Commander

Several months ago, the VFW Magazine had a lengthy article that discussed the children that fought in the Civil War.  Incredibly, some boys, as young as 12 and 13 years of age, engaged in combat operations, many of whom were killed.  Of course, we have all heard stories or perhaps had first-hand accounts of men who lied about their age to enlist in the Armed Forces during World War II.  I wondered if the same may have true for the Vietnam War.

Depending on which search engine one uses, an inquiry will produced anywhere from 14 to 19 million references to “underage boys in Armed Forces”.  Several sources revealed some sobering statistics regarding the names that appear on The Wall.

Underage boys successfully entered the military during the Vietnam War, although the exact number of underage soldiers cannot be determined.  However, the names of five soldiers who were 16 years of age appear on The Wall.  The youngest American serviceman who was killed in action during the Vietnam War was Dan Bullock who was 15 years old.  Dan was born in North Carolina but moved to Brooklyn, New York at the age of 13 when his mother died.  A year later, he altered his birth certificate and enlisted in the Marine Corps.  As a member of Platoon 3039, he graduated from boot camp in December 1968.  Dan arrived in Vietnam in May 1969 and was assigned as a rifleman in 2^nd Squad, 2^nd Platoon, Fox Company, 2^nd Battalion, 5^th Marines, 1^st Marine Division.  He was stationed at An Hoa Combat Base.  Just three weeks after arriving in Vietnam, during an NVA night attack on his base camp, 15 year old Dan Bullock was killed by small arms fire while making ammunition run to resupply his beleaguered unit.

Thankfully, a search for underage boys successfully joining the Armed Forces since the Vietnam War has not produced any results.  We can only hope that procedures have been put into place that will preclude this from ever happening again.

The views expressed in this column are solely those of the Commander and do not represent those of VFW Post #8870, its membership, or VFW.  

Having served in the military is something we all have in common.  Regardless of whether we volunteered to serve or were drafted, the fact we wore the uniform means we provided service to our nation.  Of course there were many valuable lessons we learned along the way, lessons that have served us well over the years.  We all learned the importance of unit cohesion and working together, as a team, to achieve a common goal or mission.  The fact we all served in combat zones means we probably all witnessed, first hand, incredible acts of bravery, courage, and sacrifice.  Some made the ultimate sacrifice and gave up their lives for their country.

As a child, my grandfather and father were always sharing great wisdom through the use of different proverbs.  One that I always remember was “Many hands make light work”.  It took time for me to completely understand what they meant, but the message is an important one.

The strength of any organization is only as strong as the willingness of its members to get involved and serve others.  This is especially applicable for our Post if we are going to continue to provide wonderful assistance to our fellow veterans in need and maintain the numerous programs in which we are involved.  We are fortunate to have a core group of our members who through their willingness to serve maintains the vitality of VFW Post #8870.

For some of our members who are serving in leadership positions, it is time for them to move on.  It is vitally important for those of you in our membership who have been blessed with abilities and talents and have not yet taken an active role in our Post to come forward and volunteer to serve.  There are a variety of roles in which you can serve, and I look forward to your service.

Another maxim I learned from my father was, “There are some who are willing to work, and some willing to let them”.  Please, don’t be one of those who are “willing to let them”.

The views expressed in this column are solely those of the Commander and do not represent those of VFW Post #8870, its membership, or VFW.  

One of the motivating factors that prompted me to become a member of VFW was my desire to serve others.  I wanted to help carrying on the rich tradition of VFW that had been established by my preceding generation.  Our Post has been blessed by having a membership that shares that goal of serving others.  Thanks to the collective efforts of many of our members, our Post has sponsored many worthwhile programs, the beneficiaries of which have been veterans, active duty personnel, members of their families, the youth of our community, and those in need.

In addition to promoting the mission of VFW Post #8870, those of you who volunteer your time to serve have gained a wonderful sense of personal satisfaction, knowing you have made a positive contribution to, in most cases, improve the quality of life of others.  Serving and experiencing the fellowship of working with others also establishes connections, relationships that will last a life-time and from which you will derive much pleasure.

On behalf of those whom we serve, I want to extend my sincerest thanks to those members who consistently raise their hands to volunteer to support and participate in our programs and initiatives.  To those members who have not been able to play a more active role in our programs, I invite you to attend our monthly meetings and encourage you to volunteer to serve so that the generous support and assistance we offer can be extended to more veterans.

Our Post has over 20 committees, each of which is always in need of additional members.  I look forward to hearing from those of you who would like to take a more active role in our Post programs

The views expressed in this column are solely those of the Commander and do not represent those of VFW Post #8870, its membership, or VFW.  

On the 4^th of July, our Post will participate in the annual Edmonds July 4^th parade.  This parade has been recognized as one of the ten best July 4^th parades in America, and the City deserves our thanks and appreciation for honoring America in such fine fashion.  I urge all members of the Post to march with us in the parade and join us afterwards for what will be another terrific picnic in Edmonds City Park.

I have wonderful memories of the first time I marched in this parade.  It was in 2008, after I had moved to Washington the previous summer.  I was not prepared for the heartfelt reception we received as we stepped off to begin the mile long march through town.  As we marched, people stood up, applauded, and shouted out “thanks”.  This was the first time since I had returned home from Southeast Asia that I had ever felt this wonderful sense of love, gratitude, and approval.  If you have not participated in this great celebration, I urge you to make every effort to do so.  You will be glad you did.

July 4^th, of course, commemorates the birth of our nation, honors our founding documents, and celebrates the freedom and liberty that all Americans enjoy.  You have all made significant sacrifices during your years in the Armed Forces, and all of our lives have been touched by the ultimate sacrifices made by so many of our comrades.  It is ironic that while we celebrate the 241^st birthday of our great nation, we have unfolding before us a scandal in which rights, granted to us all by our Constitution, have been violated by agencies of the United States.  I am, of course, referring to the tapping of phones of members of the free press and the IRS actions that violated First Amendment free speech rights.  In our younger years, such actions occurred regularly behind the Iron Curtain, in Banana Republics, and by dictators.

Personally, I am outraged by such actions taken by public employees working in agencies of our government; “a government of the people, for the people and by the people”.  However, I am even more outraged by apathy among our citizens.  These are freedoms guaranteed to us by our Constitution and Bill of Rights, and as they are being systematically stripped away, and our response seems to be “good people doing nothing”.  Ronald Reagan reminded us that “freedom is just one generation away from extinction”.

As loyal Americans it is our responsibility to preserve our freedoms, which so many of our comrades fought for and for which you fought.  Our job is to ensure that those elected officials who have permitted these egregious threats to our freedoms are never returned to office again and we elect representatives who will protect and defend our Constitution.

The views expressed in this column are solely those of the Commander and do not represent those of VFW Post #8870, its membership, or VFW. 

I would like to extend my personal thanks to the members of VFW Post #8870 for your confidence by electing me to a second term as Post Commander.  Early in my life, I was taught the importance of “serving” others.  The lessons I learned from my parents and at Sunday School and Church were reinforced by President Kennedy’s challenge to “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”.  There was never any doubt in my mind, that, one day, I would serve in the military, and it was a privilege to do so.  Similarly, it has been a privilege to serve as your Commander.

Incredibly, my first year as Commander is over.  Thanks to the dedication, hard work, and sacrifices made by many of our members, we can look back, with satisfaction, for many wonderful accomplishments.

• Record breaking collections for our Relief Fund through Poppy distribution
• Record number of new members
• Establishment of the Freedom Scholarship
• A second Teacher of the Year nominee to earn State recognition
• Organizing a public forum to honor and recognize Mike Reagan and his wonderful work with the Fallen Heroes Foundation
• Working with the City of Edmonds to establish a Veterans Park

None of these achievements would have been possible without the active participation and involvement of so many of you.  Some of you stepped forward to accept leadership positions in our Post, for which we are most grateful.  Words alone cannot express my sincerest appreciation for your willingness to be “Givers” and being “Part of the Solution”.

With your continued support, we can look forward to another successful year in serving the needs of our members and all veterans.

The views expressed in this column are solely those of the Commander and do not represent those of VFW Post #8870, its membership, or VFW. 

There is some good news emanating from Washington, D. C. and the Pentagon, which highlights the importance of expressing one’s views and involving oneself in the public discourse process. I am referring to a decision by our newly appointed Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, to suspend the establishment of a new medal called the Distinguished Warfare Medal. Last month, just prior to his resignation as Defense Secretary, Leon Panetta announced the establishment of this medal. In making his announcement, Secretary Panetta indicated that the medal would, “Recognize unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) pilots, as well as others who directly impact combat operations, but that do not involve acts of valor or physical risk that combat entails.”

Opposition to this announcement was immediate and highly vocal. The primary issue involving the Distinguished Warfare Medal was its placement in the order of precedence among military medals. The newly created medal, which would have been the first combat related award to be created since the Bronze Star in 1944, would outrank the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. Many veterans’ groups including the National VFW expressed vehement opposition, feeling that the new medal was both an injustice and insult to those who served in combat, risked their lives, and displayed valor.

Secretary Hagel “heard” the protests, stopped production of the medal, and ordered the Joint Chiefs of Staff to review the issue and submit appropriate recommendations. While the final decision regarding the Distinguished Warfare Medal is yet to be made, we can be pleased that the views of so many veterans and lawmakers had a positive impact on the decision-making process.

One of the lessons we can take from this situation is that we should always remain involved in the “political” process regarding matters that affect us either locally or at the national level. As responsible citizens, we should make the effort to express our views and opinions to those whom we have elected to serve us.

The views expressed in this column are solely those of the Commander and do not represent those of VFW Post #8870, its membership, or VFW.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Vietnam Peace Accords. The Accords were signed on 27 January 1973, but it would take two more agonizingly long years before the last Americans were evacuated from Saigon as the North Vietnamese were rolling through the streets of Saigon and breaking through the gates of the American embassy. There were, of course, many legacies of the Vietnam War, but the definitive history of the Vietnam War is yet to be written.

More than forty years later, our view of the war is only slightly clearer. We will probably never be able to identify our nation’s self-interest in that conflict, nor will we ever be able to attach meaning to the over-whelming loss of blood and treasure. Unfortunately, those college professors, whose left-wing ideology crafted the anti-war sentiment at home, are using the same rhetoric to write the historical perspective of the Vietnam War. Similarly, politicians and decision-makers, whose ineptitude prolonged hostilities, project themselves as objective observers.

My perspective is that the men and women in the enlisted ranks and the junior officers did everything that was asked of them. We followed the chain of command, adhered to military discipline inasmuch as we fol-lowed orders, and committed ourselves to our assigned missions. We trusted our military leaders and civil-ian decision-makers to provide us with a mission that was in our nation’s best interest; which was their mor-al obligation to do so. In return for that, we would do our jobs and risk our lives to complete the mission.

The real failures were the Colonels and Generals. They permitted unrealistic competition between the military branches and placed daily statistics ahead of meaningful tactical and strategic operations and missions. By failing to challenge the military’s civilian leadership and our country’s political leaders, the Colonels and Generals let us down. It was their responsibility to protect us by demanding reasonable rules to prosecute the war and tasking assignments that adhered to logical and rational military doctrine. For example, strike flights were consistently fragged for the same time over target (TOT) and ingress and egress routes were rarely changed. At other times, missions were fragged for meaningless and at time, dubious, targets. A foreign pol-icy that sought to minimize the risk of antagonizing Russian and Chinese feelings gave us Rules of Engagement that clearly resulted in the unnecessary loss of American lives.

Since we were never truly committed to victory, we should have never risked defeat. That was the immorality of the Vietnam War.

Last month, John Kerry was appointed Secretary of State of the United States.  Personally, I am appalled at this appointment, consider it to be an insult, and would like to share with you my reasons.

Kerry was a self-promoting naval officer with political ambitions who, under questionable circumstances, took advantage of a regulation to cut his tour of duty short.  While still in uniform, he became a high profile spokesman for the radical organization, Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW).  He traveled to Paris on several occasions to meet with representatives of the North Vietnam Communist Party as well as the Viet Cong’s People’s Coalition for Peace and Justice.  There is speculation that one or more of his visits occurred while he was still in uniform, an issue that might be clarified if he would release his military records, including all records pertaining to his discharge.

No one did more to create the image of the Vietnam veteran as a war criminal than John Kerry.  It was the VVFW and Kerry who conducted the infamous “Winter Soldier Investigation” that was a total sham.  The perjuries “testimony” undermined the morale of the military and served to embolden the enemy and prolong the war, resulting, no doubt, in an increase in the number of KIA’s.

As a decorated Vietnam veteran, Kerry’s opposition to the war became the cornerstone of his political ambitions and career.  In a cold and calculating manner, Kerry continued to slander Vietnam veterans by organizing “Dewey Canyon III”, a “limited incursion into the country of Congress.”  As the chief spokesperson for VVAW, Kerry testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and “confessed” to having committed war crimes and continued to slander Vietnam veterans, accusing them of atrocities and abuses of civilians.  In a candlelight march around the White House, Kerry threw his military medals over the fence, “disposing of them in the face of the government that had betrayed him”.  Years later, after his election to the Senate, Kerry’s medals turned up on the wall of his Capitol Hill office, and he confessed that the medals he had thrown away were not his.

With hundreds of thousands of US military personnel still in Southeast Asia, Kerry and his followers continued to violently oppose the war and provide propaganda to the enemy.  Some of Kerry’s quotes from his Senate testimony were used by the North Vietnamese in their interrogation of POW’s.  Ho Chi Minh had said, on many occasions, the Vietnam War would be won by the North Vietnamese on the streets in the cities of America and not on any battlefield in Southeast Asia.  History has proven that to have been spot on, and John Kerry was one of the leading proponents of that anti-war sentiment.

For his personal ambitions, John Kerry attempted to steal a vitally critical legacy of so many brave and honorable Vietnam Veterans, their valor.  Surely, there are other more highly qualified and deserving Americans to represent the United States as our Secretary of State than the contemptible John Kerry.

In last month’s newsletter, I shared with you my thoughts and feelings regarding the recent resignation of David Petraeus, subsequent to the revelation of his extra-marital affair.  Sadly, his egregious behavior is just another example of unethical conduct by more than just a few field grade and general officers.  No doubt, all professions have its share of miscreants, but for me, the misdeeds of high ranking military officers are magnified because the military is an institution based on virtue, ethics, and long standing values.  Consider the following:

• Gen. Kip Ward was recently stripped of a fourth star amid allegations he spent thousands of government dollars on personal luxury travel;
• Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair is under investigation for forcing subordinates into having sex;
• Lt. Gen. Patrick O’Reilly is being forced into retirement for bullying staff;
• Gen. Stanley McChrystal was forced to retire because of ethical lapses and criticizing the White House;
• Gen. John Allen has been caught up in the Petraeus scandal;
• Col. James Johnson III was recently convicted of fraud and bigamy;
• Col Avanulas Smiley was relieved of duty because of an adulterous affair; and
• Over the last few years, at least 20 Navy officers were relieved of command, many for personal conduct.

This is a disturbing trend that erodes public confidence in our military leaders and most certainly negatively affects the morale of junior officers and enlisted personnel.  Last month, the Pentagon launched a sweeping review into the misconduct of senior officers.  The Defense Department’s Inspector General indicates that the number of substantiated allegations of wrongdoing by senior officers has risen steadily in recent years.  In fact, the rise has been so dramatic, that the IG has had to hire additional investigators.  It is hoped that the Pentagon review will shed some light on the causative factors for this rise in misconduct.

A fear of mine is that such behavior might be systemic and represents a reflection of how the values of our society have deteriorated, and we have come to accept a “new normal” as it pertains to ethical behavior.

Perhaps, there are those who would call me naïve, old-fashioned, or completely out of touch with reality, but I was so disappointed by the recent revelations regarding an extra-marital affair by General David Petraeus and his subsequent resignation as Director of the CIA.  To me, character matters, and Petraeus has presented us with an egregious display of personal failing.

My disappointment is two-fold.  First, and most importantly, a supposed military leader and public figure has brought great pain to his wife, Holly, and his children.  His public betrayal of his wife’s trust is a sad “ending” to his marriage of 38 years.  Surely, his family deserved better, and whatever “issues” he may have felt in his relationship with his wife, should have been addressed privately.  His family should have been afforded the respect they deserved.  Based on Petraeus’ behavior, we are left with no other conclusion than to question his loyalty and love for the members of his family, judgment and decision-making ability.

Secondly, David Petraeus is not your ordinary, run-of-the-mill philandering husband.  He is a retired four star general who had led the surge in Iraq and was the Commander of forces in Afghanistan.  He gloried in wearing every aspect of his military service on his chest, but when it came to conducting himself according to traditional military values such as “duty, honor, and country”, David Petraeus came up far short of what everyone who has worn the uniform should have expected from him and from themselves.  My extreme disappointment comes from my belief that ethics, values, and virtue are synonymous with military service.  Ironic, isn’t it, that while a cadet at West Point, he could have been expelled for cheating on a quiz, but as a four star, cheating on his wife seems to be just a misdemeanor in the court of public opinion?

No doubt, David Petraeus worked hard and made many personal and family sacrifices during his Army career, but I expected so much more.  We all should have expected so much more from someone whom we considered to have been one of our military leaders.

Now that Thanksgiving is over, the countdown for the number of shopping days left until Christmas is well on its way.  It is wonderful to experience the excitement surrounding the holidays of Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year’s, and it provides us with a great opportunity to celebrate with family and friends.  Before Thanksgiving becomes too much of a memory, however, I hope that the upcoming holiday season will also be a time when we reflect on the many wonderful blessings and gifts that we have been given and look for ways in which we can increase our giving to others.

Thanks to the efforts of Bob Crawford and Jim McCann who organized our Veterans’ Day Buddy Poppy distribution, our Post collected a record amount of donations from a very generous Edmonds community.  At last count, over $11,500 has been deposited into the Post relief fund.  Our thanks go out to each member who volunteered their time to stand out in the cold to greet the public and place a Poppy in their hands.

Several years ago, the Relief Fund Committee made a concerted effort identify local area veterans and active duty personnel who needed assistance.  I am delighted to report that our successful Buddy Poppy fund raising effort has permitted the Post to increase our assistance at the local level as well as permitting us to continue to support worthwhile nation-wide efforts.  For this holiday season, VFW Post # 8870 has supported the following local area programs:

• $1000 each, in gift cards, to the residents of the Veterans Homes in Retsil and Orting;
• $500 each, in gift cards, to the Chaplain’s Offices at Naval Station Everett, Joint Base Lewis McChord, and Coast Guard District 4200;
• $500 to the VA Puget Sound Health Care System for hospitalized veterans and active duty personnel;
• $1000 to Santa’s Castle for gifts to children of active duty personnel in financial need;
• $1000 Sea-Tac USO; and
• $1000 to Fisher House.

Our sincerest thanks go out to all members of our Post who, through your generous support, have permitted us to make the holiday season a little brighter for those veterans and active duty personnel who are in need of assistance.

Hanukkah and Christmas Blessings to you all.