-Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"> </A> -Cui Bono?- WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a prelude to war! VOICE OF THE GRUNT, 2000-02-16-B ========================================================== ARTICLE 7 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "What ever happened to Private Ryan's Army?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Reasons for a mediocre Army. This retired Sergeant Major sheds light on why we don't care for a strong, elite Army and why warriors only appear in time of conflict. ************************************************************************ By SGM (ret.) John Boyce As one old soldier to another I think I can tell you what happened. It's what always happens to the US Army. It's gone on its butt - again! As a general statement that's where it usually is -- on its butt. Private Ryan's army was the US Army at it's best, perhaps its all time best. In normal times the Army ranges from moderately foolish to absolute farce. Two or three times it has risen to the heroic stature of Private Ryan. But not often and never for long! For the most part, Lt. Gen. Claudia Kennedy is a reasonably good example of the Army as it normally is. Not necessarily in her specific commitment to the goofy notion that sensitivity training has a place in a war fighting machine, but as typical of the unfocused, tangentially preoccupied and essentially specious military leadership that is out historic norm. Let me start with the bottom line so you'll know from the beginning where I'm trying to go. That line is: "There is no perceived need." That is, over the long run, we have not perceived the need to sustain a quality ground force; therefore we have never made the effort. Further, I would argue, the perception is correct. With a couple of exceptions, we have not had the need. Thus we have the Generals Kennedy et el. I take a Darwinian view. We needn't look at anything that doesn't contribute to our survival. I think that's a rational approach. We only do those things that contribute to our survival. As we are, allegedly, a sentient species, I think I would modify that to say we only do those things that we "perceive" are contributory to our survival. Further, I am being "descriptive" not "prescriptive." I am describing what I think, "is" the case, not what I think "ought" to be the case. First let me offer some generalities: I'm not sure whether war is systemic or endemic. Is it part of the hardware or part of the software? I've always believed hardware; now I'm leaning toward software. If it is systemic, (hardware) then should we not expect that we (we the species) would do a much better job of retaining war-related lessons learned? I'm willing to argue yes. That is, if it were "in our blood" so to speak, you would not have to go to school to learn basic warrior skills. It would be second nature. Oops, it would be our "prime" nature. If it were fundamental to us, I think we would be much better at it. Perhaps it's a good thing it's not systemic. If it is not, we may be re-programmable -- without fundamentally altering and/or distorting the species. How many warriors are there in a given society at any given time? (Indeed what is a warrior -- another serious question). I've heard general officers say that every one in a uniform is a warrior. I think not. My WAG (Wild Assed Guess) is the number is somewhere between 4-7%. So what's the point? If it were more like, say 50%, we would retain the lessons much better. And we would likely be at each other's throats all the time. We always complain that we are forever getting ready for the last war. This is somehow considered a deficiency. Not true I think. What else do the "powers that be" know but the last one? The next one will always be redefined on the battlefield as it unfolds. By contrast, Training And Doctrine Command (TRADOC) says they will scope out the next one before it happens and have the answers ready before we go. They will do it by, "...climbing to the top of the virtual Mt. and surveying the terrain." (That's a paraphrase of TRADOC's mission statement.) Wrong! It won't be from a virtual Mt. Top; it'll be, as always, written in blood. The traditionally large number of early casualties will demonstrate the sharpness of the learning curve. I think that is the way it is; it is probably the way it must be. (Remember, I'm being descriptive, not prescriptive -- "is" not "ought"). Point being, TRADOC not withstanding, we'll continue doing what we have always done -- not be ready. What I say is for the US Army, not for our Navy and not the Air Force. I don't have any opinion on the Air force, but I believe the Navy has always been a cut or two above the Army. This has always been so. Also, I would point out that some of the sloppiness of the Army is in direct proportion to the overall efficiency of the Navy. This is, I think a truism, probably good for all cultures and times. The point is, for a maritime power (such as we are) if you can hammer them at Trafalgar, you don't have to worry about stopping them on the beaches of Dover or the salt marches of the Thames. The squids will claim they have always been a more competent crew than the Army. The fundamental reason is, they insist, that they have to do battle with the larger enemies all the time -- the weather and the sea. Thus, critical institutional knowledge is kept current. Not so for land forces. The four pillars of incompetence: 1. The Atlantic Ocean: Number one by far. Napoleon couldn't even get the 21 (23?) miles to Dover. From there it would be what, a two thousand-mile march to New York? You can get away with a lot of stupid things with that kind of protection. 2. The Pacific Ocean: Same as the Atlantic only bigger. Following Pearl Harbor, we sustained minuscule damage on the West Coast in W.W.II from Japan. That's been it. 3. Canada: Excepting one significant invasion attempt, remains a friendly (and comparatively weak) neighbor to the North. 4 Mexico: Even less of a threat to the South. To me this is the crux of it. We as a country, as a culture, as a people, never have correctly understood that we do not have a need for much of an Army. We are the benefactors/victims of our geopolitical reality. We have no immediate, obvious military threats. Large or small, competent or bumbling, our Army's never been anything we much worry about. On specific occasions, and for short periods of time, yes. For the most part and over the long haul, no. As soon as the perceived threat goes away the Army goes away. This is reflected in congressional budgets, public opinion polls, recruiting standards, Army pay, and a zillion other ways. We have more history with the hollow Army than the efficient Army. We have had more inadequate armies than competent armies. We have had more shriveled up armies than bloated armies. Even now, we are shriveled in machine gunners and bloated in generals. Part of the reason for this is we the people don't really care. It's nothing we worry about. We don't see the need. Indeed we don't have a need. If we're in trouble, we have always had the time to get ready. That's probably still the case. Power projection? We probably have the time, if we have the will, to protect our "vital interest" in other parts of the world. Yet, I note we won't even properly fund or make valid our two regional conflict concept. Who's kidding whom? In terms of personalities, I'm afraid we can expect a plethora of Kennedy's (male and female) a few George A. Custers and a dearth of George S. Pattons. To use David Halberstam's phrase "the brightest and the best" may start off at West Point but they don't stick around like they used to. Patton may have gone to the Point but he would now be working for Microsoft or HP. Perhaps McClellans are what we have the most of. McClellans and some Meads. In ether case, they represent about what we can expect in military leadership. Anything more is an accidental bonus. President Coolidge is supposed to have said, "The nation's business is business." That's a heck of a lot closer to what we really believe than, "National security is our business." That goes in the "lip service only" file. How many times have we vowed, "never again?" "Never again" is only sustained by a perceived threat. Time (and often success) erodes everything. Notice how, during the Empire, the Romans fell away from the arduous and time-consuming practice of castramentation, that bulwark of the Republican armies. Watch for the increasing use of "notional play" at the National Training Center. The erosion of the integrity of the NTC and JRTC is my personal barometer of our seriousness in maintaining combat standards. ========================================================= ARTICLE 8 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ More on Medals and Recognition ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Real warriors don't talk much about true accomplishments, nor do they have to sport many meaningless badges. They know what they have accomplished…A recent talk with my WWII veteran father reminded me of that. ************************************************************************ Contributed by Bruce Junor It was at the 101st Airborne Division reunion a year ago or so. These stud-type guys were all standing around with ribbons, shiny jump boots, etc, when these old, bent-over guys came by. The young guys were very courteous and acted like gentlemen...and they were all talking about how many jumps they had, and the old guys were asking about the equipment and how it worked, etc. Somebody asked one of the noisy studs how many jumps they had, and one guy responded 402, and another said 377. Somebody then asked one of the bent-over guys how many jumps he had. This old guy, he was about 75, said - only four -- "North Africa, Anzio, Normandy and Eindhoven." The noisy guys just quietly walked off. Those were the guys who paid some very serious dues... a long time before any of us. ========================================================== MEDAL OF HONOR -- ARTICLE 9 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As we are nearing the 50Th anniversary of the Korean War we will highlight some of the Medal of Honor recipients of that conflict. Here is a story of officer leadership from the front. A great reminder for today's senior leaders. Researched by James H. ************************************************************************ DAVIS, RAYMOND G. Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps commanding officer, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein.). Place and date: Vicinity Hagaru-ri, Korea, 1 through 4 December 1950. Entered service at: Atlanta, Ga. Born: 13 January 1915, Fitzgerald, Ga. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, in action against enemy aggressor forces. Although keenly aware that the operation involved breaking through a surrounding enemy and advancing 8 miles along primitive icy trails in the bitter cold with every passage disputed by a savage and determined foe, Lt. Col. Davis boldly led his battalion into the attack in a daring attempt to relieve a beleaguered rifle company and to seize, hold, and defend a vital mountain pass controlling the only route available for 2 marine regiments in danger of being cut off by numerically superior hostile forces during their re-deployment to the port of Hungnam. When the battalion immediately encountered strong opposition from entrenched enemy forces commanding high ground in the path of the advance, he promptly spearheaded his unit in a fierce attack up the steep, ice-covered slopes in the face of withering fire and, personally leading the assault groups in a hand-to-hand encounter, drove the hostile troops from their positions, rested his men, and reconnoitered the area under enemy fire to determine the best route for continuing the mission. Always in the thick of the fighting Lt. Col. Davis led his battalion over 3 successive ridges in the deep snow in continuous attacks against the enemy and, constantly inspiring and encouraging his men throughout the night, brought his unit to a point within 1,500 yards of the surrounded rifle company by daybreak. Although knocked to the ground when a shell fragment struck his helmet and 2 bullets pierced his clothing, he arose and fought his way forward at the head of his men until he reached the isolated marines. On the following morning, he bravely led his battalion in securing the vital mountain pass from a strongly entrenched and numerically superior hostile force, carrying all his wounded with him, including 22 litter cases and numerous ambulatory patients. Despite repeated savage and heavy assaults by the enemy, he stubbornly held the vital terrain until the 2 regiments of the division had deployed through the pass and, on the morning of 4 December, led his battalion into Hagaru-ri intact. By his superb leadership, outstanding courage, and brilliant tactical ability, Lt. Col. Davis was directly instrumental in saving the beleaguered rifle company from complete annihilation and enabled the 2 marine regiments to escape possible destruction. His valiant devotion to duty and unyielding fighting spirit in the face of almost insurmountable odds enhance and sustain the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. ========================================================== ARTICLE 10 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GI HUMOR - Snake Business ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ed.: Take the test yourself. What to do with a snake in the Joint environment? Here are the service solutions… ********************************************************************** 1. Navy SEAL: Makes contact with snake, ignores all State Department directives and Theater Commander Rules of Engagement by building rapport with snake and winning its heart and mind. Trains it to kill other snakes. Files enormous travel claim for Sea, Land & Air transportation upon return. 2. F-15 Eagle pilot: Mis-identifies snake as enemy Mil-24 Hind helicopter and engages with missiles. Crew chief paints snake kill on aircraft. 3. Armor: Runs over snake, laughs, and looks for more snakes. 4. Infantry: Snake smells them, leaves area. 5. Marine: Kills snake by accident while looking for souvenirs. Local civilians demand removal of all US forces from Area of Operations. 6. Navy: Fires off 50 cruise missiles from various types of ships, kills snake and makes presentation to Senate Appropriations Committee on how Naval forces are the most cost-effective means of anti-snake force projection. 7. Marine Recon: Follows snake, gets lost. 8. Field Artillery: Kills snake with massive Time On Target barrage with three Forward Artillery Brigades in support. Kills several hundred civilians as unavoidable collateral damage. Mission is considered a success and all participants (i.e., cooks, mechanics and clerks) are awarded Silver Stars. 9. AF Para-Rescue Jumper: Wounds snake in initial encounter, then works feverishly to save snake's life. 10. Intelligence Officer: Snake? What snake? Only four of 35 indicators of snake activity are currently active. We assess the potential for snake activity as LOW. 11. Judge Advocate General (JAG): Snake declines to bite, citing grounds of professional courtesy. 12. Retiree: Knows location of snake den. Wrestles local snakes at political rally in attempt to get disability compensation and COLA increase. ========================================================= **COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. 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