This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Author: Poetrooper

  • This Warrior Wasn’t Left Behind

    An Internet buddy, who’s retired in Guam, a former USAF E-8, senior master sergeant, refueling boom operator, who naturally goes by the handle, Boomer, sent me a link to a video with the comment that this would be an excellent video from which our recently re-elected commander-in-chief could learn a lesson in leadership. Retired Brigadier General Steve Richie, who is delivering the talk on the rescue of a downed Air Force weapons officer in Vietnam, is an excellent, almost charismatic, speaker. After checking BG Richie out on Wikipedia, I learned that he is in fact, a bit of a charismatic warrior, who once was a youthful, wise guy, hotshot jet jockey with cojónes of steel, the kind of brash, self-confident young warrior who can scare hell out of his comrades and his commanders, but who gets results. In that regard, he is one of only three Air Force aces from the Vietnam War and recipient of the Air Force Cross, an award for valor second only to the Medal of Honor.

    Take time to watch this short very entertaining video, The Rescue of Roger Locher, and see if you don’t come away feeling a bit better about our country, our military and even generals, a couple of whom having cast a pall upon their brethren recently. Watch it and I believe you will also agree with my buddy Boomer that our president and some of the perfumed princes in the Pentagon could pick up some pointers from General Richie and his colleagues. As someone who is in contact with other members of our military community on a frequent and ongoing basis, I can tell you, our younger warriors, both troops and leaders, don’t need those pointers.

    This is code by which they have always and still do live.

    Crossposted at American Thinker.

  • They Deserved a Commander-in-Chief…

    Liz Cheney, speaking on the Sean Hannity show, nailed the essence of the Libya scandal when she said that those warriors who died there deserved a commander-in-chief with standards as high as their own.

    And therein lies the truth of this whole mess. Integrity and courage displayed on the ground by those who do the actual fighting is not mirrored at the command level. American warriors, motivated not by politics, but by a sense of what is the right and honorable thing to do for their country, are betrayed by politicians in the White House and the Pentagon.

    Betrayed… that is the key word to be considered by the American public in its assessment of just what went on in Benghazi, Libya, and why four Americans had to die there while calling for nearby military support, which never arrived. Orders from somewhere up the chain of command, were issued to potential rescuers to stand down. Stand Down: those are bitter words to warriors who know their own kind are in jeopardy.

    I remember listening to the final radio transmissions of a long-range patrol inserted by my battalion in Vietnam in 1966 as they were discovered and quickly annihilated by the much larger North Vietnamese unit they were observing. The sense of helpless rage that consumed everyone in that command tent is indescribable. Our guys were too far away and the firefight was over too quickly for us to launch a reactionary force, so we simply had to sit and listen helplessly as they were overrun. It is one of those experiences better left in the memory cellar, a haunting recollection of listening to men die through a crackling military field radio.

    That was a terrible, horrific feeling, then, but one that should be infinitely more horrifying for those in the American government and our military command structure who sat on their hands watching video transmissions from overhead drones while four brave Americans fought for their lives. You can bet that every command element that had access to the video feed was watching it happen in real time and there must have been many of those watching or listening who shared my long-ago helpless fury, but for different reasons entirely: not that they were too far away or that they didn’t have time to react, but due to an inexplicable order that came from some unidentified level in the command structure to, “Stand down.”

    We have lost young men of immense courage here who are deserving of their nation’s highest recognition and awards for their valor. No less, their families need to know, are entitled to know, why their deaths were necessary. They lost their lives needlessly in that mission and the question begging is, “Why?” Hopefully, with a Romney administration, we just might get an answer to that question, but if Obama remains in office you can rest assured every effort will be directed to seeing that this military malfeasance at best, and political treachery at worst, will be swept under that old raggedy rug of political corruption.

    Here’s a very spot-on quote from military writer Tom Ricks regarding the divide between troops on the ground and their commanders:

    BIZARRELY, THE TACTICAL excellence of enlisted soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan may have enabled and amplified the strategic incompetence of the generals in those wars, allowing long-running problems in the military’s leadership culture to reach their full expression. The Army’s combat effectiveness let its generals dither for much longer than they could have if the Army had been suffering clear tactical setbacks. “One of the reasons we were able to hold on despite a failing strategy, and then turn the situation around, was that our soldiers continued to be led by highly competent, professional junior officers and noncommissioned officers whom they respected,” Sean MacFarland, who as a brigade commander in Ramadi in 2006 was responsible for a major counterinsurgency success, said at a 2010 Army symposium on leadership. “And they gave us senior officers the breathing space that we needed, but probably didn’t deserve, to properly understand the fight we were in.”

    It is, as history will always attest, the grunt, the guy slugging it out in the mud and the blood, who keeps these so-called leaders, these perfumed princes and posturing politicians, from being exposed as the heartless manipulators they really are. While Liz Cheney was spot-on when she noted that these young warriors in Benghazi deserved a commander-in-chief with standards as high as their own. I would rephrase that to, “Cojónes as big as their own.” Unfortunately, their commander-in-chief and his pentagon poodles all appear to have been neutered.

    Crossposted at American Thinker

  • While Others Seek Shelter…

    While Washington is closed down by Hurricane Sandy and the country is left to wonder why there was no attempt by our military to save our brave SEALs at Benghazi, one small group of Americans stands tall in the face of nature’s adversity. I’d be willing to bet that in spite of their creed, the U.S. Postal Service is on hold until the storm passes, but not the Third Herd, the 3rd Infantry Regiment of the United States Army, whose proud members will be walking their posts at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier 24/7 throughout this fierce storm while others of their regiment may be serving in far-flung areas of conflict.

    As reported by the military blog, This Ain’t Hell (But you can see it from here), the 3rd Infantry Regiment, known traditionally as the Old Guard, and within the ranks of fellow soldiers, as the Third Herd, is maintaining its presence at the Tomb, in Arlington National Cemetery, regardless of the weather conditions. These dedicated young sentinels, many of them combat veterans, take a deadly serious view of their duty to guard and honor the burial place of those unknown American warriors lost in foreign battles where battlefield conditions denied the ability to identify their remains. We, as a nation, owe these guardians of that hallowed tomb a great debt, as they serve under the most adverse of conditions, such as now, during this monster hurricane, to fulfill this nation’s debt to our unknown dead.

    Many of these young sentries will be soaked and chilled to the bone, shivering throughout their marching tours as Sandy passes their sacred post, but you can bet the farm they will be there, come whatever nature delivers. Their service may not quite measure up to the rigors of ground combat, but it requires a stoic, noble sacrifice which is to be honored and respected, make no mistake. You soldiers of the Third Herd, as an old combat infantryman, I think I speak for millions of my brothers when I say: We deeply respect your sense of duty, honor, country, and salute your service.

    Crossposted at American Thinker

  • A Narcissist’s 9/11 Bedtime Prayer

    Now I lay me down to sleep.
    I pray those SEALs aren’t in too deep.
    But if they die before I wake,
    I’m sure I’ll get a media break.

    Now I lay me down to sleep.
    I hope this doesn’t turn to (bleep).
    Let others watch throughout the night.
    I’ve got an early Vegas flight.

    Now I lay me down to sleep.
    I fear the price they’ll pay is steep.
    But look at it my personal way,
    It won’t be my most optimal day.

    Now I lay me down to sleep.
    I know my flacks can surely keep
    The truth from getting in the way,
    Until polls close Election Day.

    Now I lay me down to sleep,
    To dream of goals that I must keep;
    To close my ears to all your pleas,
    As I bring America to her knees.

  • You Weren’t so ‘FAST’ at 3:00 am, Obama…

    One of my first thoughts when I heard that our consulate in Benghazi had been overrun with four Americans being killed was, where was FAST (Fleet Anti-terrorist Security Team)?

    While I read news reports that special operations units in Europe had been alerted, I couldn’t help but wonder, where were the troops specifically trained for such a mission? It wasn’t until today that I learned a FAST team had indeed been dispatched to Benghazi, but not until after the fatal attack.

    Had minimal foresight been exercised by the Obama administration, one of the most highly-trained and little-known, quick-response specialty units in the Marine Corps could have been on site in anticipation of heightened violence on September 11th, which as my wife reminded me, was the eleventh anniversary of 9/11, making it even more meaningful to Muslim terrorist planners.

    The Marine Corps Security Force Regiment, headquartered in the Norfolk, Virginia area, whose primary mission is naval security and anti/counter terrorism, has companies and teams of former infantry Marines who have volunteered or been selected for these specialized operations, spread about the world to protect American interests. These are some very tough, very deadly specialists, heavily trained in CQB, Close Quarters Battle, and SWAT tactics. Had a FAST platoon been on the ground in Libya as a sensible precaution, they, with their naval support, most likely would have made short work of the attacking terrorists and denied the Islamists the triumph of killing an American ambassador.

    Since FAST units had already been deployed to multiple locations in North Africa during the various Arab Spring uprisings, it is incomprehensible that no one responsible for diplomatic security saw fit to have, at the minimum, a platoon of these lethal specialists deployed to embassies and consulates throughout that region, at the ready to deal with contingencies that might arise during the 9/11 anniversary.

    The FAST company stationed at the naval base in Rota, Spain, some 1500 miles from Libya, is supposed to have several hundred Marines assigned. The FAST company at Manama, Bahrain may be even closer. Just fifty of those heavily-armed, fierce defenders from either base could have made a huge difference, perhaps even deterring any attack at all by their very presence. Further, FAST units are sometimes deployed afloat with the fleet, meaning that there may have been one of these teams aboard a ship much closer to the site of the attack at the time it commenced.

    What is truly amazing, and will be infinitely more difficult for the Obama administration to explain, is that an available force of Marines, specifically trained in embassy and consulate defense, was not alerted and in the air immediately when the first shot was fired in Benghazi. Instead, they were only ordered in after the battle was concluded and four Americans lay dead. Reports coming out now verify that personnel in the consulate sought reinforcements for almost seven hours without success.

    America failed to support her outposts on foreign ground at a time when the locals were demonstrably hostile. It would appear that Hillary’s campaign ad was prescient; Obama did indeed get that 3:00 am call when Americans were in harm’s way:

    And, as his fellow-Democrat, now Secretary of State, had predicted four years ago, it went unanswered.

    Crossposted at American Thinker

  • An Old War Horse Passes

    America lost one of her great old war horses last week when Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Basil L. Plumley passed away at 92 in Columbus, Georgia. CSM Plumley was probably the country’s best-known sergeant major, thanks to Sam Elliott’s memorable portrayal of him in the movie We Were Soldiers Once…and Young, the filmed version of the book by Joe Galloway and retired Lieutenant General Hal Moore. That book chronicled America’s first major battle of the Vietnam War, when a battalion of American infantry under the command of then-Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Moore was the first unit of the newly-arrived-in-Vietnam 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) to test the air assault concept against a viable enemy force in the Ia Drang Valley.

    The movie, starring Mel Gibson as LTC Moore, leading the 1st Battalion of the famed 7th Cavalry Regiment, was a big hit, but also a gut-wrencher for many of us who served as combat infantrymen in that war. It is probably the most honest depiction of ground combat in Vietnam that has been produced to date. And throughout the chaotic battle sequences of that movie is the steady, fearless image of SGM Plumley moving through the battle area, calming his young paratroopers and keeping them focused on the mission. In a quite moving video, Joseph Galloway relates how Plumley, standing fearlessly in the heat of the battle, reminded the young combat photographer who was fearfully hugging the earth that he couldn’t “[t]ake no pictures down there, boy.” You really should take a few minutes and watch the funeral video; stay with it until it gets to Galloway’s comments. It’s worth it.

    Command Sergeant Major Plumley served this country in three wars: WWII, the Korean War, and Vietnam. He was, without question, the absolute essence of a warrior. I doubt that he would have ever considered himself a hero, as that term is so overused in these times, but I’ll wager he would heartily agree to my description of him as an old war horse.

    And he’s one who’s earned his retirement to that great, green pasture in the sky.

    Rest in peace, Sergeant Major, and Garry Owen!

    Author’s note: I had the distinct honor of serving as Colonel Moore’s radio operator for a very brief and intense 36 hours or so during the little-known and sparsely chronicled Battle of Truong Luong in the summer of 1966. To me, a young staff sergeant at the time, he was the ultimate lean, mean Airborne commander. I will cherish the honor of meeting that pillar of infantry honor until the day the bugle blows for me.

    Crossposted at American Thinker.

  • My Basketball Diaries from the Nineteenth Hole

    Just before the raid on the Benghazi consulate we were informed by the conservative media that our president had not been attending his daily intelligence briefings for some time. The reason offered up by the White House spinmeisters was that this president is just so much more intellectually advanced than all his predecessors that he could duplicate in his wondrous mind with a solitary reading, all the give and take that might arise in a daily briefing with the world’s foremost intelligence masters or their hand-picked representatives.

    Boil that down to common vernacular and what they were telling us was that Obama possesses such a superior intellect that he doesn’t need these briefings by some of America’s brightest people. No, this guy, whom the we people have been told is a genius, without a single college transcript to substantiate that claim, can just absorb it all by some osmotic process while he’s playing golf or basketball or appearing on adoring television venues. What that means, America, is that our chief executive, our commander-in-chief, is just too damned smart to be bothered with going through the motions, procedures and protocols, established over long decades for that exalted position, of determining what is working and what is not.

    Distilled to its essence: Barry’s above all that political process crap.

    With the anniversary of our horrific and worst terrorist attack recently passed, where was our president? Well, according to public knowledge, for part of that time he was on The View, languishing in the adoration of all those liberal twits as eye candy. For another portion of it he was wallowing in Letterman’s truly icky man-love. Where he most decidedly wasn’t, was in the White House briefing room with the intelligence leaders of this nation, who might, who just might, with the reams of hyper-secrets they are privy to, have informed him of a potentially lethal threat in Libya.

    Hillary Clinton was ever so right when she tried to warn the nation that Barry Obama, boy-wonder of a Chicago community organizer, wasn’t even close to being ready to handle that 3:00 am international crisis call. Hell, this guy is incapable of handling a 3:00 PM crisis call, probably because he’s out on the golf course somewhere or practicing lay-ups in the gym. But that’s OK, America, cause the dude is just so incredibly smart that he can deal with whatever comes up.

    Like the Benghazi massacre? Well, aren’t we all just bowled over with how efficiently and effectively this super-smart Chicago dude has dealt with this crisis? What? You think maybe he’s not just dropped the ball but is trying to convince the public he wasn’t even a player? No, you fools, that was Hillary’s game. Our boy Bo didn’t have anything in play there. How could he be at fault when the schedule will show he was triple-checking his lie on the seventh hole just as all that diplomatic crap was falling apart? OK, well hell, if it wasn’t Hillary, it just had to be Petraeus, then, who screwed things up so badly. Yeah, this loser general who only made four stars fighting multiple wars simply must have failed to inform our national community organizer, don’t you think?

    This whole Libyan mess couldn’t possibly have been the fault of the first post-racial president, an inexperienced and unqualified fool, too lazy and too arrogant to take his daily intelligence briefings, now could it? Nah, he’d rather do layups and easy puts.
    Obama’s inevitable memoirs should be entitled, “My Basketball Diaries from the Nineteenth Hole.”

  • Biden’s Bully Pulpit

    Reading through the blogosphere yesterday, it seemed to me that the conventional post-debate wisdom was that Joe Biden’s boorish behavior during the VP debate was intentional, at least in part, as a means of firing up the demoralized Democrat base. That the left would even admit that it is demoralized is telling when we are this close to the election, but it is the contention that Biden’s performance was aimed at re-energizing the base, much of which in the last election was made up by the 18-24 demographic, that seems rather lame to this observer.

    What do the proponents of this theory see in Biden’s browbeating that has youthful appeal other than its in-your-face-America defiance? Here we have a pompous pol with phony old guy written all over him to youthful viewers, what with his hair plugs and improbably perfect dental implants, not just imperiously talking over his serious, well-informed, youthful opponent, but condescendingly and disrespectfully wagging his bony index finger in the face of the female moderator who seemed cowed by his aggression. Somehow I have a problem seeing Old Joe’s bullying behavior as being appealing to very many young folks whose youthful status too often renders them victims to similar condescension from arrogant professors, demanding bosses and even older family members who still view them as callow children.

    Not all of the 2008 youth vote for Obama came from hard left, Occupy types; many serious young people sincerely seeking to make this a better world joined the Hope & Change campaign. How many of those, this time around, have had the blinders removed by the reality that their faith in a supposedly transformative Obama was squandered on just another glib politician? How many of those young people do you think were impressed by Biden’s buffoonery? Sure, the Occupy fools who believe urinating on a police car is a meaningful political statement would no doubt be impressed with Joe’s bluster and bullying, but how many of them do you think were actually doing anything as responsible as watching a televised political debate? As opposed to the serious students and the gainfully employed in the youth cohort?

    True, Biden’s atrocious display may have fired up a few of the faithful on the far left, especially some of the administration’s apologists in the media, like Daily Kos who sent me an email claiming Uncle Joe had brought us back from the Obama debate debacle. But I’ll wager that even many loyal, older Democrats had to experience some queasiness watching the man they want to re-elect to be a heartbeat away from the presidency, demonstrate such immaturity and poor character in front of a nationwide audience. Worse, what were the independents and the Reagan Democrats out in flyover land likely to take away from such a display of deficient judgment?

    It is highly likely that those who are praising Biden’s performance are going to be jerked back to reality when the polls reveal America’s response to his jerkish behavior. And if Biden’s boorishness was in fact intentional, as some liberals have proclaimed, the situation becomes even worse. The man was given the bully pulpit and he proceeded to use it as any bully would, a not-so-smart move in a nation where bullying is one of the serious social pathologies of our time.

    Crossposted at American Thinker