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Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War!
SOLDIERS FOR THE TRUTH
"DEFENDING AMERICA NEWSLETTER"
23 August 2000
"When we assumed the Soldier, we did not lay aside the Citizen."
General George Washington, New York Legislature, 1775
"Our militia will be heroes, if we have heroes to lead them."
Thomas Jefferson
Soldiers For The Truth Foundation, PO Box 63840, Colorado Springs, CO
80962-3840
HTTP://WWW.SFTT.ORG
***********************************************************
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
SITREP from the President
HOT BUTTONS!
Hack's Column:
Let the Defense Debate Begin
"From Zimm's Position" -- On the way!"
Article 1 - Candidates, show us your Vision!
Big Picture:
Article 2 - Ready, aim ...WASTE!!!
Article 3 - Pentagon May Fund Gallo's Alcoholism Research
Article 4 - Rescue Readiness: U.S. Navy about to Retire One of Two Top Rescue
Subs
Voices from the Field:
Article 5 -- Not Ready, SIR!!!
Article 6 -- Combat Readiness - Rounds out of Impact!
Article 7 -- Navy - a Saga of two Squadrons sharing one Plane and a lack of
Spare Parts
Article 8 -- Air Force Mentoring - cultivate Experience
Article 9 -- Laptops won't buy Quality Engineer Diggers!
Article 10 -- Command Sergeants Major - have they become Enlisted Generals?
Article 11 -- Submarine Raised
Article 12 -- Quality of Life Update: Medicinal Pork, Active Duty - Get out
the Vote
G.I Humor:
Article 13 -- GI HUMOR - Something is wrong with my Plane!
Medal of Honor:
Article 14 -- DeBLANC, JEFFERSON JOSEPH, WWII 1943 (Pacific)
SITREP:
1. Main topics: 1) Readiness in Political Debate 2) Reality: Combat Readiness
and Training 3) CSM's - the new Enlisted Generals? 4) Quality of
Life/Healthcare
2. Hot Buttons:
A. THIS IS AN ABBREVIATED SFTT NEWSLETTER. It consists of the full table of
contents, our SITREP and the first two articles. You can obtain the rest of
the newsletter from our website at www.sftt.org.
B. Let's join the political debate.
- Readiness and Morale are great in accordance with the current SecDef and
his generals.
We want the Truth! We need your feedback to tell us what YOU experience about
unit manning, training, repair parts, stocks, leadership etc. Tell us how you
envision the big politicians could fix it, knowing that more money isn't
always the answer. Many of your leaders read this letter - take the truth to
them!
!!! NOTE: We will NEVER reveal your true identity unless you give us your
approval. We know how vindictive the system can be.
3. Flash
!!! Need help in the marketing arena to redesign our website to help offset
some of the Internet operating expenses.
!!! Credit Card donation via our WEBSITE at www.sftt.org -- IT IS UP and
RUNNING!
!!! PLEASE continue your financial support for us.
***So far we have received about 275 donations that keep us on a temporary
operating budget. If you are one of our almost 22,000 readers who believes we
stand for you and tell it like it is on pertinent defense issues, support us!
Just like any small business, we can't forever produce website, newsletter
and personal advice for free and survive. Remember that the Pentagon
outspends us by $289 billion and AUSA by $ 20 million.
!!! If you cant get through to me via the website, send me your mail direct
at [EMAIL PROTECTED] If you have something to be published, send it in Word
Format if possible.
!!! If you think we HIT a target, forward the newsletter to TV, radio and
your locale papers. YOU are our best recruiter and intel gatherers.
4. Other Methods of Support
Check or Money order: Send to and make payable to: Soldiers For The Truth
Foundation, PO Box 63840, Colorado Springs, CO 80962-3840.
5. REMINDERS:
Your donation is tax deductible! SFTT is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit educational
foundation, IRS # 31-1592564.
If you send us an E-MAIL address with your donation we can immediately mail
you a RECEIPT!!!!
Multiple contributions: Please remind us when you submit your donation. We
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"Crew Ready! -- LOAD SABOT - DRIVER MOVE OUT!"
R.W. Zimmermann
President SFTT
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Hack's Column
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Let the Defense Debate Begin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By David H. Hackworth
Democrat Joe Lieberman says we have "the best-trained, best-equipped,
most-powerful fighting force in the history of the world." Republican Dick
Cheney says this isn't true.
Which party's vice-presidential candidate is right?
Is Cheney yelling "Fire!" in a crowded theater when there's not even a whiff
of smoke? Is Lieberman saying the theater's sprinkler system is in perfect
shape when it's a rusted-out disaster waiting to happen?
Meanwhile, are you and your loved ones enjoying the show, sure that all's
safe and that our kids "over there" are ready with the right stuff for the
Main Event?
In every election in my memory, we've had some kind of military gap. In 1952,
it was the "bomber" gap. In 1960, the "missile" gap. In 1980, the
"our-forces-have-collapsed" gap. Now, two decades later, we have the
"are-we-ready-or-not" gap.
Has Lieberman, a man touted for his character and integrity, been conned by
the Pentagon or his speechwriters? I hope for the security of our country and
his reputation that this isn't the case.
But from my periscope, I see that more than 20 percent of our fleet can't get
under way unless they cannibalize parts and people from combat-ready ships
that will then become wharf queens. I see Air Force squadrons without the
parts or the right training to be fit to fight. I see Army maneuver units
that can't win against a play enemy at training centers and who'd lose
against a class enemy on a killing field.
Then, too, thousands of noncoms and officers from all the services give me
new intell daily. These are the idealistic leaders who haven't been co-opted
by a sick system. They're the heroes of our nation, the fine folks who man
our ships and planes and serve on point duty in dangerous places all over the
globe.
These members of the Thin Red Line know the truth because, when you are the
first to die, you are the truth.
And today the truth is that a Desert Storm brigade led by a Jim
Hollingsworth-like leader could whip any division in the U.S. Army on a slow
weekend and then clobber the rest of the divisions -- one at a time -- from
Monday to Friday.
In 1998, Defense Secretary William Cohen apologized to the Senate about
America's lousy state of military preparedness. Since then the Pentagon
propaganda poets have been chanting that people numbers are up and readiness
is improving. But setting aside the standard snake oil, if it is improved,
it's only marginally and mainly on paper.
For example, the Army is filling up its hollow divisions -- two divisions
that were declared not-good-to-go last year by their brave and honorable
generals, probably at the cost of their careers -- with fodder that normally
brings up the rear!
On the readiness charts, these units look lean and mean. But dragooned former
clerks and drivers don't become shoot-and-scoot riflemen or first-round-hit
tankers in a few months.
Only in riots do sheer numbers sometimes win fights. Trained, motivated and
well-equipped warriors with great leaders -- the kind of good people who are
leaving our armed forces in historic numbers -- win battles. Not readiness
reports with fudged scores.
I'd rather lead 10 trained, gung-ho, well-equipped warriors then a herd of
don't-want-to-be-here pretenders plunked into units just to make everything
look OK. At Thermopylae, 300 Spartans chopped down 10,000 supposedly
fit-to-fight Persians.
If Cheney can prove what he said, he owes it to America to challenge his
political rival. Getting this debate out there where we citizens can judge
the facts for ourselves should help us all -- including Lieberman -- get at
the truth.
Congress and the media have both skirted this issue. It's time they also
examined our readiness with at least the same energy and focus they brought
to the Lewinsky/Clinton maneuvers.
And before you paint me automatically into the Bush-Cheney corner, let me
tell you I'm neither a Republican nor a Democrat. I'm an American first and
foremost, an Independent who's borne witness at a dozen killing-fields where
the body bags were filled. What I've learned -- up close and personal -- from
these horror shows is that on the battlefield second place means too many
Purple Hearts and tombstones.
Our forces must be the best. And not just on paper.
***
Http://www.hackworth.com is the address of David Hackworth's home page. Sign
in for the free weekly Defending America column at his Web site. Send mail to
P.O. Box 5210, Greenwich, CT 06831.
(c) 2000 David H. Hackworth
Distributed by King Features Syndicate Inc.
===========================================================
ARTICLE 1 - "From my Position" -- On the way!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Candidates, show us your Vision!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By R.W. (Zimm) Zimmermann
President SFTT
08/20/00
The Russian navy's tragic submarine accident should give us Americans much to
think about. In recent years, the Russian military was cut from 5 million men
to roughly 1 million and now operates on a budget of $ 5 billion (vs. our $
280 billion this year). Russia's air force hasn't received a new plane since
1992 and its navy is in total disrepair. It can't send more than three
nuclear subs on patrol as compared to over 100 during the glory days of the
Cold War.
Superpowers can't sit on their laurels and cloud their memories with the
victories of the past. They must remain capable of shaping the future. A
capable military, ready to support policy and national interest in a
constantly changing world, is one of the essential tools.
Having watched both the Democratic and Republican convention circuses, I was
dismayed that none of the candidates addressed national defense in specifics,
although $ 289 billion of our tax money is at stake.
Candidate Gore avoided the topic during much of his "lifetime" speech.
Conditioned by his environment, he depends on the advice of experts who have
never served and the uniformed Pentagon Dreamworks consultants who insist
that everything is okay. Promises to all splinter/swing-vote groups made you
believe the military is somewhere included.
Candidate Bush Jr. tried to address defense by invoking the warrior spirits
of the past. Dick Cheney and Stormin' Norman couldn't convince me that they
have a total grip on current reality either. Many of us vividly remember that
Bush Sr.'s TV Gulf War was really won with Ronald Reagan's Army and that even
the most incompetent field leaders would have scored against Iraq with barely
22 million people and a third rate military.
The Republican concept will likely consist of throwing lots of money at every
problem, including much useless equipment -- from a multi-billion dollar
non-hitter missile defense to $ 10,000/18 lbs rifles. Add to that pay
increases, mainly benefiting the top brass.
Only a visionary leader can find effective solutions for our defense
problems. He must muster bold thinkers to bring necessary change. You can't
expect drastic innovations from guys who live in the past. Had it not been
for political intervention on the behalf of young non-linear military
thinkers, the old entrenched generals and admirals would have killed
innovations such as strategic bombing and armored divisions.
Any future US President should focus on these defense essentials:
Re-establish Idealistic Leadership. Re-establish the warrior ethic and give
the troops leaders who boldly lead from the front and are visible. Fire the
ones who abuse rank and privilege while our troops live in poverty. Good
leaders overcome bad programs and improve morale.
Re-build Readiness. Reinvent the services so they complement each other vs.
duplicating capabilities. Foster an elite spirit in the forces and reward
pride with targeted pay raises and incentives such as decent uniforms and
rewards for only outstanding performance. Set high standards for all military
specialties and only accept the best quality recruits. Reconsider the draft
to protect quality. Direct a rotational deployment cycle for all units to
allow for training and unit cohesion before deploying.
Improve Materials and Acquisition. Buy equipment that increases readiness,
not what the contractors peddle. Think package procurement - don't buy a
70-ton tank without support capabilities such as a capable bridge-layer,
recovery vehicle and sufficient repair parts.
Re-build Programs and Benefits. Ensure that troops are taken care of during
active duty and supply incentives to keep them until retirement. Healthcare
for active duty and retired personnel must be fixed.
The US in Strategic/ Operational context. Maintain a small but highly elite
military that only deploys in support of defined national interests. Once
committed, it must strike decisively but rapidly return to the role of
strategic quarterback. Encourage other countries to do more peacekeeping.
Don't fight a Drug War that destroys the wrong crops and turns poor farmers
into America haters. Make Congress and the people become part of the "go to
war "decisions.
Rebuild Values and Morale. Quit making the US military a social experiment
for diversity issues as only the Frankfurt School of Marxists could have
envisioned it. Teach the troops the importance of the Constitution, a common
language and stand united for our Flag.
I hope that we will have debates on these and other issues and that younger
Americans will join in. They would be the ones to do the fighting and dying,
ordered into action by older leaders who remain safe in their bunkers. SFTT
stands ready to do its part to keep the focus on the truth and our troops who
are keeping this Nation and the world in a delicate state of peace.
(c) R.W. Zimmermann, LandserUSA
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
============================================================
ARTICLE 2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ready, aim ...WASTE!!!
US Army Approves Revolutionary Infantry Weapon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ed.: The Buck Rogers guys in the Pentagon have been working on it for years -
hanging everything that you find in a tank turret, i.e. range finder, radios,
special optics, ballistic computer and more, on a single infantry grunt. They
only forgot that the grunt doesn't have a 1500hp power plant to propel
himself. Here's what really scares me: 1) The rifle weighs about 18 pounds
(the number given in the report in kilograms to trick you into thinking its'
lighter). How do you think average GI Joe and Jane will do in combat when
they have problems now doing 20 or 30 push-ups? 2) The cost: $8-10K, as
compared to $ 586.00 for an M16 with only 5 times the effectiveness of the
latter. Maybe we should rather invest in a light tank. Won't cost much more!
Excerpts from Jane's Defence Weekly, August 16, 2000.
***********************************************************
By Andrew Koch, JDW Staff Reporter
Washington DC -- The US Army has given approval for the formal acquisition
program of its next generation infantry weapon. The army gave a team headed
by Alliant Techsystems (ATK) a $95 million contract for program definition
and risk-reduction (PDRR) of the Objective Individual Combat Weapon (OICW),
fielding of which is expected to begin in Fiscal Year 2009 (FY09)...
The OICW is intended to be the primary weapon for close combat infantry
units, replacing some M16 series 5.56mm assault rifles, M4 5.56mm carbines
and M203 40mm grenade launchers. Under existing plans, the army will equip
four members of a nine-strong infantry squad with the OICW...
According to Barbara Moldowney, the army's assistant product manager for
OICW, the weapon will be redesigned and additional capabilities added during
PDRR. These include a laser rangefinder, digital camera, combat
identification system, integrated thermal fire control and laser illuminator.
Pre-planned production improvements (P3I), including the use of
multifunctional lasers are also being considered for the weapon, Moldowney
added...
The OICW will be capable of firing both standard 5.56mm kinetic-energy
ammunition as well as a new 20mm high-explosive airbursting round that the
army is describing as a revolutionary advancement because it can attack
concealed targets with greater precision at 1,000m. The electronic
fire-control system, built by Brashear, will have a laser rangefinder that
can transmit data directly to the fuse in the 20mm airbursting round.
The program has suffered setbacks and criticisms that the weapon is not
rugged enough, is too heavy and overly expensive. The largest setback came in
September 1999 when a 20mm round detonated in the OICW's barrel, injuring two
personnel (Jane's Defence Weekly 3 Nov 1999). That problem has now been fixed
and live-fire tests will be held in October 2001 to prove those solutions,
program officials added.
The officials said that reducing the weapon's weight remains the largest
technical hurdle to overcome. The weapon's weight currently stands at 8.17kg,
but is expected to be reduced to 6.81kg by the end of PDRR and to a maximum
of 6.36kg before entering production. All of these weights include eight
rounds of ammunition in the magazine, ATK said. The army is expected to buy
20,000-40,000 weapons for an estimated $8,000 to $10,000 per unit...
That, critics say, is expensive compared to the M16's cost of $586. However,
Bierman argues, the OICW offers five times the effectiveness of an M16
mounted with an M203 grenade launcher and requires fewer munitions to be
fired while providing greater survivability and reduced life-cycle costs.
==========================================================
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A vote for Bush or Gore is a vote to continue Clinton policies!
A vote for Buchanan is a vote to continue America!
Therefore a vote for Gore or Bush is a wasted vote for America!
Don't waste your vote! Vote for Patrick Buchanan!
Today, candor compels us to admit that our vaunted two-party system is a
snare and a delusion, a fraud upon the nation. Our two parties have become
nothing but two wings of the same bird of prey...
Patrick Buchanan
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