To Sink the Murtha
Apr. 29th, 2010 09:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
andverygingerGetting a few documents ready for the state, and then a trip for not-a-tabletop-exercise have kept me out of the loop on a lot of things. As a result, it's been a while since I looked in on the fellas over at Blackfive. While doing my morning headline sweep, I figured I'd remedy that, and pop over. And what did I miss!
First, on 19 April: To Sink the Murtha. On 9 April, the Navy announced it's plan to name the latest of the San Antonio-class Marine transports after the late congressman, John Murtha. This is not the standard practice for this particular class of ship. In fact, all others in the class have been named after cities: San Antonio, New Orleans, New York, Anchorage, and Arlington -- to name a few.
As one might expect, this news went over like a lead balloon -- and rightfully so. Despite his time in uniform, and despite his time in Congress, Murtha showed himself to be...lacking in testicular fortitude. This was a man who, even before the courts martial convened for the Marines accused of misconduct in Haditha, slandered them as "killing innocent people." This is a man who, when it came to supporting our troops -- including those men he should have considered brothers -- stood to be counted with the likes of Code Pink. He is, according to many in the retired and former military community, the only man to have earned the title of "ex-Marine." Those of you who know anything about the Corps understand the magnitude of that title.
Yesterday, blogger Cassy Fiano posted up a link to an article from the Marine Corps Times.
This is apparently another area where -- like the healthcare debate -- dear Madam Speaker has completely lost touch with reality or, at the very least, begun to weave her own. Then again, coming from SoCal, I'm no longer surprised. But the fact of the matter is that the Marines, the Army, the Navy, and even the Air Force have a duty to protect the US from all enemies, foreign and domestic; they have a mission to succeed in Afghanistan and Iraq. To do so, it takes more than just "body armor, up-armored vehicles...[and]radios." It takes knowing that we -- as individuals and as a nation -- have the will to see them through to the end of that mission. If we all offered the same moral support as the late congressman and his ilk, it would be disastrous to the morale and welfare of our uniformed men and women.
[H/Ts: As noted above, Cassy Fiano and Uncle Jimbo over at Blackfive.]
First, on 19 April: To Sink the Murtha. On 9 April, the Navy announced it's plan to name the latest of the San Antonio-class Marine transports after the late congressman, John Murtha. This is not the standard practice for this particular class of ship. In fact, all others in the class have been named after cities: San Antonio, New Orleans, New York, Anchorage, and Arlington -- to name a few.
As one might expect, this news went over like a lead balloon -- and rightfully so. Despite his time in uniform, and despite his time in Congress, Murtha showed himself to be...lacking in testicular fortitude. This was a man who, even before the courts martial convened for the Marines accused of misconduct in Haditha, slandered them as "killing innocent people." This is a man who, when it came to supporting our troops -- including those men he should have considered brothers -- stood to be counted with the likes of Code Pink. He is, according to many in the retired and former military community, the only man to have earned the title of "ex-Marine." Those of you who know anything about the Corps understand the magnitude of that title.
Yesterday, blogger Cassy Fiano posted up a link to an article from the Marine Corps Times.
“Whether on the battlefield, or on the bedside, he thanked them for their courage, listened to their concerns, and asked them for comment — and he answered their needs, and responded to their calls, whether it was for body armor, up-armored vehicles… radios, you name it,” Pelosi said. “In those minutes [together], he bonded with them especially because he would share his own personal military service with them, and cared for them as a father. They knew it, and they returned his respect.”
This is apparently another area where -- like the healthcare debate -- dear Madam Speaker has completely lost touch with reality or, at the very least, begun to weave her own. Then again, coming from SoCal, I'm no longer surprised. But the fact of the matter is that the Marines, the Army, the Navy, and even the Air Force have a duty to protect the US from all enemies, foreign and domestic; they have a mission to succeed in Afghanistan and Iraq. To do so, it takes more than just "body armor, up-armored vehicles...[and]radios." It takes knowing that we -- as individuals and as a nation -- have the will to see them through to the end of that mission. If we all offered the same moral support as the late congressman and his ilk, it would be disastrous to the morale and welfare of our uniformed men and women.
[H/Ts: As noted above, Cassy Fiano and Uncle Jimbo over at Blackfive.]
