-Caveat Lector- WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War! SOLDIERS FOR THE TRUTH "DEFENDING AMERICA NEWSLETTER" 04 October 2000 - "Prophets and the Presidential End Run" "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: Bulging Muscles Won't Win The Next War "Through the Primary Gun Sight" Article 1 - Beware of False Prophets The Big Picture: Article 2 - Billions More per Year Sought by Military Article 3 - Michigan Death Linked to Anthrax Article 4 - Political Opinion: General Wesley Clark - Does He represent Today's Military? Article 5 -- Training Avoidance Deteriorates Combat Readiness Article 6 - Navy: Mandatory ESWS: Promotion of Mediocrity Article 7 -- Navy: Ticking Disciplinary Time Bombs Article 8 - California Guard: Broken Promises Article 9 -- Army Spouse: Calling it Quits Article 10 - Comments from the Frontlines Article 11 - The Role of the NCO Article 12 -- Quality of Life Update: More odds 'n ends G.I Humor: Article 13 -- GI HUMOR - The Master Chief and the TRUTH Medal of Honor: Article 14 -- *GALT, WILLIAM WYLIE, WWII, Italy '44 SITREP: 1. Main topics: 1) The Prophets and Readiness 2) Discipline 3) Awards 4) Reader opinions 5) Voices from the Frontlines 6) Quality of Life/Healthcare 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. 2. Hot Buttons: A. I am interested in the following feedback: Should the US have a separate peacekeeping/constabulary force? Is our professional force really professional? Will more defense money fix our problems and are you wasting any FY 00 leftover money? FLASH! Feel free to send me hot topics directly if you can't get through the admin/log net -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] B. WEBPAGE. Webmaster, John Cloven is continually working on improving the site. Thanks for all the feedback. C. DONATIONS. Thank you for your continuing support. Your kind words and encouragements are important for morale. Your donations are helping the peasant Army to grow. Many of you will be urged to give to CFC this fall and maybe you can't find the right cause - consider supporting SFTT instead, although we're not yet registered for the campaign. We'll try next year. Thanks again for supporting an organization that stands for the Truth, even if it questions every rule of political correctness. D. Keep the mail coming!!! We will NEVER reveal your true identity unless you give us your approval. We know how vindictive the "system" can be. 3. How YOU can help: !!! Credit Card donation via our WEBSITE at www.sftt.org. !!! If you think we HIT a target, forward the newsletter to TV, radio and your locale papers. YOU are the frontline recruiters and intel gatherers for SFTT. Check or Money order: Send to and make payable to: Soldiers For The Truth Foundation, PO Box 63840, Colorado Springs, CO 80962-3840. Important: 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 will send you a cumulative statement. Prepare for Action -- "Crew Ready! -- LOAD SABOT - DRIVER MOVE OUT!" R.W. Zimmermann President SFTT [EMAIL PROTECTED] =========================================================== Hack's Column ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bulging Muscles Won't Win The Next War ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ By David Hackworth In 1631, General Tilly's imperialist Roman Catholic army was whipped by a significantly smaller force under the command of King Gustavus Adolphus. For more than 200 years, the formations Tilly fielded that day -- the Tercios -- had dominated the battlefield. But Gustavus had secretly developed a lean, agile army that struck like lightning -- employing combined-arms teams of artillery and infantry led by a new breed of leaders. Not only did Gustavus win, he revolutionized how wars were fought. For all of its awesome power, the Tercio was an obsolete, muscle-bound organization -- no match for a more flexible opponent. Only after his butt was kicked did General Tilly realize his Tercio structure wasted manpower, was redundant and could not compete with Gustavus' streamlined killing machine. Replace the name "Tercios" with the U.S. armed forces and you'll have a clear snapshot of our military in year 2000. An obsolete, bloated, top-heavy force still structured to fight the Cold War. An outfit that won't cut it in the totally different kinds of wars we'll be waging this century. A truism of war is either change with the times or get whipped. Remember Kasserine Pass? Remember Vietnam? And look at our recent track record: * In the war with Iraq, it took the Pentagon five months to field a tank-heavy army that, once deployed, refought World War II -- mass bombing, units on line and virtually every movement controlled by the top. In the end, Saddam Hussein and his army escaped. And nine years later that unfinished war may be back on Page One tomorrow. * In the recent dust-up with Serbia, it took the U.S. Army six weeks to move a 5,000-man force to Albania -- a force which then proved incapable of fulfilling the hype the Pentagon had put out about what was going to happen to the Serbs when it got there. The air campaign was just as ineffective. Even with smart weapons -- which missed 50 percent of their targets -- and twice as much air power than was initially tasked for the job, air power blew it. After being struck by more bomb tonnage than Ike used against the Nazis at Normandy, the third-rate Serbian army was able to withdraw from the field in fighting shape. It still remains a threat to peace in the Balkans. Future warfare demands that to win tomorrow, we must invest today in information-age weaponry and develop flexible forces that are light and agile, lean and mean, with max muscle and minimum flab. In short, we need a military that's as modern and mobile as an FBI SWAT squad. But neither Al Gore nor George W. Bush has spelled out how to do what Gustavus had the smarts to do 369 years ago. Both talk about throwing more money at the Pentagon but give few concrete details about how they'll reshape the nation's military for future battles. Both presidential candidates need to know that money isn't the answer, even though it's pure heroin to their porker supporters. Instead, they need to come up with a bold, clear vision to rid the Pentagon of the blubber and bureaucracy and get our defenses ready to meet the challenges of the 21st century. What's needed is to execute ideas that have been floating around for decades, ideas such as: * Consolidating our ground forces. * Getting rid of the Air Force, returning tactical air to the ground and Naval commanders. * Reorganizing the Reserves. * Reducing the Office of the Secretary of Defense from 1,000 self-perpetuating bureaucrats to no more than 10 aides. * Replacing the highly political Joint Chiefs of Staff with a permanent General Staff of seasoned professionals from all services who would deal with all strategic planning and operations. * Cutting the officer corps by at least 50 percent. * Consolidating all intelligence services. * Forming functional forces to handle administration, training, logistics, support, tactical and strategic tasks. The Pentagon spends more than the rest of the world combined on our military -- preparing for the wrong war and in the process taking care of the porkers and the generals' retirement jobs. Reforming the Defense Department should have at least the same priority as cleaning up Social Security, education and the environment. If we're whipped on the battlefield, those programs won't mean zilch to the victors. Or to us. *** 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 - "Through the Primary Gun Sight" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Beware of False Prophets ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ By R.W. (Zimm) Zimmermann President SFTT 10/03/00 As the presidential campaign is approaching the final stretch, more retired and active duty flag officers are coming out of the woodwork to impart their great wisdoms on us well-conditioned followers and admirers of rank and privilege, in almost colonial English fashion. I personally can't muster much admiration any longer. First, there are our active duty generals, the Joint Chiefs. What a pathetic group they were when they briefed the House Armed Services Committee recently. It gave me stomach cramps to hear the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs mumbling about readiness without vision or clarity. "In my 37 years in uniform, I have never been around better soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines," he insists, but can't explain why the best and brightest are leaving or have already left the services. Makes you question his sense of reality. Then he quoted former Army Chief of Staff John Wickham, the guy who began the relentless drive towards the kinder and gentler family Army, that the US has the strongest best equipped and best trained military in the world. Having appeased the Democrats with that overdose of propaganda, he then turned Republican, together with the other service chiefs by demanding increased defense spending way beyond the current budget of almost $300 billion. He maintained that we're not ready today to fight the outdated two-war scenario, even with the best-equipped and trained military in the world. How's that for clarity? Then the chiefs coughed up numbers: The Army needs 15,000 to 40,000 more troops. The Air Force needs 10,000 more while the Navy needs 160 new planes and 9 ships per year. Only the Marines said they could do with about 1.5 billion in additional funding. >From my own experience, I realize that equipment requires modernization and sufficient repair supplies. The question is why are we demanding more money for mission duplication efforts and how are the chiefs going to recruit additional troops when they are barely recruiting to maintain status quo? No one dared to mention the draft. While our active chiefs showed an abundance of vagueness, several old and retired flag officers openly aligned themselves with George Bush. Their vision: More money more troops more equipment without a revamped strategy. Look, I have no problem with old generals speaking out, after all, Washington, Grant, Jackson, Eisenhower were all generals who entered politics and didn't topple our Republic. What bothers me, are their questionable motives. They made their rank and enjoyed their perks under Clinton-Gore and happily went along with all the social engineering and lowering of standards. Now, most are connected to the defense industry and financially padded think tanks. Their main motivation seems not the welfare of this nation but more money and perks by getting on Bush's campaign train. I am not a Clinton fan, nor am I a registered Democrat but I have to agree with a remark by Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La. who pointed out that the currently planned budget of almost $300 billion is more than five times the budget of Russia and is 22 times as large as the combined spending of our most likely enemies, Iraq, Iran, Cuba, Lybia, North Korea, Sudan and Syria. She rightfully concluded that what we need is to spend our money better, before spending us into oblivion without strategic reason. In all the debates, none of our distinguished leaders has adequately addressed the quality of people. They all babble about technologies and quantities. If you believe that the quality and training of people doesn't matter, take a lesson from the German military's defeat in WWII. Even jet fighters, rockets, remote controlled bombs and the best tanks in the world couldn't turn the tide for one important reason: they ran out of skilled operators. And that's exactly how our leaders have gradually ruined the forces over the last 20 years and not just during the Clinton reign. Numbers have always meant more to them than quality. They won in conflicts with the Third World. But even the world's underlings will one day grow up. Before you side with the big brass, and the political prophets just because they have title and rank and the backing of big money, remember who is responsible for the sorry state of affairs our military is in today. Part of any political reform platform must be to bring in fresh blood and brainpower to blaze a trail into a more solid future, using the lessons of the past. George Bush could be a savior, but only with a vision that concentrates on profound cultural change, combined with a total reassessment of our national strategy and I don't mean another brainless bottoms-up review. (c) R.W. Zimmermann, LandserUSA [EMAIL PROTECTED] ============================================================ ARTICLE 2 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Billions More per Year Sought by Military ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ed.: The Bottom Line: Readiness is down while there is probably enough money in the current budget to deal with most issues. Nonetheless, we're witnessing a contest in which both parties are trying to show how they will outspend each other. Look at both political platforms and make an informed decision. The Bush plan currently looks more readiness oriented although it involves shoving lots of money into contractor pockets. ********************************************************** By DALE EISMAN, The Virginian-Pilot, 09/28/00 WASHINGTON -- The nation's top generals and admirals wandered into a political crossfire on Wednesday, as they went to Capitol Hill to urge Congress and the next president to boost defense spending by $50 billion or more each year. Summoned to hearings on their services' preparedness for battle, the Joint Chiefs of Staff at times seemed little more than props in a running argument between congressional Republicans and Democrats over the Clinton administration's military stewardship and the relative merits of Al Gore's and George W. Bush's plans for defense. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John W. Warner, R-Va., who opened a nearly four-hour meeting with a plea for bipartisanship, quickly went on the offensive against the Democrats. Using a chart prepared with statistics he said were furnished by the Pentagon, Warner argued that, beginning in 1990, Clinton instituted defense spending cuts far beyond the plans of his predecessor, former President George Bush. That drew a quick rejoinder from the committee's senior Democrat, Carl Levin of Michigan, who pointed out that Clinton didn't take office until 1993 and that Bush-backed cuts in defense spending before that were sharper than the subsequent reductions under Clinton. A chagrined Warner conceded the point, in part, but insisted that while Clinton slowed the rate of decrease in defense spending, the Democrat ultimately reduced budgets by some $115 billion more than his predecessor intended. The sniping continued as Levin cited George W. Bush's Internet site to buttress a claim that the GOP nominee would be stingier with the military than would Gore. The vice president has called for defense spending increases totaling $100 billion, Levin said, while Bush has outlined a $45 billion hike. Republicans countered that Bush's figures represent only part of the Republican's defense plans and that the cost of other initiatives Bush favors haven't been fully computed. In keeping with the military's nonpartisan traditions, the chiefs stayed well away from such presidential politicking. Elements of their testimony offered comfort to each party, as they agreed with GOP arguments that military readiness has slipped under Clinton and with Democratic claims that the largest of the defense spending cuts that created that readiness deficit were initiated by former President Bush. The bottom line, said Army Gen. Henry H. Shelton, the chiefs' chairman, is that the military remains able to execute the missions asked of it, but that it would have difficulty winning two major regional wars waged almost simultaneously. The first of those wars could be handled with moderate risk to U.S. forces, but the second would be a high-risk affair, with an increased likelihood of substantial losses of personnel and equipment, Shelton and his colleagues said. The chiefs said the combination of a 40 percent cut in military forces and a dramatic increase in overseas deployments during the 1990s has forced them to tap the strength of stateside units to keep those abroad at ``the tip of the spear.'' The first-to-fight units remain well-prepared for battle and able to handle a wide range of humanitarian and peacekeeping chores as well, the chiefs said, but the support forces at home -- which would have to go forward to fight in a two-war scenario -- are strapped. ``We must find the resources necessary to modernize the force,'' Shelton said. Particularly troubling for the Navy's future readiness is the strain that maintaining today's forces has placed on funds needed for new ships and aircraft, said Adm. Vern Clark, the chief of naval operations. Just to maintain today's force levels by replacing ships and planes as they wear out, the Navy should be buying 160 aircraft and nine ships per year, Clark said. But in the six-year spending plan now in effect, the service plans to purchase only about 128 planes and seven ships annually. ``We have to have (budget) relief,'' Clark told senators. Without more to spend, he can't ``buy the next Navy'' and continue to maintain today's force, he added. Pressed by the senators and later by the House Armed Services Committee to say exactly how much more money is needed to solve shortfalls, the chiefs offered dramatically different assessments. The Marine Corps could modernize its equipment and solve its readiness problems with an additional $1.5 billion per year for seven to nine years, said Gen. James L. Jones, its commandant. But Gen. Michael E. Ryan, the Air Force chief of staff, said his service would need an additional $20 billion to $30 billion per year, and Gen. Eric Shinseki, the Army's top general, said $10 billion per year ``would not understate our case.'' Clark never offered an overall total, but mentioned current shortages in shipbuilding, spare parts and other accounts that topped $15 billion. =================================================================== ARTICLE 3 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Michigan Death Linked to Anthrax ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ed.: Anthrax back in the news. Despite all the problems, the Defense Department stubbornly continues a delayed vaccination program. I am told that at Dover AFB alone, 51 Reserve and two Active Duty pilots have separated from the service. In addition, about 190 AF personnel have had adverse reactions. The Government Reform committee will hold hearings on 3 October to address adverse reactions. From an AP Report, dtd. 28 Sep 00. *********************************************************** LANSING, Mich. (AP) - A medical examiner linked the death of a man to the 11 doses of the anthrax vaccine he received while working at the company that makes it. An autopsy showed that Richard Dunn had an ``inflammatory response'' to the vaccine throughout his body, contributing to his death last July, Ionia County Chief Medical Examiner Robert Joyce said. BioPort Corp. learned of the findings Wednesday, but Joyce' office refused to release the report to the vaccine maker, the company told reporters Thursday. The medical examiner also declined to immediately release the report to The Associated Press. Dunn, 61, monitored test animals for BioPort and its state-owned predecessor and was required to take the same vaccine given to hundreds of thousands of U.S. military personnel. The military and Food and Drug Administration say the vaccine is safe, with no more side effects than many common vaccines. Critics say a long-term study is needed. Some members of the military have faced disciplinary action for refusing to take it. Dunn, an employee since 1992, received 11 doses, the last one in April. A month later, he complained of fatigue and swelling, BioPort personnel director Mike Tanner said. The company's doctors determined his symptoms had no connection to the vaccine, Tanner said. The company said it was ``puzzled and stunned'' by the findings. ``This is information we absolutely need to look into and don't take lightly,'' BioPort spokeswoman Kelly Rossman McKinney said. Chief executive Bob Kramer noted that Dunn's death certificate lists the immediate cause of death as ventricular arrhythmia and makes no reference to an underlying cause. Company officials expect tissue samples taken from Dunn to be turned over to national medical authorities for further review. Bioport is the sole producer of the U.S. military's vaccine to combat the deadly biological weapon possessed by an estimated 10 nations. Workers at the north Lansing labs have taken the vaccine for 30 years. Company nurse Condalee Decker said the most serious reaction among employees has been a severe headache. BioPort bought the former state-owned Michigan Biologic Products Institute in 1998 but has been unable to make new vaccine while waiting for federal approval of its renovated labs. Earlier this month, it recalled three of its products - including some doses of the military's anthrax vaccine - over labeling and contamination concerns. *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! 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