HERE'S TO HEALTH OF THE CORPS
By Andy Weddington
12 March 2022
None of us wants to be reminded that dementia is random, relentless, and frighteningly common. - Laurie Graham
Note: Edited after publishing dumb error - caught by longtime friend. Specifically, source and numbers of living Marine Corps four-star generals corrected. The correction does not change commentary theme.]
Some years ago an aging family member's behavior started to change.
Subtle. Small things. Nothing serious. Not harmful.
Just peculiar things that were not normal. Quirky.
Yet there was no noticeable difference in cognitive ability.
Conversation normal.
Thinking and logic and problem-solving and carrying out life's responsibilities all seemingly normal.
But the quirky behavior.
In short, all seemed normal but probably was not.
Another member of the family who happened to notice the odd behavior mentioned the observations to a family elder who asked, "When was their last physical?"
Great question.
A couple days ago I read email string that included comment by a credible source noting there is 33 living four-star Marine Corps generals.
A few have serious health issues.
Of the others none cited as publicly supporting Force Design 2030 - a significant initiative reconfiguring the Marine Corps mission, men, and machinery that is being led by the current four-star Marine Corps general, General David Berger, 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps.
The initiative contentious.
Seriously contentious.
Some sounding alarms.
Senior officers have retired, quietly, in protest.
Some retired seniors are beginning to opine publicly (two recently in the Wall Street Journal).
All I know is what I read. And hear back channel through credible reports; some first-hand, some reports of reports.
The one consistency in all the reports is the messengers, even the retired four-star generals, cannot get through to the commandant.
Yes, I read Force Design 2030 when first published. And, without going into painstaking analysis, thought it strange an outfit with a proven record of success employing forces via a flexible model (Marine Air Ground Task Force - MAGTF) for responding quickly across a spectrum of crises and conflicts is going to tailor itself to fight a specific enemy in one region.
And that is pretty much the consensus of the critics.
That there is agreement as to wrong direction amongst so many Marine Corps four-star generals is rather remarkable.
I met an older woman a few weeks ago (her late husband a Marine who fought in Korea - Chosin Reservoir) who served ten years in the state legislature.
She is alert, thoughtful, smart, articulate - our 15-20 minutes conversations interesting.
A couple days ago she brought up politics and current events. President Biden came up. I mentioned signs of dementia and Alzheimer's Disease. She agreed but said, "not so bad he cannot still do the job."
Her comment caught my attention but I held off on the obvious retort.
As conversation continued, beyond our usual 15-20 minutes, clues like repetition, lost train of thought, and confusion made it clear she suffers dementia; consistent with (my experience with) Alzheimer's. My guess is if spending more time around her quirky behavior obvious.
What is normal?
Anymore, I don't know.
But there is a norm and when behavior falls outside the norm it's time to quit assuming, not rationalize, and investigate.
Can all those retired Marine Corps four-star generals be wrong?
In retrospect, I believe that aging family member cited in the opening sentence was displaying onset of dementia. No way to prove it now but that conclusion logical and explanatory.
Without going into particulars of my up close and personal experience these past few years, what objectively keeps coming to mind and what ought be on the minds of all concerned ...
When was the commandant's last physical (including comprehensive cognitive assessment)?
Posts
3 comments:
Something is seriously and deeply amiss with this Commandant and those of his ilk. A conspiracy theorist I most definitely am not. However, FD 2030 removes the Marine Corps from any serious warfighting capability, especially for the long haul and against peer and near-peer antagonists. Combine this with the decidedly moral degradation writ large in the Corps, and we have serious troubles.
Remember Napoleon's sage remarks regarding battle; " the moral is to the physical as three is to one".
Dementia, Alzheimer's? I think not. Woke? Yes, As to all the retired generals I know not. But I do the the latest to speak out. Served around and under him no less than five times in our careers. First time as his Co GySgt while he a captain. I, and most others back then agreed he would some day be a general. The smartest, most intelligent and knowledgeable Marine officer I ever met, so much so that he easily intimidated those less professional. I have been waiting and waiting to hear from him. Of course, I speak of General Jack.
Jim, yes “woke” but why? And that is my point. There is only one person able to pick up on the subtlest of signs. And that person’s typical behavior is to cover.
Post a Comment