Category: Military issues

On May 1st, the Armed Services Committee sent the Defense Budget to Congress for a vote. In the bill, in section 583, the committee submitted that the Purple Heart should be awarded to the six active duty members of the military who died in Oklahoma when terrorists bombed the Murrah Federal Building;

SEC. 583. AWARD OF PURPLE HEART TO MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES WHO WERE VICTIMS OF THE OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA, BOMBING.
Notwithstanding section 571(a)(2) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (Public Law 113–291; 128 Stat. 3387), the Secretary of the military department concerned shall award the Purple Heart pursuant to section 1129a of title 10, United States Code, to the following members of the Armed Forces who were killed in the bombing that occurred at the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on April 19, 1995:

(1) Sergeant First Class Lola Renee Bolden, United States Army.
(2) Sergeant Benjamin Laranzo Davis, United States Marine Corps.
(3) Captain Randolph Albert Guzman, United States Marine Corps.
(4) Airman First Class Lakesha Racquel Levy,United States Air Force.
(5) Airman First Class Cartney Jean Mcraven, United States Air Force.
(6) Master Sergeant Victoria Lee Sohn, United States Army.

The Military Order of the Purple Heart has expressed their displeasure in a press release;

While the MOPH is sympathetic to the loss suffered by the families and friends of the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing, and especially those who were serving at the time in the Armed Forces of the U.S. it cannot support or condone award of America’s oldest and most venerated combat decoration for an act of pure domestic violence. The attack on the Federal Building which killed 168 people and injured more than 680 others on April 19, 1995 was carried out by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols solely in retaliation for a perceived Federal Government mishandling of the 1993 siege of Ruby Ridge, and was timed to coincide with the second anniversary of the deadly fire that ended the siege in Waco, TX.

The criteria for award of the Purple Heart medal has been constant and clear – it is awarded only to those who are killed or wounded in combat. In recent years the criteria has been extended to accommodate a change in warfare that has brought the battlefield to our own shores in the form of international terrorism. The MOPH has fully supported award of the Purple Heart to victims in the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, and the 2009 Ft. Hood, TX, and the Little Rock AR Recruiting Station shootings because these incidents were clearly inspired or motivated by international terrorist organizations. The Oklahoma City bombing had nothing to do with combat on the battlefield or international terrorism.

The MOPH urges all Members of the US Senate and House of Representatives, especially those who serve on the Armed Services Committees, to reject this amendment that would cheapen the intent and importance of the Purple Heart medal and denigrate its meaning for those who have received it for their sacrifices to protect the freedoms that all Americans enjoy.

While I agree with the MOPH to some degree, I disagree that it was merely an instance of domestic terrorism, or that should be the sole reason that they oppose the award. The Fort Hood attack could be accurately described as a case of domestic terrorism – an American member of the military attacks other American members of the military to make a political statement about the war in the middle east.

Sergeant James Goins was awarded a Purple Heart on April 30th, 1986 for the injuries he sustained when Libyans bombed the West Berlin LaBelle Disco – he died a few weeks later after losing both legs to the surgeons. But he was out on the town, drinking and dancing when he got clobbered by terrorists.

I’m still not sure why Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols bombed the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, I don’t think they were clear on their reasons either. But the list of members of the military above who lost their lives that day were at their duty station and engaged in daily duties when they lost their lives. Just like my wife’s friend, Captain Maria Ines Ortiz who lost her life while she was doing her daily PT run inside the Green Zone in Iraq. She was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously.

I guess my point is that in this day and age, just doing your duty, just being where you’re supposed to be, no matter where that is, no matter how mundane your job is, that’s enough to get you killed in the war against terror. Ask Private William Long and Private Quinton Ezeagwula who happened to be on hometown recruiter duty and on a smoke break in Little Rock when Carlos Bledsoe decided to shoot them and resulting in Private Long’s death on June 1, 2009.

In my opinion, MOPH should be lobbying for Long’s and Ezeagwula’s awards of the Purple Heart for the same reasons that they oppose the award to the deceased from the Murrah Building.

Ya know those “Hometown Heroes” spots during your NFL sports games where the game stops and some local guy or girl trots out on the field in uniform to wild applause from the crowd? Well, I hope you enjoy them because New Jersey.com says that you’re paying the NFL for them;

The Department of Defense and the Jersey Guard paid the Jets a total of $377,000 from 2011 to 2014 for the salutes and other advertising, according to federal contracts. Overall, the Defense Department has paid 14 NFL teams $5.4 million during that time, of which $5.3 million was paid by the National Guard to 11 teams under similar contracts.

U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who routinely posts examples of what he calls wasteful spending, called out the Jets’ agreement as wasteful and disingenuous.

“Those of us go to sporting events and see them honoring the heroes,” Flake said in an interview. “You get a good feeling in your heart. Then to find out they’re doing it because they’re compensated for it, it leaves you underwhelmed. It seems a little unseemly.”

Yeah, in fact it’s a lot like prostitution – taxpayers giving up our money to feel good for a little while. We get the impression that the NFL is doing this for altruistic reasons, for patriotic reasons, only to find out that we’re paying them to do it.

The Associated Press reports that the Pentagon has increased threat awareness at military bases in the US;

The baseline level went from A to B, although most military installations — including the Pentagon — were already at a slightly higher level of protection than level A. There are four levels, A through D.

Army Col. Steve Warren says the increase was not triggered by a specific event. He says it was due to a generally heightened threat environment, which would include the recent terror threat and attempted attack surrounding a provocative cartoon contest in Texas.

So, their idea of increasing threat awareness seems to include more thorough bag and vehicle checks at base entrances. In other words, they’re just giving the impression that they’re more aware.I guess gate guards will be the answer, instead of allowing folks to arm themselves, at least long enough to get to work.

I hate to give anyone ideas, but if I were a terrorist leaning towards taking out a bunch of US soldiers, I’d lay in wait at a busy gate when all of those unarmed, unprotected people are lined up waiting to go through the vehicle checks.

I’ve been watching this video for the last few weeks and at first I thought maybe it was bogus, but I’ve been assured that it’s not. It’s a video of Captain Sarah Cudd finishing the 12-mile road march for her Expert Field Medical Badge test. It’s pretty painful to watch – especially from the perspective of the guy who ran the 3rd infantry Division’s Expert Infantry Badge testing for three years straight. I’ll admit that I get tired just driving twelve miles these days, but then it isn’t my job to be the physically magnificent specimen I was twenty years ago. If I was at the finish line when Captain Cudd crossed it, I would have figured that she hadn’t spent anytime training for the award she sought to earn.

Even in mechanized infantry units we had to make this trek quarterly – not including the EIB testing. She had her reflective belt on, so I don’t see what the problem was for her. Doesn’t it give you guys superpowers?

The media is all excited that she “refused to give up” – from an Army veterans’ perspective, she’d already given up when she didn’t bother to put in the requisite amount of training prior to the test.

If I remember correctly, we held our twelve mile march in the morning, meaning that after the march, the soldiers still had an entire day of multiple tasks to perform without error. Captain Cudd looks like she’s ready to spend the day in the medics’ tent snoozing.

Yeah, you can hate on me, but I’d say the exact same thing about a male EFMB candidate. It was only 12 miles, for Pete’s sake.

A number of people across the country have collectively lost their shit over the prospect of Special Forces and Ranger soldiers taking part in an exercise in Texas that has been named Jade Helm 15. They’re the same folks who are watching in amazement those videos of the reptile people on YouTube – they’re the vinegar-spraying people trying to make the chem-trails disappear. Ex-PH2 sends this link from MSN about a press conference that the Pentagon held to explain the exercise to the media (a futile endeavor, I assure you);

“Operation Jade Helm poses no threat to any American’s civil liberties,” Army Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, said Monday. “Operation Jade Helm is being conducted by Americans — by, specifically, American special forces personnel.”

Jade Helm 15 will be one of the biggest peacetime military exercises in six decades. Starting July 15 and lasting two months, thousands of Army Rangers, Green Berets, Navy SEALS and other special operations forces will simulate war missions in mainly remote areas of Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Texas and Utah.

Jade Helm 15 will take place on tracts of both public and private land in the seven states.

Yeah, well, that’s what they’d say if they were lying, isn’t it?

There are exercises on private and public land in Germany, in Alaska and in Korea. When the exercise was over, we packed up our stuff and left those places just the way we found it, generally speaking. But the hype is being fueled by the nut jobs like those folks at Infowars.

But, seriously, do you think that kid who delivered your newspaper ten years ago who is now an Army Ranger would lock you up in an abandoned Walmart? Those kids who played Little League with your child would kick down your door and haul you off to a FEMA camp? Do you think a patriotic guy like Chris Kyle who took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution would deny you your rights? It’s not like there’s a farm somewhere that grows special forces soldiers for the government – they come from your neighborhoods, from your schools. They packed your groceries at the supermarket. They mowed your lawn, they raked your leaves and shoveled your walk.

I’ll admit that I don’t like the current administration and I don’t trust them out of my sight, but I have faith in the Americans in the military who stand between us and them. I also trust the FBI, the NSA, the CIA, The Men In Black and S.H.I.E.L.D to protect my rights. Of course, in the six years that I’ve lived here, I’ve seen not one chemtrail over my house. I’ve also been accused of being a space alien (or at least, I have knowledge of space aliens and their technology) because of where I worked until last year. So, what do I know?

Parachute riggers with the 421st Quartermaster Company suffered a few mishaps yesterday during a training jump according to WFXL;

SPC John Gunn was taken to the Phoebe Sumter Hospital for treatment after injuring his knee while landing on the tarmac.

1st Lt. Alex Francisco hit the power lines and landed in a nearby tree. Sumter County Sheriff Pete Smith says that 1st Lt. Francisco suffered burns to the middle of her body and was life flighted for treatment.

SSG Bridgeman says that the equipment used did not malfunction and that “accidents happen.”

The 421st is an aerial delivery support unit at Fort Valley, Georgia. Training for war is tough.