-Caveat Lector- WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War! Soldiers For The Truth Defending America Newsletter SFTT Situation Report - 21 March 2001 "Waiting for Answers to the Issues” TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS SITREP From The President - 21 MARCH 2001 Through Zman’s Gun Sight - The Anthrax Policy HACK’s Target For The Week - What Price PR? The Big Picture: Article 1 - China Increases Military Spending Article 2 - US Withdraws 750 Troops From Bosnia Article 3 - Alamo's Heroes Needed Today Voice of the Troops: Article 4 - The Combat Armor Badge Article 5 - The CIA's, Hired Albanian Army Article 6 - Political Legitimacy Depends Upon The Ethical Use Of Force Article 7 - Murphy's Law -- An Army of What? Article 8 - Navy: Distractions Add Up Article 9 - The Sergeant’s Corner: ...Return To Mother Earth Article 10 - Navy: Retirees Could Assist In Problem Solving, Recruiting and Retention Article 11 - Air Force: We Need New Manned Planes Article 12 - Sen. Dodd (CT) Questions Handling of Anthrax Complaints Beret Update: - Victory in TAN! G.I Humor: Article 13 - Top's Top 10 Reasons... Signal Geeks! Medal of Honor: Article 14 - PHILLIPS, LEE H., USMC, Korea 1950 Admin / Log Net Editors Note - Article Submission - Contacts - Service Editors Donations - Subscribe - Unsubscribe - Archives Text Only - Printer Friendly Version SITREP: SITUATION REPORT: 21 MARCH 2001 A. Main topics: 1) Combat Recognition 2) Cover-ups 3) Kosovo 4) Navy Leadership 5) Modernization 6) Anthrax B. HOT BUTTONS: Things are calming down again and we’re getting lots of mail from all over the world, a good indication that we’re back in business with all systems. Hope we’re on a road to steady improvement and not the roller coaster rides of the past. The Combat Armor Badge: many are complaining that I didn’t mention all the other guys who are contributing to battlefield success. I would like to reiterate that I believe first recognition needs to go to those who are involved in the DIRECT/Line-of -Sight combat. These are normally the Grunts and Tankers. I’m not excluding combat engineers and artillery forward observers with the Grunts and tanks but it can’t be for folks who shoot stuff out of enemy range. Some aviators rightfully claim that they evacuated wounded under highly dangerous conditions, especially during Vietnam. No question about their heroism. But aviation HAS their medal - the air medal. Once again, the combat badges I’m advocating are for confirmed direct fire involvement. My criteria would exclude many CIBs that were given away in Desert Storm for riding in the back of a Bradley or being an Infantry officer working in the Division Headquarters. I am not for more awards but select awards given under more stringent conditions. Questions of the Week: 1. From what you know, do you think that the Skipper of the USS Greenville should be held responsible for the recent collision with a Japanese fishing boat? 2. Do you believe that the US and NATO will be successful in staying out of the Macedonia conflict? Feel free to send me hot topics directly if you can’t get through the admin / log net. I am at - [EMAIL PROTECTED] - On Net and at - [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Off Net. * Keep the mail coming!!! We won’t reveal your true identity unless you give us your approval. We know how vindictive the “system” is. * WE NEED YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT 2001. EVERY DOLLAR MAKES A DIFFERENCE. THANK YOU to all SFTT warriors who are sending bucks for fuel ammo and beans. * How you can help: - DONATE HERE - All donations to SFTT are tax deducatable. Secure Credit Card donations via the web at: www.SFTT.org/donations.html !!! If you think we HIT a target, forward the newsletter to TV, radio and your local papers. YOU are the frontline recruiters and intel gatherers for SFTT. Check or Money orde 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 E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Zman Through Zman’s Gun Sight The Anthrax Policy - Where Are the Answers? By R.W. (Zimm) Zimmermann President, Soldiers For The Truth Dateline SFTT - 21 March 2001 Two weeks ago a letter from the acting Special Assistant for Gulf War illness hit my mailbox. “Dear Ralf,” the letter read (I guess they can’t remember my rank), “based on state of the art computer modeling technology…the models now predict that it is unlikely you were exposed to even low level chemical agents during Desert Storm.” I guess that’s good news for me. I’m lucky that after twenty years of military service in peace and war to be in good shape, still exercising and running 5 miles daily. But what about other fellow veterans who are still seeking answers about Agent Orange, depleted Uranium, Gulf War syndrome and Anthrax? The Anthrax issue especially, although it impacts the health of many, has taken the back row to uniforms, recruiting slogans, Dale Earnhardt’s accident and the many training mishaps. The Defense Department and the new administration still owe the troops some honest answers. So far, the standoff has only produced waning trust in the government and reduced military readiness. Inaction and silence prevail, although we all recall a House subcommittee declaring that the Anthrax vaccination program was an overwrought and risky response that may not shield American troops from deadly airborne spores and that a fully capable vaccine could be several years away. Numerous reports told of contaminated lots and diversion of funds to build bigger parking lots and better facilities for BioPort, the vaccine’s producer. Although lies, fraud and abuse are obvious, the military is still punishing good troops on active duty and in the reserves who joined voluntarily but just don’t like it when their country is a bigger threat to their health than the dreaded enemy. Instead of stopping and reevaluating the vaccination program, the Pentagon bureaucrats suspended shots only for certain groups. The vaccine was still “absolutely” required to protect all our troops against the biological warfare capabilities of the rogue states. The urgency of the briefs made you think that WWIII fought with biological weapons, would start tomorrow and the Pentagon’s top health officers adamantly maintain that, “our exposed troops would die a horrible death.” So much for Pentagon logic, but any semi-smart enemy would be much more successful in using chemical or bacteriological weapons against our population at home, through acts of terrorism and by hiring an extremist American nut to hide the attack’s originators. I think the risk abroad is calculable, especially if we back a first use response with a firm “force protection” policy. The United States would reserve the right to retaliate against any type of biological warfare with any means at our disposal, including precision nuclear weapons and ordinary rat poison. In the meantime, the unresolved Anthrax issue can be addressed with sound research and safe solutions. We owe it to the troops, their families and those who consider joining. The Bush administration should suspend the complete Anthrax program until a safe and fully capable vaccine is available, even at the risk of putting Admiral Crowe and his BioPort compatriots out of business. The Pentagon should simply admit that they made mistakes and that a blind enforcement of an ill-conceived policy doesn’t make sense any longer. Such a declaration would be courageous and do wonders for rebuilding trust in government and our military. In the current state of radio silence and avoidance, the only winner in the debate is the pharmaceutical industry. After already hooking us on Viagra, Propecia and Prozac for better sex, better looks and a guaranteed high on life, they would love to see us involved in a profitable biological arms race. If they succeed stirring our fears, drugs and vaccines could become additional high dollar defense acquisitions in the future. I would like to ask President Bush to force the Defense Department to find solutions and personally listen to those who had the courage to speak and fight for the truth. We also owe support and help to all those whose health could have been jeopardized by the program. And if any rogue nation dares to even think about using or mass-producing biological weapons for use against us, resort to Ronald Reagan’s deterrence method, Mr. President. After a little surprise visit by F111’s and carrier-based bombers to Libya on April 15th 1986, terrorist and rogue leader Gaddafi quickly returned to a much more restrained foreign policy. © R.W. Zimmermann, LandserUSA [EMAIL PROTECTED] HACK HACK’s Target For The Week What Price PR? Written By David Hackworth The tragic collision of a Navy submarine with a fishing boat off Hawaii last month claimed the lives of nine Japanese, ruined the careers of a dozen U.S. Navy sailors and will cost millions of defense dollars in investigations, court proceedings and reparations. When the Navy plunged into max damage control after the accident, it also put the Pentagon's relentless Propaganda Machine smack under the spotlight. Only after four days of dodging and deceiving the press was Pacific Fleet spin champion Lt. Cmdr. Conrad Chun finally forced to admit that 16 civilians were on board the USS Greeneville, which was supposed to be on stand-down. The civvies were there to "spread the word about the Navy," he said to justify their Sub World for a Day visit aboard the billion-dollar nuclear sub. Apparently, the brass in Hawaii decided PR was more important then crew rest or combat readiness, and the $25,000 it cost to run the tour was seen as taxpayers' money well spent. Granted it was a public-relations tsunami, but Adm. Stephen Pietropaoli, the Navy's head spinner, made bad worse by offering one bumbled sea story after another. No question that he and Chun need to retake Spin 101. You'd think after all the Navy's fumbled cover-ups -- the USS Cole, the suicide of Adm. Michael Boorda and the shame of being caught blaming a seaman for the USS Iowa turret explosion -- they'd have figured out how to conduct their hype with more finesse. Chun and Pietropaoli are part of the team that makes up the Pentagon's worldwide PR apparatus. Their job is not about combat readiness or defending America but to make their service look good. And looking good is what counts when it comes to divvying up the hundreds of billions of bucks the Pentagon bank doles out annually. Last year, more than 11,000 civilians took part in 238 trips aboard Pacific Fleet Navy ships and subs alone. VIPs from Corporate America, the media and Hollywood, as well as other connected folks, flew in fighters and bombers, rode in tanks, fired weapons and jumped out of planes. This practice has been going on for decades. But since the Clinton years, when renting a seat on Air Force One or a mattress in Lincoln's bedroom became a pop sport, there's been a quantum leap in VIPs partying on carriers and playing martial fun-and-games. Ask any CEO what's spent on PR and you'll be told to the penny But no one seems to know the cost or scope of the Pentagon's PR machine. I've tried to get the number of hustlers and size of the annual hype budget for years. The Pentagon's Susan Hansen told me last week that she couldn't get the figures because they were "buried in other programs." She did say there were 72 folks in her department, the same lash-up where a-hundred-grand-a-year Linda Tripp and "that woman" Monica Lewinsky were stashed. It's no small wonder the PR budget is guarded like a nuclear weapon. It's too close for comfort to what dreaded North Korea spends each year on defense. My guess is that when you add up all the PR types and roll in the cost of the Blue Angels, the Golden Knights, the bands and combos, the ceremonial troops, the B-2s doing Super Bowls and all the air shows and open-house gigs, we'd be looking at enough funding and folks to run an Army fighting division. These VIP happenings might win the hearts of Harrison Ford -- who flew in a Marine F-18 -- or Tipper Gore -- who joy-rode on the Greeneville. But they don't do zilch for our fighting men and women, who resent the time wasted on VIP dog-and-pony shows when they could be training or with their families. It's time we vetted the secret PR army and cut it down to an appropriate size. And it's more than time we demanded that most of its top-secret budget be transferred to the troops to buy the bullets in such shockingly short supply. Holes in enemy soldiers win wars, not PR sputtering and stuttering. We need to concentrate on protecting our warriors, not impressing the rich and famous with -- as Dubya says -- our "second to none" war machine. David Hackworth's home page is at - http://www.hackworth.com Send mail to P.O. Box 5210, Greenwich, CT 06831. *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 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
