Ralph throws a hissy-fit and quits.

Admit it. Like the nutty, over-caffeinated guy you always see either in the parking lot or at the command picnic - you know you like to hear what Ralph Peters has to say now and then. I'm sorry though, he has lost me here. Anyone have a handle on what he is doing? Need more network time or something?

There are some who have thrown in the towel whose opinion and perspective I may not agree with, but I respect. With all due respect Ralph, this makes no sense.

...we can’t win... Arab societies can't support democracy as we know it... it's their tragedy, not ours... comprehensive inability of the Arab world to progress in any sphere of organized human endeavor... the United States wouldn't be weakened by our withdrawal, should it come to that. Iraq was never our Vietnam. It's al-Qaeda's Vietnam... Iran embark on an orgy of bloodshed, the harsh truth is that we may be the beneficiaries... Our military is now being employed for political purposes...

RE: Kerry and the Minnesotans

(Now that would make a good name for a grunge band.)

For all our friends here, you might be interested in knowing that a certain group of brave Minnesotans -- you may have seen some of their handiwork at Drudge (Thanks, Andi) -- are represented online. I'm been very proud to have the occasional link or two, they're big MILBLOG supporters.

I have been in contact with contributors to the site, and apparently they are under the scope of certain Public Affairs Office (PAO), who don't appreciate their efforts.

Perhaps you can stop by, and show your appreciation.

Military Families Appreciation Month

There's an old saying, Army [insert branch] Wife: The Toughest Job in the Army. Military spouses/families serve their country too. We keep the homefront going so that our warriors can focus on their mission.

Last weekend, the SpouseBUZZ authors, many of whom are also milbloggers, traveled to Ft. Hood for a day of conversation with local milspouses. It was the most powerful experience I've ever had as a milspouse. You can read some of the accounts here, here, here, here and here.

November is Military Families Appreciation Month, and SpouseBUZZ is kicking off a new contest today which coincides with that theme. Milspouses, click here for details.

Apologized? I'll file it with that other one...

I think I've seen this before.

Secret Navy Valour-IT signal

(No decoder ring required. Go here and do the right thing)

A Corpsman's Story

A great write-up about a day in the life of a Navy Corpsman and his Marines. Also a good perspective on prayer and faith; especially comming out of the NYT group.

He turned, faced a reporter and spoke loudly again. "In situations and times like this, I am bound to start yelling and shouting furiously," he said. "Don't think I am losing my mind."

One More Iraq=Vietnam

By their very nature, some groups attract unusual members.

Fire departments attract arsonists, though the vast majority of fire fighters are not.

The military attracts some violence prone, sadistic individuals - though the majority of those serving are not.

The priesthood attracts some individuals with various sexual proclivities, though the majority are following a dedicated calling.

The "news business" attracts those who would use the platform for "getting their message out" or advancing a cause rather than simply reporting news .

The examples cited for the first three groups are the exceptions, not the rule. But I'm not sure whether or not the last profession I listed has passed a tipping point in that regard.

Re: Iraq = Vietnam

Robert Elegant was a reporter in Vietnam. This is from his 1981 retrospective How to Lose A War: The Press and Viet Nam:

Not even the "old hands" were necessarily well qualified to cover the conflict—who could have been? Arthur Waley?—but, considering our divergent backgrounds and political convictions, the old hands' general agreement about the nature of the war was remarkable. Most deplored the ineffectiveness and the corruption of successive South Vietnamese governments, but judged native (i.e., Southern) disaffection incapable of mounting an armed rebellion without direction, reinforcement, and weapons from the North. Most concurred with the thesis Robert Shaplen advanced in The Lost Revolution (1966), agreeing that ineffectual leadership had failed to foster latent nationalistic and reformist enthusiasm in the South, by default ceding those dynamic forces to the North. We did not deceive ourselves that the South enjoyed even marginally good government; but we believed that Northern rule would be much worse for the mass of the people.¹³ We knew that the North and the South, though not necessarily two separate countries, were distinct entities because of the strong regional feelings of the Vietnamese. Although most of us had opposed major U.S. involvement, we saw no way the United States could withdraw unilaterally.

13. Worse in every way, economically as well as politically, although there were those—from Messrs. Tom Wicker and Seymour Hersh to Mmes. Frances Fitzgerald and Mary McCarthy for the New York Review of Books—whose steadfast ideology led them to believe that Revolutionary Liberation would mean Social Progress. They had a vision of the Viet Cong future, and it would work.

Air Power!

Hey can someone please explain to me why John Donovan is advertising for Team Air Force at The Castle?

Just curious is all.

All in the Family

A great story.

RE: Iraq= Vietnam

Do you mean that the opposing side was preparing to surrender until they watched Walter Cronkite/NY Times et al declare the war unwinnable?

Iraq = Vietnam

Many have made the comparison. Some are hoping for a similar outcome. Sy Hersh, for one.

If Americans knew the full extent of U.S. criminal conduct, they would receive returning Iraqi veterans as they did Vietnam veterans, Hersh said.

“In Vietnam, our soldiers came back and they were reviled as baby killers, in shame and humiliation,” he said. “It isn’t happening now, but I will tell you – there has never been an [American] army as violent and murderous as our army has been in Iraq.”

Before you judge your response simply on the quote above, I encourage you to read the entire article, then come back here and tell us what you think.

Hat tip: Reader Bill

Update: Someone in the comment section has challenged my belief that Hersh believes OIF Veterans deserve to be treated in the same manner as Vietnam Veterans. While it's true that Hersh doesn't state it quite that clearly, I think a fair reading of the article would lead most reasonable people to the same conclusion.

More reaction at Free Republic and Hot Air.

John Kerry's Non-Apology

JOHN KERRY has issued a written statement, which he is calling an "apology":

As a combat veteran, I want to make it clear to anyone in uniform and to their loved ones: my poorly stated joke at a rally was not about, and never intended to refer to any troop.

I sincerely regret that my words were misinterpreted to wrongly imply anything negative about those in uniform, and I personally apologize to any service member, family member, or American who was offended.

It is clear the Republican Party would rather talk about anything but their failed security policy. I don’t want my verbal slip to be a diversion from the real issues. I will continue to fight for a change of course to provide real security for our country, and a winning strategy for our troops.

This doesn't feel like an apology to me; it reads more like a tactical retreat. And after his "I apologize to no one" remark from yesterday, I'm having a very difficult time swallowing it as genuine.

Continue reading "John Kerry's Non-Apology"