Max Boot- Obama's Tragic Iraq Withdrawal

CFR.org - Obama's Tragic Iraq Withdrawal

In an Oct. 31 Wall Street Journal article, Max Boot lays out exactly what I said last week. If we don't gain the strategic victory in Iraq, it is because our leaders did not make the effort to meet with, and communicate with, al-Maliki and other Iraqi officials. From the article:

So why was it possible for the Bush administration to reach a deal with the Iraqis but not for the Obama administration?

Quite simply it was a matter of will: President Bush really wanted to get a deal done, whereas Mr. Obama did not. Mr. Bush spoke weekly with Mr. Maliki by video teleconference. Mr. Obama had not spoken with Mr. Maliki for months before calling him in late October to announce the end of negotiations. Mr. Obama and his senior aides did not even bother to meet with Iraqi officials at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

Incompetence or indifference, I don't know for certain, but it appears that they just didn't want to do the messy work of relationship building. Withdrawal from Iraq, despite the risk of overall failure there, is the primary concern of the administration.

I still believe strategic victory is possible, and I believe that the military leaders now in place will do everything they can to make it so, but the administration's negligence in Iraq is disappointing.

Your Army Values/Character/Ethics valuable to business

According to the Wall Street Journal, the values system Soldiers have is a valuable commodity in the workplace. Specifically, companies like Chesapeake Energy Corp. want to hire Soldiers because of the values, ethics, and character we bring to the table.

Our Army Values may seem like a trite anachronism of a bygone era to some, but reality tells us that society is hungry for people with these same values.

Be a man or woman of character...live out your values...encourage others to do the same. We all benefit.

FAIL MODE: How NOT to form strategic relationships in Iraq

While visiting with family over the weekend, I was asked over and over again if I thought it was a good thing or a bad thing that we were leaving Iraq (largely) on 31 DEC.

I repeated my opinion--the same I've said here previously--that as long as we maintain a strategic relationship with Iraq, getting the troops out is a good thing. We need to be able to train, visit, share, rely on, and provide for the Iraqi people through an open and mutual friendship forged on the personal relationships that have been made over the past 7-8 years.

Nothing would make me happier than to have a regular REFORGER or Cobra Gold-type exercise with Iraq on a regular basis. That would be awesome. It would be equally great to have their officers attend our CGSC or other officer training classes.

Instead, this is the kind of senior leadership our nation has to rely on to form these relationships. Our leaders have have completely FAILED to see the importance of our relationship with Iraq. Not just from a strategic standpoint, but also from a psychological aspect.

There are hundreds of thousands of servicemembers who have spent years of personal capital in that country, and they deserve to know that the U.S. government (read: Pres and VP) are willing to do what it takes to make their efforts worthwhile.

You didn't agree with the Iraq campaign...OK, we got it. But you're the leaders! Do something grown up for a change! At least play the diplomat and do what's right for the nation, our stature amongst nations, and the Soldiers who defend the people who call themselves Americans.

Disgusting.

Chandler considers tighter grooming regs - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

Chandler considers tighter grooming regs - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

This is an interesting article--sort of a clashing of cultures. You can make the argument that the genie is out of the bottle, so to speak, when it comes to tattoos. We have so many Soldiers in the Army right now with neck, hand, and "sleeve" tattoos it would be hard to really clamp down on them. I can't see kicking out tattooed Soldiers now when the tattoos were acceptable at the time of their enlistment.

My personal opinion is that they do look unprofessional, and don't present the best appearance to those outside the organization. I'm not tlaking about here in the U.S., either. When deployed overseas we deal with cultures that are easily offended by tattoos, let alone the tattooed images themselves--skulls, monsters, blood, gore, and sexual imagery are common themes for tattoos.

If you want a tattoo--fine. Just keep it out of sight while wearing the uniform. Any uniform. ACU, ASU, APFU...all of it.

As for piercings: none in uniform.

Let's keep the Army uniform in appearance, and represent the Army and our nation in the best way possible.

You are, of course, free to disagree and I would love to hear about your opinions (submit you comments below...wink, wink).

COB Speicher in Iraq's hands!!

The base where I spent 25 months of my life in Northern Iraq, just outside of Tikrit, was turned over to the Iraqi Army in a ceremony held yesterday.

Contingency Operating Base Speicher was a flat, dusty, worthless plot of land to the casual observer. But to the Army, it was a great place to operate out of since it was positioned along the nation's primary north-south running highway, had an airfield capable of landing any aircraft in the inventory, and was centrally positioned in the volatile north.

It will remain a vivid part of my memory. I can clearly recall the times when rocket and mortar fire would fall on us--including the time when Jimi Hendrix literally saved my life (ask me about it some time). I can remember the acrid smell of the garbage pit, and the continuous burning that would go on day and night; reminiscent of Gehenna.

I also remember the CHUs (containerized housing unit) where I lived, and the shower trailers that I'd visit regularly. By the way, don't shower in the mid-day when the local nationals are refilling the generators with fuel. I did that once, and stood there naked in the dark for 15 minutes with a head full of lather, as I waited for the power to return.

I remember the chapel services, the internet cafe, the dining facility, and the people. All the good stuff.

That place was certainly no garden spot--nothing you'd want to visit on vacation, but for me it's loaded with rich memories.

Iraq--congratulations on another step forward! I hope we can continue to have a strong strategic partnership even after the majority of US forces are gone. It's been a long struggle.

Why Do Americans Care So Much Less About Captured Troops Than Israelis? - The Atlantic

Why Do Americans Care So Much Less About Captured Troops Than Israelis? - The Atlantic

This article in the Atlantic brings up a very interesting point--and a conclusion that may not sit well with readers, both military and civilian alike.

The Army has a Warrior Ethos that says, "I will never leave a fallen comrade."

I can understand why we don't negotiate with enemies to barter prisoners back and forth. If you get into that game, where does it end? I mean, the Israelis traded over 1000 prisoners for their one guy, Shalit. What will it cost next time, 2000 prisoners? The Israelis better get busy and start rounding some people up.

But even if we don't negotiate, how do we balance that against our ethos?

The article says the reason we don't press for an immediate release of our own prisoners is because, as a nation, the military is out of sight and out of mind due to the nature of an all-volunteer force and the proximity of military installations to major urban centers. The American public just doesn't relate with us in uniform on a day-to-day basis, so it's easy to ignore the fact that we have Soldiers currently in captivity with seemingly nothing being done to retrieve them.

Yet, the nation was fully aware and supportive of the three wayward hikers who were captured by the Iranians after drifting off course into Iranian territory. They received regular coverage on the news, which ultimately pressures our elected officials to action.

As Soldiers, we should not lose faith with our comrades in captivity, and hold fast to our ethos that says they will not be forgotten and never left behind. Regardless of why or how they were captured, we must show our true character and push for their release. Hopefully our citizenry will join us in that effort.

Today, pray for the safety and quick return of both Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl and Staff Sgt. Ahmed Altaie.

Values free-for-all in the Armed Forces

Apparently there is a move afoot to have atheist "chaplains" commissioned into the Armed Forces. According to Jason Torpy, Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers. According to Torpy, atheists in uniform are under-supported by the current force of serving chaplains (those who ascribe to a set of religious beliefs), thus the need for a crew of secular humanist chaplains to enter the ranks.

Wow.

How did we get here? It would seem to me that a secular humanist can gain access to the counseling Torpy claims is lacking in the military for aetheist Soldiers through the myriad behavioral health facilities and providers, all who conduct their counseling in a non-religious fashion.

This smells of a red herring argument, and I suspect there are other motives at play. The interviewer from Mother Jones reveals his cards when he says:

A lot of Mother Jones readers could be forgiven for wondering why a government department has its own clergy corps in the first place, much less why atheists are interested in working with those clerics.

It appears the Mother Jones crowd is less concerned about filling the perceived gap in support to atheist Soldiers, and more concerned about the elimination of the chaplaincy in the Armed Forces all together.

If you've been reading recently, you know that maintaining the values base in our military leaders is of prime importance to me. People will get their values from somewhere, the question becomes, as Americans, where do we want our military leaders to be getting their value system?

Do Americans want their sons and daughters to be led into very dangerous places by men and women who derive their value system from a "whatever feels good, do it" worldview? Or, would you rather trust your most precious commodity--your children-- to people who view them as valuable gifts, created in the image of God, worthy and precious as individuals?

As I've mentioned before, the Army Values are deeply rooted in a Judeo-Christian way of thinking. The example of Christ can be seen in each and every one of them.

I appreciate the service of all Americans--religious or humanist--but let's not undercut the time-proven systems that support the moral, ethical and spiritual needs of the majority of the force just to satisfy the personal convictions of an admitted few.