REAGAN TO THE RESCUE

New York Post ^ | 6/09/04 | RALPH PETERS

[kattracks]

June 9, 2004 -- IN 1976, I joined the U.S. Army as a private. Our military was broken. My first unit, in Germany, had trucks built in the 1940s, inadequate winter clothing, inept medical care and an atmosphere of pessimism. We were not "combat ready." Crippled by Vietnam, the non-commissioned officer corps had hit bottom — despite a cadre of stalwarts who would not give up. Officers ranged from the shoulder-shruggers to the grimly determined. The barracks were pits. Soldiers made their own survival rules — for example, hashish was OK, but no junkies were allowed on our barracks floor.

Then there were the drunks. Of all ranks. And the overweight and out of shape. As well as good men simply worn out by a long, bitter war.

Had "the balloon gone up," our Infantry would have entered battle in death-trap M113s that were no match for Soviet infantry combat vehicles. Our tanks couldn't rival the firepower of the new Russian models. Our radios were unreliable and the antique encryption devices rarely worked.

Our war games weren't about winning but about losing as slowly as possible. We always had to resort to nukes in the end.

Our nation had ended the draft and transitioned to an all-volunteer military. But the pay remained at draftee levels. As a sergeant living in an unheated attic apartment, I had no phone and no car.

Once, while we were out on maneuvers, President Carter's secretary of the Army came to visit. He flew in by helicopter, pretended to eat our field rations, spoke to no enlisted troops or junior officers and left. We didn't exactly feel valued.

Then came Ronald Reagan.

[Lion Den Dan]

This article is an example of things that bother me about Ralph Peters. I too, was in Germany in 1976. Things were looking up from the cesspit conditions of 1973-74 and even worse years receding that. I was in Fulda with the 11th ACR and saw a unit that gave me great confidence.

Our equipment was in good condition and the NCO Corps was generally competent and professional. Carter was a joke but our attitude and esprit were top notch. If our forces and equipment were so bad, the East Block would have crossed the border and crucified us. They did not as they recognized how costly it would be.

I was leaving the military when the embassy in Tehran was taken. There was a morale breaker. Worse, still, was the inept attempt at a joint forces rescue. The GI knew that was a stupid move as the different services did not train together. That failure was one of Carter's leadership and was quickly resolved when President Reagan took office.

No, I did not see the Army is such disrepair as Mr. Peters but then I did not try to parlay my position into one of wealth and power sponsored by an organization that I abandoned in order to bash.