A Veteran's Day Message
Mike Walker
All,
The Military Times did a poll of our men and women in uniform, our GI's, on the presidential election. If you are wondering what the Military Times does, it publishes a number of newspapers, the Navy Times, the Army Times, etc, that are widely read by GI's around the world.
The result of their poll is a reason to give all of us, especially the new administration, a good reason to pause and reflect.
While the American people, as whole, favored the Obama-Biden ticket by a close ratio of about 5:4, our GI's favored the McCain-Palin ticket by a ratio of nearly 3:1.
That is a huge disconnect. Why?
Now that I am retired, I can speak in a way that would be inappropriate were I still in uniform.
I believe it is not President-elect Obama. I believe that he will vigorously lead and support our men and women in uniform during the ongoing war against terror; a war we neither asked for nor wanted but had forced upon us on 9/11.
I do not believe it is Vice President-elect Biden. He has been a consistent voice of reason in developing the strategies needed for victory in this war. I do not agree with all of his arguments, but his message and intent are unmistakable. He knows the risks of failure and the importance of victory.
The problem is not with the top of the ticket, in my opinion. I believe the military is unshakable in its loyalty to our new administration. I know that the military will execute the orders of the new President to best of their ability, no matter what the personal risk or sacrifice.
The reason for the GI's great hesitancy in voting for the Obama-Biden ticket lies primarily elsewhere. The Obama-Biden ticket was rejected by a troubling margin of our GI's because of a real concern with the next level of leadership and their influence on the new administration.
It is a deep uncertainty over whether or not the new administration can and will be able to match their words of support with actions.
It is a fear that the men and women in uniform who are fighting this war will be let down by some powerful leaders in the Congress and the new administration may not prevent it.
That is why our GI's turned to the McCain-Palin ticket and away from the Obama-Biden ticket. They knew they would not be let down during a McCain presidency. They knew they would not be forced into defeat in the middle of battle due to a lapse of judgment and nerve by our Congress.
I believe I can sum up this fear and uncertainty in two words: Harry Reid.
As veteran of the war in Iraq, I tell you that words cannot describe the crushing effect of Harry Reid's infamous statement on 17 April 2007: "...THIS WAR IS LOST and the surge is not accomplishing anything..."
A rough analogy would be as if it were the last year's Superbowl and, during the third quarter, one of the Giants' assistant head coaches called a press conference on the sidelines to announce that, for the Giants, "..THIS GAME IS LOST and the play by our team on the field is not accomplishing anything..."
Of course this is a very poor comparison. The Superbowl, in the end, is only a game played by great athletes. Our men and women in uniform are not in a game. They are engaged in a life and death struggle to defend this country against some very bad people.
But through this analogy you can get a feel for the deep sense of betrayal and damage that was done by the words of Harry Reid on that fateful Thursday in 2007.
What needs to be done? We need change.
On 21 March 2007, President-elect Obama said: "...we must learn the lessons of Iraq. It is what we owe our soldiers. It is what we owe their families. And it is what we owe our country – now, and in all the days and months to come."
Harry Reid failed as a national leader in time of war. He failed our GI's. He failed their families. He failed our country in a time of great crisis.
As President-elect Obama has said, we must learn the lessons of Iraq and change requires more than speeches.
Change requires action.
Harry Reid must step down.
I am sure Harry Reid has done many fine things in areas not related to the war against terror. Well and good. Find him a new job where his strengths lie but he has no place as a national leader in the war effort.
President-elect Obama must ensure that Harry Reid is no longer the leader of the Senate.
Harry Reid needs to atone by doing the honorable thing in stepping down.
A generation or so ago, another Senator named Arthur Vandenberg said: "To me, 'bipartisan foreign policy' means a mutual effort, under our indispensable, two-party system, to unite our official voice at the water's edge so that America speaks with one voice to those who would divide and conquer us and the free world."
We need a leader in the Senate who will not divide but fight for victory here at home with the same determination, courage, and judgment as that of the GI's fighting on the battlefields overseas.
This is a change we GI's, past and present, need and deserve and many, many, more would say it loud and clear if duty permitted.
Semper Fi,
Mike
All,
The Military Times did a poll of our men and women in uniform, our GI's, on the presidential election. If you are wondering what the Military Times does, it publishes a number of newspapers, the Navy Times, the Army Times, etc, that are widely read by GI's around the world.
The result of their poll is a reason to give all of us, especially the new administration, a good reason to pause and reflect.
While the American people, as whole, favored the Obama-Biden ticket by a close ratio of about 5:4, our GI's favored the McCain-Palin ticket by a ratio of nearly 3:1.
That is a huge disconnect. Why?
Now that I am retired, I can speak in a way that would be inappropriate were I still in uniform.
I believe it is not President-elect Obama. I believe that he will vigorously lead and support our men and women in uniform during the ongoing war against terror; a war we neither asked for nor wanted but had forced upon us on 9/11.
I do not believe it is Vice President-elect Biden. He has been a consistent voice of reason in developing the strategies needed for victory in this war. I do not agree with all of his arguments, but his message and intent are unmistakable. He knows the risks of failure and the importance of victory.
The problem is not with the top of the ticket, in my opinion. I believe the military is unshakable in its loyalty to our new administration. I know that the military will execute the orders of the new President to best of their ability, no matter what the personal risk or sacrifice.
The reason for the GI's great hesitancy in voting for the Obama-Biden ticket lies primarily elsewhere. The Obama-Biden ticket was rejected by a troubling margin of our GI's because of a real concern with the next level of leadership and their influence on the new administration.
It is a deep uncertainty over whether or not the new administration can and will be able to match their words of support with actions.
It is a fear that the men and women in uniform who are fighting this war will be let down by some powerful leaders in the Congress and the new administration may not prevent it.
That is why our GI's turned to the McCain-Palin ticket and away from the Obama-Biden ticket. They knew they would not be let down during a McCain presidency. They knew they would not be forced into defeat in the middle of battle due to a lapse of judgment and nerve by our Congress.
I believe I can sum up this fear and uncertainty in two words: Harry Reid.
As veteran of the war in Iraq, I tell you that words cannot describe the crushing effect of Harry Reid's infamous statement on 17 April 2007: "...THIS WAR IS LOST and the surge is not accomplishing anything..."
A rough analogy would be as if it were the last year's Superbowl and, during the third quarter, one of the Giants' assistant head coaches called a press conference on the sidelines to announce that, for the Giants, "..THIS GAME IS LOST and the play by our team on the field is not accomplishing anything..."
Of course this is a very poor comparison. The Superbowl, in the end, is only a game played by great athletes. Our men and women in uniform are not in a game. They are engaged in a life and death struggle to defend this country against some very bad people.
But through this analogy you can get a feel for the deep sense of betrayal and damage that was done by the words of Harry Reid on that fateful Thursday in 2007.
What needs to be done? We need change.
On 21 March 2007, President-elect Obama said: "...we must learn the lessons of Iraq. It is what we owe our soldiers. It is what we owe their families. And it is what we owe our country – now, and in all the days and months to come."
Harry Reid failed as a national leader in time of war. He failed our GI's. He failed their families. He failed our country in a time of great crisis.
As President-elect Obama has said, we must learn the lessons of Iraq and change requires more than speeches.
Change requires action.
Harry Reid must step down.
I am sure Harry Reid has done many fine things in areas not related to the war against terror. Well and good. Find him a new job where his strengths lie but he has no place as a national leader in the war effort.
President-elect Obama must ensure that Harry Reid is no longer the leader of the Senate.
Harry Reid needs to atone by doing the honorable thing in stepping down.
A generation or so ago, another Senator named Arthur Vandenberg said: "To me, 'bipartisan foreign policy' means a mutual effort, under our indispensable, two-party system, to unite our official voice at the water's edge so that America speaks with one voice to those who would divide and conquer us and the free world."
We need a leader in the Senate who will not divide but fight for victory here at home with the same determination, courage, and judgment as that of the GI's fighting on the battlefields overseas.
This is a change we GI's, past and present, need and deserve and many, many, more would say it loud and clear if duty permitted.
Semper Fi,
Mike
