Currently serving four-star officers and high level DOD civilians have been associated with what wars won by the US?
-Oak Bay Starfish
Pick a decade anytime after the war in Vietnam. No matter what political party or personality is in the White House, Uncle Sam struggles to get veterans health care to work properly. Moms, Dads, Grandparents, and young people have access to this info.
In the news:
April 10, 2023 Kitsap Sun
TRICARE administrator floats pay cuts to health care providers
“In a letter to the company that Campbell provided to the Kitsap Sun, she pointed to rising costs at her practice in Silverdale, noted that she doesn’t take a salary personally and has had to dip into savings to make ends meet.”
“Any reduction from the current rate will simply make it impossible to meet our expenses,” she wrote.
“If this goes through for me, I will no longer accept new TRICARE families, and I really don’t like doing that, because that’s not fair,” she said. “I want the TRICARE families to know why, I want them to understand, this is not a decision that I take lightly or that anyone else takes lightly, but we do have to still pay staff, I have retirement for them and vacation pay, those things are important to keep staff members and to support their families.”
Excuses for US Military Recruiting Crisis
Recruiters, generals, elected officials, political think tanks and TV newspeople are A-OK with a list of excuses for difficulties in recruiting. Low unemployment, overweight young people, COVID, young people on meds, illegal drug use, etc.
They will avoid news reporting and discussion on reasons for the crisis that reflect poorly on elected officials, DOD and news reporting.
The military recruiting crisis was earned by the politicians, generals, and high ranking civilians who have been running the Pentagon over the past 30 years or so. The crisis is also upon us due to newspeople not asking questions going back to the time the Cold War ended.
Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, it feels like the people who run the Pentagon specialize in undeclared/unwon wars.
Understandable why young people and their parents and grandparents would take a dim view on all this. Any news reporting and discussion?
Weak News Reporting
The US should maintain strong and ready military forces.
In some cases, the US Armed Forces provide for our security. That’s as good as it gets.
In terms of American rights and freedoms- The Dept. of Defense has no more say than the Dept. of Agriculture.
We’ve been told for decades that DOD sends the troops to distant lands to defend American rights and freedoms.
Claims about freedoms that cry out for questioning:
Two major political parties promote the idea that The Troops are sent to distant lands to fight for American rights and freedoms.
School teachers and newspeople are OK with promoting this urban legend.
Local press:
Hometown pride running high. High enough to stop asking questions?
“For the past couple of years, the Whidbey News-Times paid the insurance for the Veterans Day Parade, about $200, because it was a small way of saying thank you to the men and women who sacrificed so that we may have our liberties, including our Freedom of Speech.”
Were US troops sent to Vietnam so that Americans could be free to send letters to the editor?
Is there any case in which the US Armed Forces have been sent to distant lands on a mission to protect freedom of speech?
Is protecting freedom of speech even part of training scenarios?
The US Armed Forces – A Giant Civil Rights Organization?
May 28, 2020 WMAR
Salisbury Mayor deploying to Africa with Maryland National Guard
Several news sources published this quote. View them here.
The idea that sending hometown troops to Africa would be linked in any way with keeping the people of Salisbury Maryland safe and free calls for more discussion.
Mayor Day,
While the troops were deployed, federal law was signed prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to adults age 18-20.
Can you help us to understand the militarized version of freedom here?
December 21st 2019 KOMO News
Legal age to buy cigarettes, vapes raised to 21 nationwide
“Signed into law by President Donald Trump Friday as part of the new $1.4 trillion spending bill, a new measure prohibits the sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21.”
National Guard
The people of Minnesota need more applicants to maintain a place to live and a regular job in their hometown area when they are not doing time in foreign lands helping DOD with undeclared/unwon wars and missions completely unrelated to their home state.
A few decades back, people might think of the National Guard as one weekend a month and two weeks in the summer plus a way to support your home state by being ready to get called out for floods, fires, natural disasters, civil unrest, etc. Maybe a way to help the next state over if they needed it.
In recent years, the National Guard has been sent to Syria, Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kosovo.
Any members of the press available to show up and ask why the people of Home State, USA needed services in distant lands, absent any military emergency, national emergency, draft, or declaration of war?
Recruiting crisis for Uncle Sam? Elected officials and top Pentagon Generals earned it.
Both major parties and the press appear to be OK with undeclared/unwon wars.
If DOD was an NFL team, sports talk radio would feature comments like:
The Dept. of Defense was nowhere to be found on 911. We haven’t won a war since.
Love to see TV newspeople ask:
Whatever happened to the formal congressional declaration of war?
This would be the time to hear from elected leaders and top generals Re: lessons learned on all the issues that have doomed the Department of Defense track record for winning wars since DOD was established in 1949.
Related:
Schmoozy Interview With The General – Recruiting Crisis
Maybe Get Away From The Bragging About Freedom?
Excuses for US Military Recruiting Crisis
Any college or pro football coach would have been fired a dozen times over
America Deserves A Military Recruiting Crisis
How does Uncle Sam plan to attract young people to sign up in the years ahead?
Hey Moms and Dads – Ask A Recruiter
Decades after the lessons of Vietnam, it feels like the people who run the Pentagon specialize in undeclared/unwon wars.
What would be your role be in all this?
Below, are some random thoughts and questions newspeople will not ask. Our questions appear in bold type.
Possibly of interest:
How Do The Troops Defend The Constitution?
Not asking about the oath of enlistment. Asking about what happens after the oath has been taken.
Love to see newspeople interview elected officials and let us know how sending US Troops to Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, etc., is somehow defending the constitution.