Postby drawscore » Mon Feb 27, 2012 12:04 am
While in the military for just a short time (3 years), I learned that I must respect the rank of the officers and NCO's appointed over me. But the person who wears the rank must earn my respect.
I further learned that politicians love to use the military for photo ops, but, by and large, support of the military by the politicians, is severely lacking. It is especially galling when that lack of support is on display for the nation to see, and comes from veterans and/or military retirees, as in John Kerry, who disparaged his fellow Vietnam veterans on the floor of the Senate; the late John Murtha, who, as a retired USMC Reserve colonel and Pennsylvania congressman, called brother Marines "cold blooded killers" on the floor of the House of Representatives without one iota of proof," and John McCain, a seven year POW in North Vietnam, who never lifted a finger to help another "Hanoi Hilton" victim, with whom he was imprisoned, USAF Colonel Bud Day, when Day filed a suit against the federal government for "stealing" military retiree benefits back in 1994. (Day won at the district court level, but was overturned on appeal by the appeals court in Atlanta, and the Supreme Court refused to hear the case.)
Additional knowledge gleaned from service, included "Bullshit is an art. To become proficient, one must practice. Constantly." And then, there was "There is no problem in this world, so big or so great, that cannot be overcome by the proper application of a sufficient amount of C-4."
I learned that the five scariest military moments are:
1. When a private says "I learned this in basic training!"
2. When a sergeant says "Trust me, sir!"
3. When a 2nd Lieutenant says "Based on my experience . . ."
4. When a captain says "Ya know, I was just thinking . . ."
5. When a Chief Warrant Officer 3 or 4, or a Master Warrant Officer 5 grins at you, nudges you with his elbow, and says "Hey! Watch this shit!"
And finally, for the current commander in chief, we should quit harping on Obama. After all, it IS his first job, and he's doing the work of three men . . . . . Larry, Curly, and Moe.
Drawscore