Guards at the Tomb of the Unknows

Check out the video here.

A Veteran Defined

A VETERAN Whether active duty, retired, national guard or reserve - is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America" for an amount "up to and including their life".

That is HONOR, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.

--Author Unknown.

A World Without the American Soldier

A video courtesy of the Brits.

I shudder to think of a world without American soldiers.

Heroes' Tribute to Medal Of Honor Recipient

For those who follow the news out of Iraq and Afgahnistan, the story of Petty Officer Michael Monsoor is not news. But a colleague sent me this description and photo.

During Mike Monsoor's funeral in San Diego , as his coffin was being moved from the hearse to the grave site at Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery , SEALs were lined up on both sides of the pallbearers route forming a column of twos, with the coffin moving up the center. As Mike's coffin passed, each SEAL, having removed his gold Trident from his uniform, slapped it down embedding the Trident in the wooden coffin. The slaps were audible from across the cemetery; by the time the coffin arrived grave side, it looked as though it had a gold inlay from all the Tridents pinned to it. This was a fitting send-off for a warrior hero.

It is too easy to forget the kinds of sacrifice made in defense of Iraq and our nation. We tend to surround ourselves with "feel good" modes of "supporting the troops" but then wallow in the "body count" and worry over whether our commitment is right. All of this is fine, it is part of what people like Petty Office Monsoor protected.

But instead of just welcoming the troops home from deployment, maybe we need to spend a few minutes in awed silence at what some men and women have given up so that you can question our leaders. They arrival home from deployment is far different, far sadder and far more important than anything mere thing we do in our lives.

A Military Funny

A Soldier, Sailor, Airman and Marine got into an argument as to which
service Was "the best." The arguing became so intense the four
servicemen failed to See an oncoming truck. They were struck and
killed instantly.

Soon the servicemen found themselves at the Pearly Gates where they
met St. Peter. They decided only he could be the ultimate source of
truth and honesty. So, the four asked him, "St. Peter, which Branch
of the United States Armed Forces is the best?" After a few moments he
replied that he could not answer that and would have to kick it up to
God for an answer the Next time he saw Him. Meanwhile, thank you for
your service on earth and welcome to Heaven.

Some time later the four see St. Peter and remind him of the question
they had asked when first entering Heaven. Suddenly a sparkling white
dove lands on St. Peter's shoulder. There is a note, glistening With
gold dust, in the dove's beak. "This must be the answer from the
Boss, let's see what it says."

He opens the note, trumpets blare, gold dust drifts into the air,
harps play Crescendos, and St. Peter reads aloud to the servicemen.


MEMORANDUM: FROM THE DESK OF THE ALMIGHTY.

TO: Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines.

SUBJ: WHICH MILITARY SERVICE IS BEST.

Gentlemen, all branches of the United States Armed Forces are
honorable and Noble. Each serves America well and with distinction.
Being servicemen in the United States Military represents a special
calling warranting special respect, tribute and dedication. Be proud
of that.

Sincerely, GOD, MCPO USN (Ret.)


For the uninitiated, MCPO stands for Master Chief Petty Officer, the highest enlisted rank in the NAVY.

Information Warfare: The Curious China Connection

From Strategy Page:

A recent analysis of web sites pushing malware (software that helps hackers steal data) revealed that half of them are connected with just ten ISPs (Internet Service Providers), and six of those ISPs are in China. This came as no surprise, as China has become the favorite hideout for Internet criminals.

There's just one catch. The Chinese Internet is highly policed by a special force of 30,000 secret police technicians. On the Chinese Internet, you don't do something the government does not want, at least not for long. So how do these criminals manage to survive on such a heavily policed portion of the Internet? It's no secret that a lot of Internet mischief comes out of China, with the tacit approval of the Chinese government.

So the question is, are we doing the same thing?

Haditha Marine Prepares To Sue Murtha

One of the Haditha Marines who has been exonerated, is considering a lawsuit against Rep. John Murtha and Time Magazine reporter Tim McGuirk for the smear that led to the charges against him. Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani's lawyer said they are considering the move.

Chessani has a better shot at McGuirk than Murtha. Murtha is probably going to claim immunity under the Speech and Debate clause, but McGuirk might be on the hook for libel.

Still, just the publicity of pulling Murtha (a former Marine) into court to explain his actions and words is delicious.

My Naval Career In A Nutshell

Every once in a while, I talk about my time in the Navy, and it is hard to describe the two very different work environments in which I served. But the most recent issue of All Hands magazine has an article on both the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard and the art of underway replishment--both of which I did.

As for the Ceremonial Guard, I did a little cross training into the Casket Bearers Platoon, enough to be able to fill-in in a pinch, but I spent most of my time in the Colors Platoon. This article focuses on the Casket Team. There have been some excellent upgrades at Ceremonial Hall, including references to training opportunities in Navy Ratings, but some of the things are little different from teh early 1990's--including lots of time working on your uniforms, brass, shoes and ceremonial routines. (Although we never used canned starch--only bottles.)

UNREP is described as an underway gas station, which is not inaccurate. It is an interesting dance of man, machinery and very large ships in very close quarters.

‘Final Salute’ Bears Witness to the Fallen of the Iraq War and Those Who Grieve

The New York Times has a book review of Jim Sheeler's "Final Salute" a study of the families and military men who are called upon to notify the families of the deaths of their loved ones.

In my time in the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard, I had the opportunity to witness some amazing things and some tragic things. While the high profile tasks of White House Arrival Ceremonies for foriegn heads of state and State Dinners are truly wonderful events to perform at, the fact of the matter is that the day in, day out task of the military honor guards are funerals, paying the Final Salute to fallen soldiers, airmen, Marines and sailors.

In truth it can be a rather taxing job. No the ceremony is not complicated, and after having performed it a number of times, most Guardsmen can do it perfectly each time, every time. What makes it hard is that each time we go out on a funeral, there is someone whose life has ended and we are there to usher them to the next stage.

My time in the Ceremonial Guard was in the early 1990's. At that time, a fair number of World War II veterans were dying and performing the funeral ceremony for those events was, while difficult, a bit easier to take. However, shortly before the Gulf War, a ferry capsized in Haifa, Israel and over forty sailors died. That was hard because those sailors were my peers, that could have been me.

Sheeler's book follows a Marine Major Steve Beck:

Among the most difficult aspects of Major Beck’s job is to deal with its political implications. “If you don’t feel this loss in some way, I’m not so sure you’re an American, frankly,” he says. “When I hand that flag to them and say ‘On behalf of a grateful nation,’ it’s supposed to mean something.”

But when a chaplain once tried to silence a mother who cursed the president, Major Beck corrected the clergyman. “The best way to handle that situation,” he says, “is not to tell someone what they can or cannot do in their own home.”

This book enters a number of homes and follows their occupants through the grieving process. “Final Salute” is organized through chapters about these individual families. It pays particular attention to that of Lieutenant Cathey, whose pregnant wife refused to leave her husband’s coffin on the night before his burial and slept nearby on an air mattress, protected by a Marine honor guard.

Perhaps the most vivid memory I have was working as an escort petty office for a simple honors funeral for a Seaman killed in an accident at sea. One of the duties of the Escort Petty Officer is to present the folded flag to the family and recite "On behalf of a grateful Nation, ..." The mother of this young boy, who probably was no more than 18 or 19 years old looked at me with tears and absolute rage in her eyes. She wanted to strike me, I could see her arms twitch and finally she did. She smacked me with all the force she could muster (which was quite a lot--I saw stars in my eyes for about five minutes), but what could I do? Here I was, the representative of the U.S. Navy and the President of the United States giving her a flag and saying that this flag represents her son's sacrifice.

I couldn't have been more than a year or two older than her son, if that old. Here I was, young healthy and alive, a physical reminder of her son's youth now taken by cruel fate. That is something that the Navy didn't teach me to handle. I was shocked to say the least (it never happened to me before and never again after that). I have seen tears, I have seen stoicism, I have seen barely controlled outbursts at the grave site, but I had never been physically assaulted. But looking back at what Major Beck counseled, it seemed to me that I did the right thing. I stood up I saluted her, I saluted her family and I walked away. To this day, it was the single hardest ceremony I ever performed and the only funeral ceremony I remember.

I will never forget that day and Sheeler's book will, I hope, help other people understand. Go see this slideshow and tell me you don't feel the pain.

I Am The American Sailor

For Memorial Day:

I AM THE AMERICAN SAILOR Hear my voice, America!
Though I speak through the mist of 200 years, my shout for freedom will echo through liberty's halls for many centuries to come.

Hear me speak, for my words are of truth and justice, and the rights of man. For those ideals I have spilled my blood upon the world's troubled waters.
Listen well, for my time is eternal -yours is but a moment. I am the spirit of heroes past and future.

I am the American Sailor. I was born upon the icy shores at Plymouth, rocked upon the waves of the Atlantic, and nursed in the wilderness of Virginia. I cut my teeth on New England codfish, and I was clothed in southern cotton. I built muscle at the halyards of New Bedford whalers, and I gained my sealegs high atop mizzen of yankee clipper ships.

Yes, I am the American Sailor, one of the greatest seamen the world has ever known. The sea is my home and my words are tempered by the sound of paddle wheels on the Mississippi and the song of whales off Greenland's barren shore. My eyes have grown dim from the glare of sunshine on blue water,and my heart is full of star-strewn nights under the Southern Cross. My hands are raw from winterstorms while sailing down round the Horn, and they are blistered from the heat of cannon broadside while defending our nation.

I am the American Sailor, and I have seen the sunset of a thousand distant, lonely lands.

I am the American Sailor. It was I who stood tall beside John Paul Jones as he shouted, "I have notyet begun to fight!" I fought upon the Lake Erie with Perry, and I rode with Stephen Decatur into Tripoli harbor to burn Philadelphia. I met Guerriere aboard Constitution, and I was lashed to the mast with Admiral Farragut at Mobile Bay. I have heard the clang of Confederate shot against the sides of Monitor. I have suffered the cold with Peary at the North Pole, and I responded when Dewey said, "You may fire when ready Gridley," at Manila Bay. It was I who transported supplies through submarine infested waters when our soldier's were called "over there." I was there as Admiral Byrd crossed the South Pole. It was I who went down with the Arizona at Pearl Harbor, who supported our troops at Inchon, and patrolled dark deadly waters of the Mekong Delta.

I am the American Sailor and I wear many faces. I am a pilot soaring across God's blue canopy and I am a Seabee atop a dusty bulldozer in the South Pacific. I am a corpsman nursing the wounded in the jungle, and I am a torpedoman in the Nautilus deep beneath the North Pole. I am hard and I am strong. But it was my eyes that filled with tears when my brother went down with the Thresher, and it was my heart that rejoiced when Commander Shepherd rocketed into orbit above the earth. It was I who languished in a Viet Cong prison camp, and it was I who walked upon the moon. It was I who saved the Stark and the Samuel B. Roberts in the mine infested waters of the Persian Gulf. It was I who pulled my brothers from the smoke filled compartments of the Bonefish and wept when my shipmates died on the Iowa and White Plains. When called again, I was there, on the tip of the spear for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

I am the American Sailor. I am woman, I am man, I am white and black, yellow, red and brown. I am Jew, Muslim, Christian, and Buddhist. I am Irish, Filipino, African, French, Chinese, and Indian. And my standard is the outstretched hand of Liberty.

Today, I serve around the world; on land, in air, on and under the sea. I serve proudly, at peace once again, but with the fervent prayer that I need not be called again.

Tell your children of me. Tell them of my sacrifice, and how my spirit soars above their country. I have spread the mantle of my nation over the ocean, and I will guard her forever. I am her heritage and yours.

I AM THE AMERICAN SAILOR
Author Unknown

Porn On Military Bases

It is as common as salutes or the daily raising of the flag. Yes, America's military men and, yes, some woment consume porn. Apparently that annoys Rep. Paul Broun, as Radley Balko reports:

Rep. Paul Broun, R-Ga., (profiled by Dave Weigel here) wants to ban the sale of Playboy on military bases.

“Allowing sale of pornography on military bases has harmed military men and women by escalating the number of violent, sexual crimes, feeding a base addiction, eroding the family as the primary building block of society, and denigrating the moral standing of our troops both here and abroad,” Broun said.

Broun said he wants to bring the Defense Department into compliance with the intent of the 1997 law “so that taxpayers will not be footing the costs of distributing pornography.”

Except taxpayers aren't actually funding it:

Exchange officials noted that tax dollars are not used to procure magazines in the system’s largely self-funded operations.

Which triggered this stunner from Broun's office:

But Broun’s spokesman John Kennedy contended that taxpayer dollars are involved — “used to pay military salaries, so taxpayer money is, in effect, being used to buy these materials,” he said.

That line of argument would open up all sorts of other possibilities.

Lots of possibilities.

By that argument, of course, military members or other government employees (inluding Broun himself) would not be permitted to do all sorts of things with their paycheck that any privately employed person would be entitled to do, including purchasing porn.

But what makes Broun's argument all the more ludicrous is that there is no link between porn and violent sexual attacks on bases or sexual harassment. Indeed a sexual harasser need not even own porn, consume porn or buy porn on base to be be an offender.

Stupid is as stupid does.

Is Military Service Passe?

Back when I made my paychecks as a lobbyist about 10 years ago, I came across a statistics then which gave me pause. In the Congress elected in 1998, for the first time a majority of members of Congress had not served in the military. At first I sort of wrote it off as an effect of the baby boomers and post-Vietnam conversion of the American military to an all volunteer force. In short, there were still enough Members of Congress who had served in the military that it didn't really bother me. Fast forward to 2008 and this post, which got me thinking about military service and our politicians, at least on the national level.

Now don't get me wrong, by no means is military service to be considered a pre-requisite for political office. I don't want to create such an argument nor do I want to insinuate that one cannot be a good politician unless you have served in the military. I don't and have never thought that to the case.

Yet, we can't escape the fact that of the current crop of presidential candidates, only John McCain served in the military (although we are told Hillary Clinton tried to volunteer--that is news to me). While in general Republican holds the military in high esteem, the Demcoratic party is of at least two minds. The first mind is the cynical, "we need to win" seats side of the Democratic party. Over the past couple of Congressional election cycles, at least until this year, the Democratic party activly courted former military members to run as Democrats, in the hope of burnishing their credentials on military policy. But this political operation runs counter to what much of the Democratic leadership says and does about the military. Routinely, comments from senior Democrats denigrate or dismiss the military. It is not unusual to hear Democrats claim that the military is a bunch of undereducated thugs no better than the terrorists we are fighting.

So despite the effort to recruit veterans as candidates, a significant segment of Democrats have come to view the military as something negative, something to be abhorred at times. Can we as a nation survive in the modern world when one half of our political spectrum holds the military in such disregard? Can we really expect to continue to field the greatest fighting force the world has ever seen if the political leadership considers the military to an anachronism, a relic of a bygone era?

What about the Constitutional oath sworn by all elected officials to preserve, protect and defend the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic? Is the modern, anti-military Democratic party ready to assume, in the guise of Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama the onerous and arduous task of defending the United States? Can they do so with a military that respects them only as a function of their office and not as a leader?

Frankly, I wonder if we really can survive such a regime in the long term.

While military service can instill in an individual discpline, sacrifice, attention to details as a function of the training and atmosphere, one of the biggest lessons a military member learns during their service is realism. They learn to see the world not as they want to but as it really is. That world contains evil people, people who are bent on the destruction of our nation for its simple existence. A military man or woman learns that you cannot reason with such people, you can't appease them short of your own destruction, and you cannot attempt to see the world through their eyes. All attempts to do so are feeble and a waste of time and effort.

Do we as a nation lack the necessary military virtues to be a stable society, a force to be reckoned with? When one considers these thoughts when viewing the anti-military Democratic party, you have to wonder--what have we allowed to happen?

The military remains an important part of our national structure and to have high-ranking, public civilian leaders who despise the military, denigrate our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, simply calls into question the very nature of the society we project. Does the disdain for our military project an image to the world that we are unwilling and perhpas unable to fight for what we believe is right and just in the world?

I think so and that scares me.


Hat Tip: The Instapundit

A Digital Vietnam Veterans Memorial

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial can be viewed digitally. You can search for names, call up an individual and even add photos or your own tribute.

Check it out.

Update: CNN ran a story on the Virtual Wall.

Defaming a Minnesota Hero

Yesterday, I posted a story about Vets for Freedom leader Pete Hegseth who was denied an apportunity to speak at his former high school because of political pressure. The fellas at Powerline have more, including the libelous campaign of a local columnist.

More Evidence of Anti-Military in Schools

As if not letting recruiters come on campuses is enough, now principals are refusing to allow veterans, heroes, come talk to high school kids about the military: As Kyle-Ann Shiver writes: Unbelievable.

The national organization, Vets for Freedom, is currently sponsoring a Heroes Tour of American cities that will end in Washington, D.C. on April 8 to coincide with General Petraeus' testimony before Congress. Our Afghanistan/Iraq War heroes were scheduled to speak to high school students in Minnesota on Tuesday.

As the mother of grown children, I simply cannot imagine better role models for our young people than our military heroes. These men and women represent the best in self-discipline, honor, and personal responsibility, not to mention the virtue of self-sacrifice for the benefit of others.

Yet, at the last minute the principal of the high school caved to political pressure from parents and outsiders who don't support the war, and cancelled the appearance. Callers threatened to protest outside the school if the soldiers made their presentation to the students.

Unbelievable!

The last-minute cancellation was especially outrageous since the young man who had personally scheduled the appearance was himself an alumnus of the high school.

Pete Hegseth, who served with the 101st Airborne Division in Iraq 2005-06 had arranged the appearance at his high school, and had this to say about the abrupt shunning of the soldiers:

"I think it's extremely unfortunate that a school would bow to the political pressure of outside groups and not bring in a veterans organization," Hegseth said. "Are we saying that patriotism and duty and honor have no place in our public schools?"

Indeed, not even a alum was permitted to speak. Talk about school leadership lacking any sort of a spine.

A Little Perspective Check

Courtesy of Red Maryland

Bad Assumptions About Military History

In every generation and in every struggle since the founding of the United States, mistakes are made and opportunites go unexploited. Case in point, witness the Articles of Confederation and the failure of our Framers to eradicate slavery. The fact that such mistakes are made is not news nor should it be viewed as an overall failure, the greatest strength of the United States is that we learn (and usually quickly) from our mistakes. In no arena is the fact that mistakes will be made more prevalent than in war and the military. Michael Barone talks about Iraq and mistakes.

There are lessons to be learned from the dazzling success of the surge strategy in Iraq.

Lesson one is that just about no mission is impossible for the United States military. A year ago it was widely thought, not just by the new Democratic leaders in Congress but also in many parts of the Pentagon, that containing the violence in Iraq was impossible. Now we have seen it done.

snip

George W. Bush, like Lincoln, took his time finding the right generals. But it’s clear now that the forward-moving surge strategy devised by Gens. David Petraeus and Raymond Odierno has succeeded where the stand-aside strategy employed by their predecessors failed. American troops are surely the most capable military force in history. They just need to be given the right orders.

The fact that the American military is not only the greatest fighting force ever assembled was somehow lost. The military is capable of performing just about any mission handed to it and even some that the so-called "experts" believe to be impossible. The American soldier is a master of "adapt and overcome." The failings that happen in most military struggles come not from the grunt on the ground, but from the civilian leadership. That George W. Bush and his advisors made mistakes with regard to Iraq strategy cannot be denied (but can be debated in their specifics). But once handed orders, the generals and their men salute, say "Aye, Aye Sir" and move about their mission.

Now that their mission is showing success, it is almost natural to stop and think, "Why didn't we come up with that strategy before?" The answer lies in the basics of wartime (or any real time) decision-making. Decisions are made in the very absence of the "perfect" information we have in hindsight.

As the New Year dawns, perhaps now we can move on from the America will lose dialectic and take on the idea that mistakes happen. We must learn from those mistakes and allow for the knowledge that as certainly as the Sun will rise in the East tomorrow, we will make more mistakes. It is the ability of the military, and America, to own up to and correct those mistakes, that makes the United States great. America is not perfect, but it is great.

US Death Toll In Iraq at Lowest Level in Nearly Two Years

Good News in Iraq.

Medal of Honor Awarded To Navy SEAL

John B. Dwyer has the details:

President Bush will award a posthumous Medal of Honor to the family of Navy LT Michael P. Murphy. For Operation Red Wing he led a 3-man SEAL recon team that was taken under fire by several dozen Taliban in June 2005. When his commo man was wounded, Murphy had to expose himself to enemy fire to radio for a rescue chopper (shot down upon arrival; all aboard killed).


Though shot in the back while doing so, he completed that call and, multiply wounded, returned to the team, now engaged in a desperate battle. Some 2 hours later, only one, Luttrell, remained alive.

Dwyer has links as well.

More Phony Soldiers

Gateway Pundit has the story.

Something tells me that there are going to be a lot of politicians taking a good hard, long look at their past claims of military service and some restatments coming.

That's the problem with lies, they tend to come back to haunt you.