Freedom Fighters (A Tribute to the NCO Corps)

New York Post ^ | 11/11/2003 | Ralph Peters

[A Simple Soldier]

November 11, 2003 -- THEY looked so old. That was the thing that struck me. Men in their late 30s, they looked at least 10 - sometimes 20 - years older. And they were the survivors.

I was a lieutenant when I reported in to the 1st Battalion of the 46th Infantry. As an enlisted man in the bitter peace of the 1970s, I had already seen the wreckage of Vietnam, the non-commissioned officers so badly shot up that they could no longer serve in the infantry, but had to be posted to easier jobs in support units to "make their 20."

[A Simple Soldier]

Another great piece by my friend, Ralph Peters.

[rangerwife]

Indeed! That was awesome. Thanks for posting.

[dts32041]

bfl

[Prof Engineer]

Thanks

[A Simple Soldier]

Huh??? What is "bfl"?

[dts32041]

Bump for later

[Cannoneer No. 4]

I believe he meant "Bump For Later." He posted that to put it on his My Comments so he could find it easily when he had more time to look at it.

You know Ralph Peters personally?

[T.Smith]

How is an F-22 "nearly useless"?

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Thank you for your service to our country.

[Smoke6]

This article says it all. NCOs train, develop and lead small units when it's time to put boots on the ground.

My sons are serving, one waiting on medical discharge for injuries the other at OCPA in Iraq training the defense force. Both NCOs, both young, and both recall their NCOs as mentors and trainers.

As for F-22s, they have their place in the mix. Thuds and Spads saved my young ass in the Highlands more than once.

Bless them all.

Smoke6
My $0.02

[Darksheare]

I'd like to thank my friend, Spc George Adam Haas for joining up.
He joined a medical unit that is currently deployed in Iraq.
He is currently home on leave, and will be back on station soon.

I do bust on him for joining at the same time I was exiting the uniform, but that's because I worry about him.

G, here's to you.
Keep your head down, your kevlump and flakjacket on.
And remember to drink water, dehydration is no fun.

CNo4, thanks.

[colorado tanker]

Thanks for the ping. This is a wonderful tribute to the NCO corps, the backbone of the force.

[cavtrooper21]

Thanks.
I'm glad that there are officers out there that cared, so many just punched in and out...
I was privileged to work for 2 that were truely "Officers and Gentlemen", the rest were just there.
I think the author has hit the nail on the head when he call being an NCO the most underpaid profession in the world, there is only one other "profession" that does even more for even less.
That would be our mothers...

[Thunder 6]

Thanks for the heads-up. After my father, SFC Robert Sizemore, and SFC Francis J. Culhane were the men who taught me what being a leader is all about. Both long retired, but the soldiers (and 2LT's!) they trained are their legacy.
regards,

[A Simple Soldier]

Yes. I know him casually.

[Khurkris]

A bump for the NCO's of the world. Thanks for posting.

[ahadams2]

http://www.4literature.net/Rudyard_Kipling/Tommy/

1892

TOMMY

(From Barrack-Room Ballads)

by Rudyard Kipling

TOMMY -

I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o' beer,

The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."

The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,

I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I: -

O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an'

"Tommy go away";

But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins," when

the band begins to play,

The band begins to play, my boys, the band

begins to play,

O it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins," when the

band begins to play. -

I went into a theatre as sober as could be,

They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;

They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,

But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls! -

For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an'

"Tommy wait outside";

But it's "Special train for Atkins" when the

trooper's on the tide,

The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the

troopship's on the tide,

O it's "Special train for Atkins" when the

trooper's on the tide. -

Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep

Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;

An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit

Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit. -

Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an'

"Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?"

But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the

drums begin to roll,

The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums

begin to roll,

O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the

drums begin to roll. -

We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,

But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;

An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints:

Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints; -

While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an'

"Tommy, fall be'ind,"

But it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when

there's trouble in the wind,

There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's

trouble in the wind,

O it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when

there's trouble in the wind. -

You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:

We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.

Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face

The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace. -

For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an'

"Chuck him out, the brute!"

But it's "Savior of 'is country," when the

guns begin to shoot;

An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an'

anything you please;

But Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool- you bet

that Tommy sees! - -

THE END

[Criminal Number 18F]

Peters implies here that he was an infantry officer. I believe he was an MI officer; if he served in an infantry bat it was as the S-2.

He also suggests our infantry lack body armor. Not true; it is service support troops that don't have the latest Interceptor BA. People who go up against the enemy by job description: infantry, SF, MPs, etc. have had Interceptor & plates since the start of the war (the MPs were the last to get it) and it is being issued to the other troops as fast as it can be manufactured by three contractors. Yes, cooks and clerks can get shot in Iraq, and they deserve this stuff too, but they get shot at a lot less than infantry or SF which is why those elements got it first.

But... this is quibbling. It is a heartfelt essay by a man that loves soldiers and soldiering, and is not a half bad writer. I did have to make these points lest people overreact to them... I will try to reread the column to see if there are a couple of other inaccuracies in there.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[Criminal Number 18F]

I'm glad that there are officers out there that cared, so many just punched in and out...

Roger that. Ralph Peters called them "tourists," which was 70s slang for a ticketpunching officer. In the eighties I also heard "seagulls" -- they fly in, flap and squawk a lot, crap all over everything, and flap away again, having been nothing but a nuisance in the interim!

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F