WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War! ARTICLE 4 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Opinion -- Gore and Bush: Military Records Compared ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ed.: As the defense debate becomes more heated, the attacks on the candidates' characters will be more brutal than ever. I believe as patriots, soldiers and veterans, we must concern ourselves with the vision, leadership abilities and moral character of the candidates vs. who served the country in the more dangerous job. Having been accused for not taking sides for either man, I selected this article to reflect the difference of opinions in the raging debate. For the record: I will cast my vote with those who present us a program that will repair the damage to America's national defense capabilities and our moral values. For most, the choice is obvious. *********************************************************** By Rick Fulton, Former SSgt, USAF (Writer, 7AF DXI Combat News Branch, November 1967-January 1969, NCOIC, Tan Son Nhut Air Base Office of Information, February 1969-September 1969) PITTSBURG, KANSAS -- Regardless of service, I don't think there was one of us returning from Vietnam that was truly ever welcomed home. People didn't care what our job had been and how we had accomplished it over there. All they cared about was that we had been in-country, and they condemned us for that fact. And now this mindless, senseless criticism appears to be starting over again. Only this time, vets are turning against each other, pushing the notion that because of the job held, some who pulled time in Southeast Asia are more "Vietnam Vet" than others. Others think that being a pilot and lieutenant in the Texas Air National Guard during the 1960s, protecting the skies above Austin, was a much more important job than serving during the same time period as a draftee in the United States Army. The men I am talking about are Al Gore and George Bush. Let me address the increasingly brutal and mindless attacks being made against Al Gore and what he did as an EM during his service in Vietnam. People who weren't even wearing uniforms when the war ended, and who then had a 20-year career in what was essentially a peacetime military seem to automatically assume that the Vice President, because he was the son of a US Senator, must have had a coddled time of it when he wore a pickle suit. Al Gore, a college graduate with a degree in journalism, easily could have become an officer. He elected not to do that. He didn't envision a career in the military, and he, like his dad, had done a lot of deep thinking about the morality of US involvement in the Vietnam War. But Al Gore also recognized that, while he disagreed with the war, he had an obligation to his country to serve and to give something of himself back to the Nation. What he did was volunteer for the draft, and he did this in a time and place where it would have been easy to avoid service. With regard to military service, very few of his university graduating class followed in his footsteps. And for once the Army did something right, and put a round peg in a round hole. Al Gore was selected -- and note those words, "was selected" -- by the great green machine to be a military journalist. A lot of vets and active folks don't understand what military journalists do. First of all, they are trained as a joint asset in a Department of Defense level school. The soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and civilian employees selected for this function are not public relations people. Instead, they are public affairs people, meaning their function is defined by law to be a neutral conduit of information between the served and the serving. In the time and space of Vietnam, every significantly sized element had a public affairs staff, some doing unit newspapers and other types of command information, others focused on preparing releases for public dissemination about what the people of the organization were doing. Nobody wants to read about what was going on at base camp or on the flight line. Instead, it is human nature to thirst for data about where things are happening, and the engineer brigade Al Gore was assigned to was typical in that regard. Frequently as an enlisted journalist, Al went to where the work was happening, and for his unit in 1972, with the war winding down, that was all over country. In Vietnam, military journalists worked in teams; usually a writer and a still or, less frequently, a motion picture photographer. They were armed because they had to be. One thing that happened during the last seven months of Al Gore's two-year hitch as a draftee was that his number finally came up and the Army decided to finally send him from a stateside post to duty overseas in Vietnam. He only had seven months to go and with the kind of connections his family had, could have kicked and screamed and hollered and probably gotten out of it...but he did as directed and as ordered. Also, in 1972, his boss put out a call for volunteers to cover a story developing at the northwest corner of Vietnam, engineer support for the ARVN invasion of Laos. It was strictly a volunteer job, and Al Gore volunteered and went. Khe Sanh was a combat base quite close to both North Vietnam and to Laos. Now consider George Bush, Texas Air National Guard pilot and intrepid lieutenant, a gentleman rather than an enlisted swine, in the eyes of those who never drew fire, somehow higher, better, and more honorable than one who was merely a Vietnam War sergeant. Just as I can personally relate to Al Gore's experiences I should also tell you that later in life I was a Texas Army National Guard Captain There were, back then, a small handful in the Texas Guard with the rest of us who were well connected because of family or political or financial reasons. Some of this group were complete duds, belonging to the Guard to avoid active service, showing up late for drills, frequently not in proper attire, and not really caring about the importance of responsibilities delegated to them. But regardless of this, there is another much more serious subject every veteran and every service member needs to think about this year, and it has nothing to do with the personal contributions of either major candidate. Regardless of political persuasion, defense belongs to every citizen. One isn't more patriotic by being ultra-conservative than one is by being a liberal. Patriotism has nothing to do with politics, and everything to do with the core value of loving freedom. Is Al Gore a better veteran than George Bush? The answer for me is simple, and it is this: I just don't know. But I do know this. At the polling place this fall, when I vote, I must determine who has the best plan for our nation's collective future. =========================================================== ARTICLE 5 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Buffalo Battalion is Ready to Fight! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ed.: This battalion commander says that his unit is ready to go! Glad to hear a voice of confidence in NCO's, men and equipment. Maybe I wouldn't ask my Sergeant Major every time for permission to go to the latrine...that could be an accident in the making! Please give us you take. *********************************************************** By Edge Gibbons, Buffalo 6 I am the commander of 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry, at Fort Wainwright, AK. Just read your column on the NCOs of your time, comparing them to the NCOs of today. I have to disagree with your points about what ours are like today, as well as your comparison of our Army to the Soviet Army. First, let me say that I am not a "perfumed prince" as you have described them. I am an Infantryman. I never expected to be a battalion commander (although I always dreamed of being one) and will be quite happy to hang up my uniform with this duty position representing my high water mark. I am a due course guy and am happy to have had the opportunity to serve. Bottom line is that I don't have an axe to grind and am not trying to defend the institution, but the NCOs of the Buffalo Battalion. We recently completed a 10 day FTX that started with a Brigade-level infiltration and ended with 6 days of platoon live fire attacks. Our NCOs were just what you describe -- tough, disciplined, and in charge. I was impressed by them, as I have been in my 18 years of service. I am new in command, but have many years of troop time; I have always been proud of these guys. In the Buffalo Battalion, the NCOs are in charge. My CSM has service in light units, the Ranger Regiment, and was the CSM of a mech battalion. I don't go to the latrine without talking to him about it. One of the first things I did as a new battalion commander was call in all of the platoon sergeants of the battalion and reaffirm my charge to them that they were the backbone of the unit, and that I valued their opinion and wanted them to know that I considered them the most important soldiers in the battalion, because my experience has shown that if your platoon sergeants are on line, everything goes well. Do we do sensitivity training? Yeah, but for every one of these we do at least 3 live fire exercises. Are we short of people? Yeah, but mostly in the grade of Sergeant/E5, and it is our job to grow these junior leaders from within our own ranks, and we are doing that. I believe that our soldiers, at least in this battalion, are doing what they joined the Army to do. I think that our NCOs understand that they are in charge. I don't micromanage anything and I don't tolerate it in the outfit. A key tenet of my command philosophy (which is on a 3x5 card) is that I want a battalion of leaders, not followers, and we need to train our PFCs to take over fire teams and squads against the day they may be called upon to lead one in combat, and that initiative is a combat multiplier. I would rather a guy do what he thought was right in the absence of orders and screw up than wait for someone to tell him what to do. Practice, in the end, will make perfect. I made mistakes growing up, I expect these guys to, as well. We ain't a zero defects outfit. I think you would be as proud as I am to serve with the NCOs of the Buffalo Battalion. They are great guys and I respect them immensely. Furthermore, I would welcome the opportunity to have you meet them and see for yourself. If you are ever up this way, please stop by. We are not on the path of the Soviet Army -- we are ready to fight with our NCOs leading the way. =============================================================== ARTICLE 6 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Navy: Another decent American Hung out to Dry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ed.: An interesting case that doesn't get much attention in the mainstream press. Why aren't we pressing for immediate release? *********************************************************** By John J. Vanore, CDR, USNR (Ret.) SFTT Navy Editor Much has been written in these pages about the broken contract with our veterans . . . the erosion of benefits, the shabby treatment given retirees, the loss of medical benefits. The abuse and neglect occur -- shamefully enough -- within our own borders. But since April of this year, the Clinton administration has been involved in the slow death sentence of a retired Naval Officer at the hands of a foreign government. Ed Pope, retired USN Captain and Intelligence Officer, set himself up in business after retirement, following a stint with Penn State's Applied Research Labs. Capitalizing on the collapse of Communism, Ed Pope went to work as a private consultant, working in Russia to help commercialize military technology, an effort that stood to help that nation's economy. In April, Ed Pope was arrested by the FSB, successor organization to the KGB, on charges of spying. Pope had been gathering open-source information on a Russian torpedo that was commercially available on the export market, so the case for spying, at least in a judicial system where evidence and rule of law prevail, seems pretty skimpy. But we're talking about the Russian legal system . . . an oxymoron of the first order . . . here. Pope has been held at Moscow's Lefortovo prison, where he exists on a diet of boiled potatoes. Yes, potatoes. A recent concession from his jailers allowed him the luxury of fresh dill on those potatoes. Not a good long-term diet for anyone, much less a man with some health problems, including Graves Disease and a form of bone cancer currently in remission. But day after day of potatoes is the least of his concerns. His health is deteriorating, he is said to have lost 40 pounds since being imprisoned, and his only source for medical care is a Russian doctor, as the US Embassy's resident doctor has been denied access to Pope. Why? Pope is only legally entitled to visits by consular officials, and the doctor lacks the necessary diplomatic status. In behavior typical of this administration, Pope's case has been pushed to the bottom of the priority list. The administration has done nothing of substance to get Pope decent treatment, although Clinton interceded with Russian President Putin after the arrest of oligarch Vladimir Gusinsky. Pope's wife Cheri has been snubbed repeatedly by the office of the Vice President, and Clinton himself met with her, but ended up doing nothing on Pope's behalf, later saying he only promised to "look into the matter." The State Department has been equally inactive and useless, announcing publicly its intention to allow the Russian criminal-justice system to determine his fate. The only part of the government involved is Congress . . . Representatives Curt Weldon and John Peterson have been tireless in their efforts to secure better treatment for Pope. Cheri Pope, like all good Navy wives, has been tireless in her efforts. She first laid low, when asked to do so by the administration, believing there was a behind-the-scenes deal in the works. When those hopes collapsed, she took up the fight on the home front. She has appeared on ABC TV's "Good Morning America," she has taken the matter to her representative in Congress, and she stays in the forefront of the fight to win her husband's release. She has seen her husband twice, once in June and again at the end of August. She commented on his deteriorating physical condition and urgent need for competent medical care, care which is not available at Lefortovo. The inaction by the executive branch in this matter can best be described as criminal negligence. It is nothing less than shameful that the president could go to bat for a Russian tycoon, then turn his back on an American citizen and retired naval officer. To all readers, write your congressmen, urging them to support all efforts to win freedom for Ed Pope, especially in terms of holding the White House and State Department accountable for their inaction. Forward this to everyone you know. Ed and his wife would do it for you. ============================================================ ARTICLE 7 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ USMC: New Breed, Same Spirit - Marines in the 21st Century ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ed.: The author is an assistant editor for SFTT. A Nam veteran and proud father of a daughter who is undergoing the last year of Naval ROTC to be commissioned in the Marine Corps. I asked him to summarize his impressions at his daughter's graduation. Once again the people factor stands out: Pride, dedication and an iron will to succeed make for good Marines. *********************************************************** By, Steve Greene Historically, the Marine Corps has done more with less - equipment, that is - and is the epitome of the "can-do" spirit. For example, when I enlisted in the Corps to fight in Viet Nam, the 782-gear I received to the day I was discharged was WWII issue, as were the Stateside Quonset huts and barracks in which we lived. However, equipment and amenities aside, the one thing the Marine Corps does not lack is quality man- and in this day and age, women-power. I am reminded of an e-mail about Marine recruiting passed around to "old salts" a while back. At high schools across the country, all the services go to give their "sales pitch", or, "What we can do for you." The last to speak is usually the Marine recruiter. He says, "You've heard all the sales jobs. The fact is you get the same benefits regardless of which service you enter. I'm here to see if one or two of you might be good enough for the Corps." He shows a no-holds barred video about Boot Camp from the yellow footprints to the Crucible, and answers questions directly, without soft-soap. And the Marine Corps has been relying and surviving recruiting quotas with that approach for a number of years, even throughout the cutbacks and undermining of the military by the Clinton-Gore administration. Although the current administration appears to have tried to destroy the military ethic and the desire of young people to serve their country in uniform - at one time considered an honor - it seems that many young people today are looking for something more than they find in the corrupt, immediate gratification, "feel-good", and "I'm a victim" society of Clinton-Gore. Many still search out something they can believe in and be a part of, giving them, as Senator John McCain has said, the opportunity to do and be something greater than their own self interests, not just look for the best college deal or training options. I know from personal experience that what the Corps offers these young people isn't just Hollywood glamour or a damned good PR campaign. It's heart and soul. Therefore, I was one proud papa-san when my daughter, who had entered a university NROTC program, advised me that she was going to take the Marine Option. Initially, I tried to talk her out of it. I told her the Navy offered many more billets for female officers, but she wasn't having any of it. I took her to meet with and talk to five retired Marine colonels, one of whom was female, believing they would help dissuade her. Rather than back my play, however, each of them encouraged her, saying that if she had the spirit and the drive, she would do well in the Corps. Following that, it was the Corps or nothing for my daughter and I was proud of her for her independent decision. She worked hard, training with other NROTC midshipmen and enlisted Marines at the unit who are in the officer program. She kept up on runs, she passed her PFTs and she led the drill team. End result, I recently watched my daughter graduate from Marine Officer Candidate School at Quantico, Virginia - a very proud moment indeed. She had run through the Crucible and everything else they had thrown at her, and had been awarded her Eagle, Globe and Anchor. I believe she will becoming an officer at a time when the military will have the opportunity to rebuild itself after its current decimation and misuse by the Clinton-Gore gang, similar to what happened after President Reagan was elected. But regardless of which way the political pie is cut up, the bottom line is that the Marine Corps spirit lives on because Marines, young and old, ensure that the spirit instilled in the Continental Marines on the fighting foretops of John Paul Jones' Bon Homme Richard is not forgotten. And while the Corps offers young men and women the opportunity to do and be something greater than their own self-interests, it will continue to survive and evolve to meet the challenges this country will face into the coming century. =========================================================== ARTICLE 8 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NCO's in Today's Army ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ed: An officer and former Sergeant gives his assessment of today's NCO corps. Are our NCO's as capable as we like to believe? *************************************************************************** By First Lieutenant D.P. I am an officer who grew through the ranks, therefore I think I qualify to give my perspective on the quality on today's Army NonComs. In general, my opinion is that the NCO corps is weak. But, I can't put my finger on any one cause -- there are many. Sure, officers do tend to micromanage. I've seen some of my superiors do that, and I tried my best not to let my commander do that to me when I got my first platoon some three years ago. My first battalion commander never stuck to a 6-week training schedule. We platoon leaders would have our NCOs plan training for our soldiers and the company commanders would approve it. Normally, less than 20% of the platoon attended the training because of other, more specifically debilitating factors like "sensitivity training," "uniformed labor" details, and every other little thing that would crop up and prevent the NCOs from doing their jobs: training soldiers. Even Basic Training is a factor working against the authority of the NCO. I've seen too many soldiers come out of Basic and AIT who are unfit, undisciplined, and unmotivated -- and who would be in for quite a rude awakening when they tried to call "time out" when the bullets start flying. And the NCO education system isn't much better at reinforcing leadership principles. When I was enlisted in the MI corps, good NCOs were rare -- even in the 11th Cavalry, where these guys all knew they were little more than a speed bump in the event of an all-out duel with the Soviets. Most NCOs I knew then had no idea how to take care of soldiers and were usually bogged down with many other training distractors. When we left Kuwait in Sep 91, after only three months there, I saw one E-6 accept a mandatory Bronze Star -- when he and the rest of us knew that none of us even had the chance to do anything to deserve such an honor. Unlike some of his peers, he didn't have the guts to tell the commander that he didn't earn it (unfortunately, neither did two other NCOs and a Warrant). Every once in a while I'd meet a good Sergeant who made you want to bust your butt for him, but usually he was either in another unit or too smart to stay in the Army. Now, as a junior officer, I have seen very few hardworking, aggressive senior NCOs. I've had the privilege to rate a few of them, but the overwhelming majority of the junior NCOs I've met are practically worthless. A big reason for their demise is the lack of effective leadership by senior NCOs who have given up. Most officers are either poorly trained in leadership, are too busy taking care of themselves. They don't have time to take care of their soldiers, or have themselves thrown in the proverbial towel out of disgust. The junior NCOs that are worth a damn, especially in the Signal Corps, are all too smart to stay in because they know they can make twice the pay for half the hassle in the real world. Call me idealistic, but I just hope that all the leaders like myself who still give a damn are around long enough to affect a positive change in the system. When I was at Fort Riley, I once had to explain to a visiting Russian Major what a Sergeant Major did. I couldn't even do it in English. I didn't know. The Russians were very impressed with our NCO corps -- because they had nothing better to compare it to. But, most Sergeants Major I knew at the time were overweight, ROAD warrior dirt bags whose major skill was that they could spot an errant cigarette butt at 100 yards. With few exceptions, time hasn't changed my perception. Soldiers don't miss much, and they can smell bad leadership for miles -- especially in their NCOs. *COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for nonprofit research and educational purposes only.[Ref. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ] Want to be on our lists? Write at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for a menu of our lists! ****************************************************************************** ******************* 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 <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
