)
1864 Frans Netscher Dutch writer/journalist (Studies of nude model)
1870 Franz Lehar operetta composer (Naughty Marietta)
1893 Joachim von Ribbentrop German SS führer/foreign minister
1896 Jonathon Tomkow6 (If you see this person please contact your local FBI office as they would like to have a chat with him about why his room has been declared a "superfund" site)
"Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional"
1896 Reverend Gary Davis Laurens SC, blues/folk guitarist (A Little More Faith)
1910 Al Lewis actor (Leo-Car 54, Grandpa-Munsters)
1912 Eve Arden Mill Valley CA, actress (Connie-Our Miss Brooks)
1916 Robert Shaw Red Bluff CA, chorale conductor (Robert Shaw Chorale)
1926 Cloris Leachman Des Moines IA, actress (Phyllis, Last Picture Show)
1926 Edmund Cooper UK, sci-fi author (Seed of Light, All Fool's Day)
1927 Johnny Horton Los Angeles CA,country singer (The Battle Of New Orleans,Sink The Bismark,North To Alaska)
1929 Peter Carsten Weissenberg Bavaria, actor (Mr Super Invisible)
1933 Willie Nelson Abbott TX, country singer (Me and Paul)
1938 Larry [Van Cott] Niven US, sci-fi author (5 Hugo, Neutron Star, Flash Crowd)
1940 Burt Young New York NY, actor (Convoy, Rocky)
1943 Bobby Vee Fargo ND, (Devil or Angel, Night has a Thousand Eyes)
1944 Jill Clayburgh New York NY, actress (Unmarried Woman, Semi-Tough)
1945 Michael J Smith Beaufort NC, Commander USN, astronaut (51L-Challenger disaster)
1946 Carl XVI Gustav King of Sweden (1973- )
1948 Wayne Kramer jazz artist (Dangerous Madness)
1952 Tom Pesek PC programmer (creator of HAL 9000 program)
1953 Merrill Osmond Ogden UT, singer (Osmond Brothers, Donnie & Marie)
1957 Duane G Carey St Paul MN, Major USAF/astronaut
1966 David Meggett NFL running back (New York Giants, New England Patriots)
1968 Roger Mar Seattle WA, rapid fire pistol (Olympics-1996)
1970 Debbie D Philadelphia PA, actress (Attack of Vampire Mermaid)
1982 Kirsten Dunst actress (Interview with the Vampire)
1988 Molloko San Diego Zoo, 1st California condor chick conceived in captivity
Morning Snippy.
Thanks for the suggestion PzLdr.
I have to go with George Washington. IMHO he "created" this country through sheer force of personality.
Defeat after defeat, retreat after retreat and yet he managed to keep an "Army in being" and hold it together through some of the worst conditions imaginable.
He won the victories he needed to keep posing a threat to the British and had the ability to make men believe in the cause and endure hardships that would have broken other armies.
I don't know it there was any other person at that time who could have accomplished what he did as General of the Continental Army.
Who else remembers when Mr Potato Head came with just the body parts and accessories stuck in a Styrofoam "head" and you used a real potato?
Thanks for the ping!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
