In the past 12 years, the brave men and women of our armed
forces have spilled their blood in the sand.
Our soldiers and Marines have carried the fight to the terrorists and to
those counties that harbored them. Our Navy has maintained a constant patrol of
the seas surrounding these countries launching aircraft to support the ground
troops, our SEALS on the ground carrying out missions that only a few can
accomplish. Our Air Forces making long
flights from the U.S. to the war zone also to support our troops on the ground.
We have seen so many come home in flag draped caskets, others returning home
wounded and dismembered. These are the men and women that answered the call and
fulfilled their missions and obligations in which they swore to uphold. As
Americans, we were quick to call them "heroes", although most of them
would have preferred to be just acknowledged for their service, they were
simply doing what they we trained to do and their personal obligation to serve.
Messages and patriotic postings were made on all the social medias, thanking
the veterans for their service and to support our military families. Grand
shows of patriotism were staged at all sporting events and wherever a group
formed, thanking these Americans for their service.
During Presidents Carter’s administration, your military
forces were drastically cut, including our naval fleet which was hindered form
going to sea because of the lack of supplies and manpower. On my last trip into Vietnam, I had division which
was comprised of three Petty Officers including myself and fifteen seaman. My
minimum regular complement for my division was set at forty-three personnel. The morning we pulled out of Pearl Harbor, a
caravan of paddy wagons appeared on the pier and unloaded our new crew
members. The Brig at Naval Station Pearl
Harbor had been cleaned out and those that were incarcerated were our new crew members,
untrained and undisciplined.
“Peace Through Strength” was a predominant plank in
President Reagans presidential campaign, his vow was to restore the strength of
our military services including the construction of a five hundred ship Navy. A
goal that he completed midway through his second term. During this tenure in
office, our nation’s economic conditions escalated, due in part to
reconstruction of military services. At
the same time, we saw the Berlin Wall fall as well as the Soviet Union dissolving
as a nation and adversary. Again, due in
part to our strong military stance and their lack of ability to maintain their
stance in comparison.
In July 1973, I was I a different aspect of the Navy while
assigned to shore duty. I was Navy
Recruiter in western Colorado. It was at
that time that our Military Draft System concluded and we made the transition to
the “All Volunteer Forces”. This
transfer of personnel acquisition did not concern me, the Navy had not used the
draft system since WW II. The “All
Volunteer Force” has worked for us very well since that time in both our Commissioned
Officer and Non-Commissioned ranks.
However, my primary concern was and I made it abundantly clear at the
time, eventually we would have a Commander in Chief and other elected office
holders that had no previous military experience. I feared that budgets would
be cut and hesitation would be used in committing our military in times of
turmoil. This has been the case in the past six years.
In the fourth year of the Presidency of the President Obama,
the strength of our naval fleet had been reduced to less ships than prior to
World War II. This occurred at the same
time that China and Russia was increasing the size of their naval fleet to
include aircraft carriers and support ships for those carriers. Neither these countries had developed a “carrier”
prior to the current administration. By
federal law, the Department of the Navy is required to maintain a fleet of ten
aircraft carriers. Today, we have nine carriers on line with additional cuts
coming. To accomplish the primary mission
of the Navy, in keeping our sea-lanes open to commerce transportation, they patrol
the waters of the world to complete that mission. As well, they maintain a steady strike force in
the event that it is required. In our immediate
past, we have seen several incidents where they were not available to fulfill
that requirement. The 6th
Fleet of the Navy has always maintained a posture of two carrier task forces in
the Mediterranean Sea. In order to
complete their primary mission of insuring the Suez Canal and the Straits of Gibraltar
is open to traffic, a bitter lesson we learned in World War II. Today, we do not maintain that posture in the
Mediterranean Sea. In the past two years at least three incidents
occurred with no presence of our sea power.
The first occurred, when two destroyer class war ships of the Iranian
Navy left their home waters and passed thru the Suez Canal and into the
Mediterranean Sea to park off shore from Israel. There was no carrier task
force to welcome them and demonstrate “Peace Thru Strength”. The second incident occurred with a loss of
life when our consulate was attacked and destroyed in Benghazi by organized terrorists
resulting in the loss of life of our Ambassador and three security personnel. The
Administration states that there were no resources available to render assistance
in the attack. If the normal carrier task forces had been maintained in the Mediterranean,
those resources would have been available.
Aircraft could have been launched and reached the area in a short period
of time. Not ideal to utilize, but just
the presence of our aircraft flying low and fast over the heads of the
terrorists would have given them time to reflect on their wisdom of attacking
U.S. soil. As well, each carrier also
has a contingent of Marines and sailors that make up an organized “boarding
party” that could have been airlifted into the “hot zone” by the carrier
helicopters if they were in range. Today, the American public still has not received
the true answers as to what occurred at Benghazi. The third and most recent occurrence was just
a couple of months ago. Syria was utilizing
chemical warfare against the peoples of their state. When confirmation was
achieved, the President drew a “red line in the sand” and ordered our ships to
the area, two fast frigates was the total show of force that we demonstrated,
as no carrier task force was available in the area. Although, very capable two fast frigates does
not have the desired impact as a super carrier and all of her escorts.
During the length of the administration of President Obama,
there has been more Flag Ranked Officers (Admirals and Generals) retire from
military service than all of the previous Presidents combined! Earliest retirement possible of senior
enlisted personnel is at an all-time high in each of the services. Re-enlistment
levels for first term enlistment personnel is at an all-time low, these are our
mid management level personnel. Their
retention in the service is critical for later development into senior enlisted
management. Low morale is the biggest
impact that the services are currently experiencing due to longer deployments
and curtailment of benefits.
Today, another nail was pounded into the coffin. When the Vietnam Veterans returned home, they
were spat upon, ridiculed and called every name in the book, demonstrations
were common place on our college campuses.
Naval vessels returning to their home port in San Francisco had cans of
red paint dropped on them from the Golden Gate Bridge. But these veterans endured as they were completing
a mission that their country asked them to.
Today, it is the veterans of the past twelve years being attacked for accomplishing
their mission. Not by the citizens of
their country but by their government.
It was announced today by the Commander in Chief’s Administration,
via his Secretary of Defense, Chuck Nagel the immediate outlook for the future of
our military services. Politics make
strange bed fellows, Chuck Nagel, Secretary of Defense must know the effects
that this “new policy” is going to have on the military services, but lacks the
fortitude to set the example. Chuck
Nagel, was at one time Sargent Nagel, U.S. Army serving in Vietnam and among other
medals for his service, he was also awarded two Purple Hearts for wounds
suffered in combat. As well, where are
the Generals and Admirals, why are they walking in lock step with the Commander
in Chief other than for their own benefit and being awarded another star to
display on their shoulder boards.
It was announced today by the Administration that the
personnel levels of the military services will be “cut” to lower levels than we
saw prior to World II. This means that
longer and more regular deployments will be required by the remaining
personnel. Just as important, it also
means that our services will be so weakened that a response to a national emergency
will be difficult. When we entered into the
2nd phase of World War II in the Pacific we had a draft system. Thousands of men and Women did not wait to be
drafted, they enlisted. In today’s “All
Volunteer Services” this will be more difficult to achieve. So, first we saw a reduction of the Navy
fleet reduce back to WW II standards, now we are seeing our personnel being cut
back to the same time frame.
However, that is only part of this package of gratitude for
service. Currently, the Department of
Defense Budget is cut by 53% of the overall budget with additional cuts
forthcoming from the “sequester cuts” developed two years ago. Additional cuts that
were announced today to our military and military families is the curtailment
of future pay raises for those on active duty to the amount of no more than 1%,
cost of living increases, reduction or elimination of Commissary (grocery
stores) privileges, additional costs in medical care, and reduction of “on base
housing”. Welcome home, men and women of
our military services, we appreciate your dedicated service and the sacrifices
that you and your families have endured the past twelve years.
Now it is to me for each of us to step forward, make our
voices heard to each of our elected officials that these “employees” are the
most dedicated and underpaid employees of any of those serving in our government.
Write to your congressional delegation and tell them, do not ask, to vote no on
these drastic cuts to our men and women that serve us so well.
