Politics

[Mark A Ouellette]

Honestly, on September 12, 2001, I don't think there was an Active Component, Reserve Component, or National Guardsman who didn't know the word was coming. It was not a question of "if", but "when".

I can also remember a stop-loss period where no one was leaving, whether through retirement of end of contract.

And speaking of end of contract, he had time left on his contract when he asked to retire, so he did not even complete his last enlistment. This also matters.

He knew. He abandoned his troops. That's bad enough when an E3 does it, but a senior NCO?

Shame.

How did he get out of his contract when his unit was pegged for deployment?
Maybe letting him go was best for all concerned?
Maybe he was a known self serving weasel?

 

[PARA45]

I am not clear how the NG or Reserves work. In the Army there is no "contract" or true obligation past 20 years. If you had a bonus to stay past 20 you just pay it back. If you owe time for high three or conditional promotion you just get reduced. That is an admin function.

As a Reservist (Air Force), you do sign a contract for 4-6 years, but you can actually quit at any time. In the active-duty world is different. You sign the contract, and you have to meet that obligation. Reservist do not get a DD-214 upon retiring, unless you were deployed, and then you'll get one for the deployment period. Active-duty member get a DD-214 upon completion of their contract, separation, or after retirement.

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

And I would have done a poor job being the senior noncommissioned officer of a battalion, brigade, or division. Army leadership - particularly combat units - is an interesting symbiosis between commander and first sergeant or sergeant major. In the West the noncommissioned officer corps truly is the backbone of the force. They run the combat formations of the army on a daily basis - peacetime or at war. They assure professionalism and adherence to standards on a daily basis. It is a major difference between our military and that of Russia on display in Ukraine.

At first sergeant / company commander level, a good first sergeant is as much mentor as subordinate to a company commander. At battalion level the relationship is more that between two professionals with the battalion commander leaning on the greater experience of his sergeant major with regard to many decisions. At brigade and above, it is usually the relationship between to highly experienced professionals working in tandem to get the mission accomplished. At no level in which I served was there a doubt who was in command, but none of those commands could have functioned effectively without noncommissioned officer leadership.

I read AH forums much more that I post. In doing so, I have come to regard @Red Leg as someone to whom it would have been an honor to serve with. With two decades as a US Marine, from private to Gunnery Sergeant, CWO-3, and retiring as a Captain, I do not say this lightly.

He sums it up above. While senior enlisted leader and commanding officer billets have much overlap, they are not interchangeable if the highest effectiveness is desired for the long term.

Undoubtedly, some of us on AH who served as enlisted would have been as good as or better at command than some we served under. But would we have wanted that job? Command has a lot of unseen politics. I experienced some of this when I pinned on Captain. Suddenly I was forced to quit being a swashbuckling Chief Warrant Officer and become a political poker player. Grumble, grumble, grumble

A Sergeant Major has the day to day, "tactical" leadership responsibility. He or she keeps the unit functioning smoothly. The C.O. must have a more strategic leadership approach. These duties MUST dovetail together and complement each other.

Walz was bred from weasels and was no loss to his artillery unit when jumped ship. I doubt he knew anything about much of any pigeonhole (specialty/job), certainly not the broad requirements of being a Command Sergeant Major.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Very well said Mark. Every promotion in the military takes you further from your men and specialty. And more into broader team leadership.

I served in some groups where I would be given a larger group to lead. Different NEC’s or specialties than mine. I always wanted to revert back to my smaller group. But that’s not how it works.

And to your first point. I would not have thrived in the very upper echelons of leadership.

 

[Pondoro]

Ok..so now you have completely dismanteled Walz..for political reasons...and Vance is your new sung hero..?

And you want Donald Trump as your President again...no matter his criminal record..?? And the fact that he is a pathological lier..? And the fact is that he unlawfully took along classified documents after resigning as POTUS..? So non of this matter as long as he is the republican candidate..? Swell..

 

[Altitude sickness]

Without a doubt I want Trump. We have every tinhorn dictator rattling sabers. We need an unpredictable strong leader back in charge. He is unpredictable. And that is just enough to put N.Korea, Iran, China, Russia, and their proxies back on the chain.

We are in very treacherous waters right now. Our military can not handle much more than one major military campaign at a time.

And we are seen as weak and rudderless right now.

I would be shocked if we are not punched in the face hard before the election. Or before Jan 20th

 

[Inline6]

Ok..so now you have completely dismanteled Walz..for political reasons...and Vance is your new sung hero..?

And you want Donald Trump as your President again...no matter his criminal record..?? And the fact that he is a pathological lier..? And the fact is that he unlawfully took along classified documents after resigning as POTUS..? So non of this matter as long as he is the republican candidate..? Swell..

May I ask why you support Harris/Walz? What position do you support? I'm trying to understand how they are better.

 

[Red Leg]

Meanwhile back at the front, this is another of those short clips that speaks volumes. It was posted by a Russian civilian in Kursk. The footage is of the remains of a Russian troop convoy inside Russia attempting to respond to the UA incursion within Kursk. I am 99% sure this was the work of M30A1 Rockets from HIMARS launchers. Note there are no explosive impact marks which would have been typical of submunitions. Each M30A1 rockets carries 182,000 tungsten ball bearings. Just four to six of those rockets along this road would have devastated both the vehicles and troops. Note how many were KIA within the vehicles.

Hitting fleeting targets like this with HIMARS is graduate level target engagement. The convoy has to be spotted, target points selected where the convoy will be when the rockets arrive, and fired at exactly the right moment. This strike likely rendered a full infantry battalion combat ineffective.

https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/1ent1c8/a_column_of_russian_military_equipment_was_broken

 

[bowjijohn]

I joined up as a young lad - a private or trouper as we were known then

I was out of my depth, scared and looked to others for guidance

I moved to the UK and joined as an ‘officer under training’ as we were known then

I was scared, full of self doubt and looked to others for guidance

I ‘Passed out’ and took my place as a junior officer

I was scared, full of self doubt but looked to others for support and guidance

I took on other roles and was scared, full of self doubt and looked to others for guidance

In so many of those scenarios, it was senior NCOs who provided that support

They in turn felt as I did

I did not know and understand till later

We are all scared, full of self doubt

An RSM has no one to turn to

J

 

[Lone Star Bluegrass]

It’s difficult to explain the role of a senior NCO (especially in a combat arms unit) to someone that’s not familiar with the American structure of or military and the lifestyle it requires. Alas…

The relationship of battalion commander sergeant major with the battalion commander is similar to that of the most senior and highest respected blue collar supervisor at a large manufacturing facility or refinery with the plant manager.
The CSM has a unique and valuable perspective on the day to day functions inside the plant and what the challenges of the workforce are. In many ways he knows more about the inner workings of the plant than the man in the corner office. He has a most valuable role in managing personnel and identifying talent. This is especially with regard to how the managerial staff works with the rank and file. He is not, however, qualified to set a production strategy, make a 5 year plan for the capital projects portfolio, brief the VP of marketing on their production forecasts based on their feedstock constraints, work with the CFO to reduce overhead costs, etc. The CSM is a crucially important member of the leadership team and a “good” battalion rarely is recognized as such without one, but he is not a substitute for the battalion commander and is not even the backfill when that vacancy occurs.

I think one of the problems that we have as a country is the gap between our population and the military has become so very wide. Most people don’t understand what Walz did in the National Guard, not to mention the gravity of the circumstances surrounding his departure. I doubt if 90% of the country knows the difference between the Army and Marine Corps, much less what a non commissioned officer does.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

 

[Pondoro]

May I ask why you support Harris/Walz? What position do you support? I'm trying to understand how they are better.

If they are better..I dont know..that remains to be seen..but at least they are not criminals..ie convicted in court..

I do not like Harris´s take on guns...it is just pathetic..

 

[Hunt anything]

Ok..so now you have completely dismanteled Walz..for political reasons...and Vance is your new sung hero..?

And you want Donald Trump as your President again...no matter his criminal record..?? And the fact that he is a pathological lier..? And the fact is that he unlawfully took along classified documents after resigning as POTUS..? So non of this matter as long as he is the republican candidate..? Swell..

First I’m not a cool aid drinking Trump supporter.
The prosecution was 100% politically motivated.
What lies are you talking about, he’s a politician, they ALL lie.
As far as taking classified documents, he was entitled to some if he declassified them, Biden took them as a senator and Vice President and was by no means entitled to have them. Another political hit job.
Now this administration has put one of Harris’s primary opponents from the 2019 primaries on the terror watch list and she is a serving National Guard officer. This whole administration reeks of political corruption. IMO

 

[sgt_zim]

Ok..so now you have completely dismanteled Walz..for political reasons...and Vance is your new sung hero..?

And you want Donald Trump as your President again...no matter his criminal record..?? And the fact that he is a pathological lier..? And the fact is that he unlawfully took along classified documents after resigning as POTUS..? So non of this matter as long as he is the republican candidate..? Swell..

Trump has many failings, but political expediency at someone else's expense is not one of them. Harris' entire career is nothing but political favoritism and political expediency.

A couple cases in point.

As a prosecutor, she withheld exculpatory evidence in a murder trial, the guy got convicted and spent several years in prison. When that evidence was finally discovered by his legal team, he got a new trial and was acquitted based on the evidence that Harris hid. Prosecutors are required both by their cannon of ethics as well as law to disclose exculpatory evidence, and for precisely the reason this case presented - an innocent man went to prison for a murder he did not commit.

As a prosecutor, she sent a lot of people to prison for chickenshit marijuana possession cases, then had the gall to laugh about it when questioned on her own marijuana use when she was younger. Of note, most or all of these convictions were black men.

As attorney general of California, she held inmates in prison past their sentences because they're free labor for the state.

In contrast, when Trump was president, he pardoned or commuted the sentences of a great many federal inmates in prison over what amounted to chickenshit convictions on marijuana possession. Of note, most or all of the people he set free were black.

As a former big city cop (Houston, Texas) I'm all for locking people in prison for a very long time for serious crimes. But police officers and prosecutors have an enormous burden to do everything exactly by the book. As one of our former presidents, Jefferson, said: it is better that 10 guilty men go free than a single innocent man lose his freedom (not an exact quote, but you get the idea).

There is literally no more egregious abuse of power than what Harris did as a district attorney in San Francisco, or later as the Attorney General for California. She has demonstrated a capacity to grossly abuse her authority, and the scope of the president's powers will only increase her abuses.

Trump certainly has his warts, but there isn't a single thing he's ever done that's even remotely close to Harris' already demonstrated abuse of power.

Worse still about Harris' character - she spread her legs to a politically powerful man 30 years her senior to get started in her political career. There is literally nothing she won't say or do to get what she wants.

Every single thing the left accuses Trump of doing/being, their own candidates (Biden and Harris) are that exact thing at an even bigger scale.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Meanwhile back at the front, this is another of those short clips that speaks volumes. It was posted by a Russian civilian in Kursk. The footage is of the remains of a Russian troop convoy inside Russia attempting to respond to the UA incursion within Kursk. I am 99% sure this was the work of M30A1 Rockets from HIMARS launchers. Note there are no explosive impact marks which would have been typical of submunitions. Each M30A1 rockets carries 182,000 tungsten ball bearings. Just four to six of those rockets along this road would have devastated both the vehicles and troops. Note how many were KIA within the vehicles.

Hitting fleeting targets like this with HIMARS is graduate level target engagement. The convoy has to be spotted, target points selected where the convoy will be when the rockets arrive, and fired at exactly the right moment. This strike likely rendered a full infantry battalion combat ineffective.

https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineWarVideoReport/comments/1ent1c8/a_column_of_russian_military_equipment_was_broken

Man you have to pray for those unfortunate people in that video. I don’t say soldiers. Because I’m not sure who Russia is pushing forward these days.

We need to wrap Ukraine up soon. We may need them somewhere in the world soon.

Can you imagine if Ukraine had everything they needed. We can turn them into our bill Collectors.

Give them a ride and turn them loose to break a few knees.

 

[Pondoro]

First I’m not a cool aid drinking Trump supporter.
The prosecution was 100% politically motivated.
What lies are you talking about, he’s a politician, they ALL lie.
As far as taking classified documents, he was entitled to some if he declassified them, Biden took them as a senator and Vice President and was by no means entitled to have them. Another political hit job.
Now this administration has put one of Harris’s primary opponents from the 2019 primaries on the terror watch list and she is a serving National Guard officer. This whole administration reeks of political corruption. IMO

You have absolutely no problem with the fact that Trump has several law suits against him..and the FACT that he is convicted in court..? Is all this made up by the deep state or whatever you call it..

Based on this..you still think Trumps moral compass is OK..?

 

[Pondoro]

Trump has many failings, but political expediency at someone else's expense is not one of them. Harris' entire career is nothing but political favoritism and political expediency.

A couple cases in point.

As a prosecutor, she withheld exculpatory evidence in a murder trial, the guy got convicted and spent several years in prison. When that evidence was finally discovered by his legal team, he got a new trial and was acquitted based on the evidence that Harris hid. Prosecutors are required both by their cannon of ethics as well as law to disclose exculpatory evidence, and for precisely the reason this case presented - an innocent man went to prison for a murder he did not commit.

As a prosecutor, she sent a lot of people to prison for chickenshit marijuana possession cases, then had the gall to laugh about it when questioned on her own marijuana use when she was younger. Of note, most or all of these convictions were black men.

As attorney general of California, she held inmates in prison past their sentences because they're free labor for the state.

In contrast, when Trump was president, he pardoned or commuted the sentences of a great many federal inmates in prison over what amounted to chickenshit convictions on marijuana possession. Of note, most or all of the people he set free were black.

As a former big city cop (Houston, Texas) I'm all for locking people in prison for a very long time for serious crimes. But police officers and prosecutors have an enormous burden to do everything exactly by the book. As one of our former presidents, Jefferson, said: it is better that 10 guilty men go free than a single innocent man lose his freedom (not an exact quote, but you get the idea).

There is literally no more egregious abuse of power than what Harris did as a district attorney in San Francisco, or later as the Attorney General for California. She has demonstrated a capacity to grossly abuse her authority, and the scope of the president's powers will only increase her abuses.

Trump certainly has his warts, but there isn't a single thing he's ever done that's even remotely close to Harris' already demonstrated abuse of power.

Worse still about Harris' character - she spread her legs to a politically powerful man 30 years her senior to get started in her political career. There is literally nothing she won't say or do to get what she wants.

Every single thing the left accuses Trump of doing/being, their own candidates (Biden and Harris) are that exact thing at an even bigger scale.

You cant be serious about her spreading her legs..? Its like saying that male politicians cant befriend powerful people to advance their carriers..

 

[bowjijohn]

A quote from Officer and Commander

Always choose the lesser of two weevils

Trump is the lesser weevil

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

A quote from Officer and Commander

Always choose the lesser of two weevils

Trump is the lesser weevil

Lord Nelson, as I recall

 

[Saul]

Without a doubt I want Trump. We have every tinhorn dictator rattling sabers. We need an unpredictable strong leader back in charge. He is unpredictable. And that is just enough to put N.Korea, Iran, China, Russia, and their proxies back on the chain.

We are in very treacherous waters right now. Our military can not handle much more than one major military campaign at a time.

And we are seen as weak and rudderless right now.

I would be shocked if we are not punched in the face hard before the election. Or before Jan 20th

I do not see Trump as unpredictable, but rather as transactional. He will flip to support anyone who flatters him, enriches him, or help him personally in some way. Look no further than Trump now saying that he supports electric cars because Elon Musk endorsed him. For this reason, I have no confidence that he will deliver on anything that he says, or that any of our enemies will fear him.