A Colonel of Truth

Andy, Thank you for the wonderful family story an...

2012-05-28T05:34:31.801-07:00

Andy,

Thank you for the wonderful family story and tribute to Dutch (my great uncle). Much of what you said is new to me. I did know about the war and the wooden leg, of course, as Fannie and Dutch spent the night at our house on Jackson Street when I was a very little girl. I guess this is before they moved from FL to Salisbury. I was fascinated by the wooden leg because he took it off at night (of course, he'd have to). I remember him as more gruff than cranky. He was never mean as some older adults could be. Great story at any time but especially today. I wish I knew more about Paw-Paw Kirk's siblings! (And Jean would be so proud that you referenced her work! She put so much into those several volumes).

one moe time; Thanks Andy for sharing and Thank yo...

2012-05-28T05:30:49.176-07:00

one moe time; Thanks Andy for sharing and Thank you Dutch.

Col - Great painting of that "little girl&quo...

2012-05-25T11:37:34.346-07:00

Col - Great painting of that "little girl". For certain her grandfather likes it too. Thank you again old friend.

My guess is the blog author's moderation proce...

2012-05-19T04:51:50.115-07:00

My guess is the blog author's moderation process will mandate that to be a verbal story and not one posted on the net.

Do tell, Andy. I'm dying to hear your bra sto...

2012-05-18T08:44:31.759-07:00

Do tell, Andy. I'm dying to hear your bra story!

The effects are being seen all over the country as...

2012-05-04T05:48:04.014-07:00

The effects are being seen all over the country as racially motivated attacks on innocent citizens have become too common. Not good for the Republic Andy.

This is so much more than simply a question of phy...

2012-04-27T18:18:21.083-07:00

This is so much more than simply a question of physical ability...the reason we are here in the first place is because to many Marines (probably trying to sound nonchalant and cool) gave the response "hey, if they can hump X or Y then way not...". This will destroy the Corps as we know it and my soul aches....

I do not think of a female as an asset...I think of increased logistical demands, trying to keep my young Marines away from the young females. They are a burden, the ONLY thing the military exists for is to win wars...ANYTHING that complicates that is a hindrance.

The Marine Corps Planning Process exists the reduce the variability, females increase variability. Letting them in at all was the beginning of the end...do the British Royal Marines have females....why not?

In an era when we need more Eds, we have fewer eve...

2012-04-27T13:51:42.618-07:00

In an era when we need more Eds, we have fewer everyday. Missed but never forgotten.

S/F

As cited in the ALMAR from Gen. Amos, he has been ...

2012-04-25T07:33:17.701-07:00

As cited in the ALMAR from Gen. Amos, he has been directed to carry out "MEASURED AND RESPONSIBLE RESEARCH BE CONDUCTED TO PROVIDE ME WITH THE INFORMATION AND DATA NECESSARY TO MAKE AN INFORMED AND EDUCATED RECOMMENDATION ON POTENTIAL POLICY CHANGES. THE CUMULATIVE RESEARCH EFFORT WILL INCLUDE AN EXCEPTION TO THE GROUND ASSIGNMENT POLICY, QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH, AND A TOTAL FORCE SURVEY."
Short of resigning as CMC in protest, Gen. Amos may be trying to "buy some time" in the research and data collection effort, in the hopes the 2012 Presidential election will bring about major policy change, if not a reversal of this insane guidance from the current administration. This is certainly not a USMC/CMC initiative, and some delaying tactics to temporarily stave off implementation may be the only viable course of action at this juncture.
If all else fails and this comes to pass, The Corps we knew and served in will no longer exist.

The key to this entire article is the LAST sentenc...

2012-04-19T13:55:42.893-07:00

The key to this entire article is the LAST sentence: "Working in support roles, 144 women have been killed in action and 865 injured since the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq..."

The problem with that sentence is the first four words: many of these females killed and injured were not in support roles - they were on patrol alongside their male counterparts to speak to female Iraqis and Afghanis.

Placing females directly into combat units is not a good idea, but they are used to augment our combat units. Training females to survive in the same combat environment as males is the only moral thing to do. We are not fighting WWII or even Vietnam on today's battlefield. We owe it to all our Marines to train them for the battles they WILL fight, not the battles we have fought.

The word putz comes to mind. Let me use that in a...

2012-04-13T10:11:22.660-07:00

The word putz comes to mind. Let me use that in a sentence. "Look at the picture of the putz on the basketball".

Obama challenging a "group of unelected peopl...

2012-04-07T13:38:34.547-07:00

Obama challenging a "group of unelected people" should take a quick look at his own administration. Czars, anyone? Just who elected them, Obama?

BTW, Colonel - that new anti-robot quiz is bloody hell on us older folks with poor eyesight!

I just hope America is paying attention. Rob

2012-04-06T06:20:08.091-07:00

I just hope America is paying attention. Rob

The hucksters are alive and well; consider this th...

2012-03-28T07:24:50.635-07:00

The hucksters are alive and well; consider this thought. The Nation is caught up (wasting a lot of time and money)in a discussion of providing national health care. Let's consider the reality for a moment. It is not whether the government should provide healthcare or not; the real issue is can the government afford it? The NATIONAL ISSUE is: we do not have the money to pay for what we are spending now and health care; good, bad, or indifferent is something the Nation cannot afford. Let's get focused and get the financial house in order. Stop the slide to third world country status as the largest debtor Nation in the history of the world and then solve these "noble" and "fairness" issues if they in fact need to be solved.

Having served in a combat zone and watched female ...

2012-03-26T13:44:29.361-07:00

Having served in a combat zone and watched female soldiers and Marines don the same battle dress as male soldiers and Marines, and load up in the same combat vehicles as male soldiers and Marines, and patrol the same violent streets as male soldiers and Marines, and engage the enemy with those same male soldiers and Marines (sometimes in the form of IEDs, sometimes with small-arms fire) I do believe there is a very defined role for females in infantry units in certain situations.
These females are used to deal with females encountered during the patrols. To not provide them with the some of the same combat survival training as males just doesn't make sense.
I do not think the answer is to integrate them into the same infantry training units as males, but the same survival techniques must be passed on to women as we ask them to enter the same combat environment as males (for very good reasons).

Ken Plato

I sometimes lead them on, then I tell them "m...

2012-03-25T08:03:53.184-07:00

I sometimes lead them on, then I tell them "my parole officer" has to approve all contracts and ask them if they'd run it by him for me.

I believe that there should be female combat troop...

2012-03-22T14:18:52.204-07:00

I believe that there should be female combat troops in all services. Be it a squad, platoon company etc. It should be ALL female with NO male members. If the females wish to prove themselves then let them di it with no male MARINES, ARMY or Air Force there to help--LET THEM DO IT BY THEMSELVES.

Tom Knowles
RETIRED USMC

Good job once again Colonel.

2012-03-22T11:07:37.889-07:00

Good job once again Colonel.

Andy, the SASC testimony of General Barrow (from 1...

2012-03-22T09:48:14.977-07:00

Andy, the SASC testimony of General Barrow (from 1991) and his testimony are remarkable far beyond the scope of the topic (women in ground/air combat) on which he so eloquently and uniquely commented. How far our American world has moved in a generation ... it is truly sad to witness the decline of our nation and the trivialization of wisdom. Our nation's fundamental problems are not attack from terrorists beyond our borders ... rahter the removal of "backbone" from within. Such testimony (as Gen Barrow's) may be ridiculed today given the short-sightedness of our cultural liberalism and the near total lack of understanding the sacrifices made to preserve America (by our military) for generations. This wave of dumbing down our society by aligning "equality" of opportunity with "Political Correctness" insidiously infects our national psyche ... we must remember this each day: "there is no right way to do the wrong thing." Andy, my friend, thanks for your diligence and concern ... And a final comment: I'm sadly surprised (but shouldn't be) how few people have commented on this topic ... which further shows the depth of our complacency about national security. There are no easy answers now, nor were there easy answers in past generations ... but there are better ways of dealing with social issues than using our military as the lab in this particular gender issue. I sure miss Gen Barrow's leadership, wisdom and charisma.

Jacob, As to your closing query... Did you liste...

2012-03-20T10:11:18.897-07:00

Jacob,

As to your closing query...
Did you listen, closely, to General Barrow's testimony?

I can't speak to what future plans hold, but t...

2012-03-20T04:53:04.267-07:00

I can't speak to what future plans hold, but the recent decisions made were simply to allow female Marine officers and SNCOs to serve at the battlion level (i.e. Bn staff) of division units in MOS' already open to them. So you might end up with a female adjutant at a Combat Engineer Battalion, or a female log chief at an AAV Bn.

IMHO, if they want to fairly and fully integrate women into all areas of the military, then they need to adopt a single set of physical fitness standards applied across the board. If she can hump Ma Deuce on a 25-miler and hang with the boys, why not?

The notion that women need to be trained and assig...

2012-03-17T09:58:25.158-07:00

The notion that women need to be trained and assigned to infantry battalions borders on the absurd to say the least. While there is a role for females in the military, my experiences working side by side dictate otherwise. Although I am not an infantry type Marine, I've experienced one too many incidents where the female Marines in my unit could pull their own load in more ways than one.
This is but another step to impose political agendas on the military. I rankly don't want to hear the argument that the lines of combat are all but blurred, so what, the infantry is still the one is and will always be up front and personal with the enemy!
Enough of this MADNESS!!!

Brilliant, sad, and hopefully the predictions true...

2012-03-06T10:50:43.450-08:00

Brilliant, sad, and hopefully the predictions true.

The more we continue to stress our differences as ...

2012-03-02T16:04:55.142-08:00

The more we continue to stress our differences as Americans (What is an African American? Not a single slave is alive today in the United States. Am I a Polish American because my great grandparents immigrated from Poland? I don't think so. We are all simply citizens of the USA.)the more polarized we become. This campaign add emphasizes our differences, not our similarities. I expect a better example from our President. Very sad.

Ahhh yes. Thank you for saying it Andy. Perfect!...

2012-03-02T08:55:14.280-08:00

Ahhh yes. Thank you for saying it Andy. Perfect! Look forward to seeing you in "Cigar City".