Archive: Opinions

Like much of the country and the world, I've been preoccupied with the all pervasive issue of COVID-19, its effects upon the economy, our society, and our physical and emotional health. Of course, this focus was correct, and we will be dealing with its after and side effects for possibly a generation.

It's also put to the side, many other newsworthy issues, and I wish to address something which has been gnawing at my brain and my heart for a little while.

I'll begin by reminding my readers that I am a combat veteran of one of the least popular, most controversial conflicts that America's military has ever participated in. Vietnam left it scars upon United States and a generation that are still being felt. I am also an amateur American historian with a keen interest in the American presidency.

With that foundation, I wish to move to a few thoughts on what's happening to the office of the presidency and the military establishment.

The man who occupied the esteemed executive office was never above the criticism of those who found objection to actions and decisions that opponents found fault with. From George Washington on there have always been those who disagreed, often vehemently, with the president, and often the criticism was considered close to calumny libel and even treasonous. Somehow that criticism still respected the office. The honor that surrounded 'office' was predicated on the tradition that had accumulated over 200 years of the mostly honorable personages that occupied that office.

Yes, frequently the men who ascended to that height did not measure up to the office and often frittered away the respect that that office required. But by and large, the occupants grew in the presidency and many can be truly considered great leaders in history. Those who rose to that stature can be honestly viewed as men who viewed the office of the presidency as an honor, a privilege, and saw it with the full respect, even with awe of its powers and privileges, but always with humility.

No matter the issue, no matter the criticism or critic, the office was sacrosanct, essentially because the man holding that office also had the highest regard for precedent, for its history. Awe Is not too strong a word. A man who ascended to that height had an awesome responsibility and a sense of history. And with that sense came a sense of humility too, an understanding of place and time, history and precedent.

Now I come to the part that, as an amateur historian and combat veteran, sticks in my craw and turns my stomach. The photo that lies in front of me is the Commander In Chief (I'll leave the epithet I usually utilize to the side this week) walking across Pennsylvania Avenue accompanied by members of his cabinet. I recognize William Barr Mark Esper, and Jared Kushner in the photo. They are to Trump's left in combat fatigues and sporting the 101st Airborne patch on his right shoulder (the place of honor) is General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As such General Milley is the military head of our armed services - top dog with four stars, outranked only by the Secretary of Defense and the President. Always establishing the fact is that our proud military establishment is not headed by a soldier, but by a civilian. Here lies my trouble.

General Milley later regretted that photo and stated in no uncertain terms that regret, but the damage was done. It was a capstone of the damage that has been done, not just in the last three years, but since at least Vietnam. I'll stick to the last three years to make and to abbreviate my point.

Rretired General Joseph Votel, former commander of the US Central Command was quoted the day after the photo was taken. Reminder - the incident was the walk from the White House to the nearby church where Trump would hold up a Bible after peaceful protestors were forcibly evicted by federal law enforcement and National Guard.

General Votel said, "The military plays a key role in our constitutional order and is the most respected institution in America. It respects civilian control is representative of the people and is an apolitical organization that is not beholden to any particular party. The impact of losing that would be a loss of confidence and trust by Americans. That is what is at stake."

Indeed. President Trump has been quoted more than once using the phrase "my military". He cited the Insurrection Act of 1807 to propose using active duty troops against US citizens, which even drew a sharp response from Defense Secretary Esper, as well as from Trump's most ardent supporter, Senator Lindsay Graham. Trump almost fired Esper for such upright criticism, but he can't fire Graham, though he probably wishes he could. The constitution protects Congress as well as the military, but the threat remains to our men and women in uniform and our status in the world.

This is another in a long line of damage done to our military, both strategically and tactically. Trump has threatened (and likely will) to draw down our bare bones presence in Europe by another 10,000 men and women and limiting our military level to 25,000 down from almost a quarter million years ago. This as a threat to force European countries to increase their contribution to NATO, even though several countries have actually exceeded the 2% of GDP requirement. Our remaining forces in Germany would hardly remain a 'tripwire', and our ability to utilize Germany as a jumping off point to global trouble spots would almost disappear.

Our commitment to Europe since 1945 has been more than military: The Marshall Plan, the Berlin Airlift, the International Monetary Fund, NATO ,and various trade agreements such as the General Agreement On Tariffs and Trade have given Europe a stability that it rarely experienced before the Peace of 1945. Europe has frequently thumbed its nose at us, but the general opinion of the more rational populace and its leaders has been a respect for our stabilizing influence. As our power and prestige wanes the vacuum must be filled and will be filled by a newly resurgent Russia, and even by China's Belt and Road Initiative. With trade money, oil, gas, and influence our two opposite entities in Asia will gladly take our place.

And it is not just Europe which is staring glumly and our shocking behavior and withdrawal to fortress America. Our withdrawal of support from the Kurds in Syria, , our nonchalance about Russian and Chinese incursions in Africa, our proposed withdrawal from Afghanistan by election day, as well as our embarrassing behavior in Korea, and Hong Kong, and have all contributed to the world's democracies, looking askance at the American presence, as we shrink back to our ocean borders with the 'fortress America' mentality.

Our continued bullying behavior toward our long time post World War II allies is stunning and the masculinization of our military is only part of the story. Trump actually ordered the furlough of thousands of Korean employees of the American bases in April to force Seoul to ante up more money to pay for our troops. The South Koreans are our strongest support both in morale and military in Asia, and rely on our presence to keep a million men North Korean army, just to the North at Bay.

Mr. Trump taunted us saying, "it was easier to get rent money from New Yorkers than getting money from Koreans, then insulted us by calling us freeloaders". That is a quote from the retired Korean Special Forces Commander. How can we continue to be viewed as the source and arsenal for democracy when we continue to insult and abandon our allies in this most dangerous world?

Adding insult to injury the commander in chief ignored the advice of his commanders when he barred transgender troops from serving, as well as his unprecedented interference in military justice cases of war crimes. Our prestige and the perception of the world are taking crucial body blows, and we haven't even begun to calculate or conceive of how our prestige is being irretrievably damaged.

And he wants to employ 'his military' to confront American citizens in the street, practically abandoning the Constitution , and putting the military at his personal beck and call. What must the world be thinking?

'Fortress America' was the thinking of Wilsonian America prior through our entry in World War I, until we realized that our ocean borders were no longer protection against the submarine and Europe's travails were eventually ours too. 'America First' was the cry of Linberg and others through the 1930s, as Europe was gradually enslaved, as we idly watched. And the Pacific Ocean became the playground of the Japanese generals and admirals. The Pacific became the path to Pearl Harbor, and we were fortunate to emerge the victors by the fortune of fate and an all out military and civilian effort of millions who believed that we had a moral obligation to answer the cry of freedom. And when it was over millions of American men and women went back to civilian life to continue to enjoy our freedom, never questioning the value of our military, it's nonpolitical nature, its strength, and its place in our constitution.

People have talked about World War III since 1945. But I maintain that WW III was fought in 1945 and ended in 1989 to 1991 with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union. We are now staring World War IV in the face. And our constitution, our military, and our history are on the front lines.

The Commander In Chief must recognize this, but unfortunately the current commander has no sense of history of propriety, of the immense power that America has held wisely over the years. Our prestige and our survival is at stake, and Trump is squandering it.

The chair of the Joint Chiefs was quoted the day after that photo was taken, appearing to regret the insertion of a weakened military into peaceful protests: "I should not have been there."

Too late general. We already have one foot on a moral and political banana peel. And your civilian commander seems to be hell bent on marching forward and downward on a very slippery path. To quote Bette Davis from prior to world war two: "Buckle, your seat belts - it's going to be a very bumpy ride." Or to quote Pete Seeger: "And the big fool said march on."