Since many in the US are blindly in love with their military, I feel it’s necessary to inject a bid of sobriety here. Frankly, I do not like military culture for it does not (as advertised) build men. Rather, it focuses on a very narrow range of what it means to be a man, trying to convince us of that range’s overwhelming importance.
My following observations will not earn me many points among active-duty soldiers. And perhaps I should care about that, since I really want to become the next US President – and, therefore, their Commander in Chief. However, I do not care to be loved by our men and women in uniform. I will leave it to others to seek that kind of adoration. All I would expect of our men and women in uniform is that they follow orders – no more than that, no less.
If I should appear on a ship or a base, I would expect adherence to military protocol at all times. When I saw pictures of our troops surrounding President Obama – all smiles with their cameras raised to snap a nice, relaxing, warm-and-fuzzy moment with their President – I nearly gagged. That is not how soldiers should behave in the presence of their CINC. That is not the kind of behavior CINC should himself display or allow in his presence.
I do not expect our troops to love me. However, I will love them – enough not to send them in harm’s way in violation of our constitution and for petty causes. Enough to respect them as something more than props in a publicity campaign. I hope the following incident conveys an idea of my expectations.
Incident:
I objected to Army Ranger Leroy Petry being awarded the Medal of Honor. My posted comment (immediately following) inspired Yahoo News readers to flame me rather rudely – though I would have preferred “more intelligently.”
QUOTE:
Petry should not have received the Medal of Honor. That’s reserved for those who distinguish themselves “above and beyond the call of duty.” Tell me, what else was he going to do when a grenade landed a few feet away? Back in the day, some soldiers jumped on grenades belly first to absorb the blast and save their comrades.
As for Petry’s act being “selfless,” how so? No matter what he did or didn’t do, he was going to at least be wounded by that ordnance. So tossing it had to be in his own best self-interest. True, there are some who might have tried to run or who’d have frozen on the spot, but what Petry did does not even remotely qualify for Medal of Honor.
Remember: “above and beyond the call of duty.” Read some of the historic citations and you’ll see what I mean.
Steven Searle for US President in 2012
“Sometimes it’s necessary to invent heroes.” [NOTE: It would have more accurate to have written this sentence as, “Sometimes it’s necessary to exaggerate relatively minor acts into major acts of heroism.” But…I’ll stand by the original – Steve.]
:UNQUOTE.
The flaming:
So I got flamed:
· From a US Marine Corps Viet Nam Veteran, you sir, are an idiot.
· You suck a big one
· Sgt. Petry has more guts, intestinal fortitude, courage, backbone and balls than every male member of your yellow bellied family combined!!!!!
· And finally this from “Chris TiaN”:
QUOTE: I hope you are not or were a SM (it will be a waste of uniform). Anyways, go search AR for awards and carefully read the CRITERIA for the MOH. It is written in "black & white"...In addition, a Citation's Narrative has nothing to do with the "meet criteria"?? [Oh? I would disagree with that – Steve] Where are you reading your information from??? I [sic] petty you because you are so lost....so sad, but it is not illegal or a crime to be ignorant or misinformed buddy.:UNQUOTE.
My replies:
QUOTE:
Chris TiaN et al,
AR 600-8-22 11 December 2006 (pages 39 & 40) clearly shows (in black and white) that Sgt. Petry’s heroism was not of the level to warrant the MOH. I quote:
“The Distinguished Service Cross is awarded to a person who, while serving in any capacity with the Army, distinguished himself or herself by extraordinary heroism not justifying the award of a Medal of Honor…”
[and]
“The Silver Star is awarded to a person who, while serving in any capacity with the U.S. Army, is cited for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States while engaged in military operations”
Come on, people. At a stretch, Petry was eligible for the DSC though most likely the Silver Star should have been awarded.
You can admire Petry all you want for having served 8 tours of duty. But we have to look at the facts of the case. Basically, he picked up a grenade and tried to throw it away. Having been shot in the legs, he wasn’t in any shape to try to run away, so he had to do something. So his instincts kicked in, but in such a way as should have been expected of any soldier in his situation. I don’t see any “extraordinary heroism” here.
Steven Searle for US President in 2012
“Do your homework and read about Audie Murphy’s MOH action [detailed at the end of this essay – Steve]. You’ll see what I’m driving at.”
:UNQUOTE.
QUOTE:
To my legion of detractors,
First of all, if you re-read my post carefully, you’ll see I did not address (one way or the other) Sgt. Petry’s courage. For the record, I will say here and now: “He was very brave.” As for “above and beyond” brave? No.
All I said earlier, was he did not deserve the MOH – and anyone in the military (if they really think about this) must agree with my assessment. And, yes, I was in the military – served in the USAF in Thailand during the US War of Lies and Aggression against the Vietnamese People.
As for RetiredVeteran, I am campaigning for the presidency (this is my second go-round). Why don’t you use a little initiative and google my name? You’ll easily find my website. If you can get past your kneejerk response of "seeing red," you might actually like what I have to say.
Steven Searle for US President in 2012
“You might not personally like me (and I don’t care) but I’m the only candidate that can save this country. My blog will show you what I have in mind.”
:UNQUOTE.
Closing remarks:
There are a lot of intolerant, ignorant fools in this country. It pains me to bear witness to this incredible decline of our culture. As much as I admire men of action, I admire many times more men of honesty and spirituality who can think clearly.
The gist of my comments on Yahoo News had to do with an honest evaluation of the degree of heroism exhibited by Sergeant Petry. If you don’t think “degrees” matter, consider this bit from Wikipedia, speaking of Audie Murphy:
QUOTE [of Murphy’s MOH citation]:
Second Lt. Murphy commanded Company B, which was attacked by six tanks and waves of infantry. 2d Lt. Murphy ordered his men to withdraw to a prepared position in a woods, while he remained forward at his command post and continued to give fire directions to the artillery by telephone.
Behind him, to his right, one of our tank destroyers received a direct hit and began to burn. Its crew withdrew to the woods. 2d Lt. Murphy continued to direct artillery fire, which killed large numbers of the advancing enemy infantry. With the enemy tanks abreast of his position, 2d Lt. Murphy climbed on the burning tank destroyer, which was in danger of blowing up at any moment, and employed its .50 caliber machine gun against the enemy.
He was alone and exposed to German fire from three sides, but his deadly fire killed dozens of Germans and caused their infantry attack to waver. The enemy tanks, losing infantry support, began to fall back. For an hour the Germans tried every available weapon to eliminate 2d Lt. Murphy, but he continued to hold his position and wiped out a squad that was trying to creep up unnoticed on his right flank. Germans reached as close as 10 yards, only to be mowed down by his fire.
He received a leg wound, but ignored it and continued his single-handed fight until his ammunition was exhausted. He then made his way back to his company, refused medical attention, and organized the company in a counterattack, which forced the Germans to withdraw. His directing of artillery fire wiped out many of the enemy; he killed or wounded about 50. 2d Lt. Murphy's indomitable courage and his refusal to give an inch of ground saved his company from possible encirclement and destruction, and enabled it to hold the woods which had been the enemy's objective.
:UNQUOTE.
Steven Searle for US President in 2012
Founder of The Independent Contractors’ Party
“I do not suffer fools gladly – especially those who exaggerate the exploits of others. Time to rebuild US culture.”
Contact me at bpa_cinc@yahoo.com
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