The American Spectator

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Civilian Civilities

4.20.06 @ 12:01AM

BEHAVIORAL STUDIES
Re: Charles G. Kels' Generals Behaving Badly:

As an E-5 in the US Army (that's a Sergeant for all you civilians), I met Wes Clark in Europe. As a civilian, I met Don Rumsfeld in The States. I wouldn't follow Don to the john (in the Army, we call it a latrine). I would follow Wes Clark and John Kerry into battle. I could care less what any of their ranks are -- including the USAF Captain who wrote this editorial. Civilians are civilians and military men and women are military men and women -- regardless of perception. If you are so worried about perception (or confusion), then tell our President to stay out of uniform, out of planes and off aircraft carriers -- in uniform and in planes. And tell the Secretary of Defense to start listening to retired military CIVILIANS who know enough about decorum to speak up when democracy is at risk.

The title of your article should have been "Civilians Behaving Honorably."
-- Dave Pechman
Denver, Colorado

Finally, someone gets it!! CIVILIANS control the military, not the other way around.

I've long suspected that these "perfumed princes" were mad at the current SecDef because he didn't kiss their collective nether regions and that their rice bowls were cracked by his proposed reorganization of the military.

Retired flag officers have a hard time adjusting to life after the service. They wake up one morning and no one really gives a damn about their opinion. No one snaps to when they enter a room, and the only reserved parking space they have is next to the disabled slots at the PX/BX.

Most of this sounds like a temper tantrum from several retirees who miss having power.
-- M. McClain
MAJ, USAR (Ret)
San Antonio, Texas

Generals Behaving Badly by Charles Kels is hardly worthy of the space you set aside for it. Unless, of course, this is typical of The American Spectator's content.

To simply dismiss all criticism from retired staff officers as being the result of bruised egos is an easy cop out. And not true.

No mention of the status of our conflict in Iraq. Nor of the lack of planning on how to proceed once the mission was accomplished. Nothing about equipment that should have been available but wasn't.

Nothing about too few troops. Nothing about any of the substantive issues. Just a few guys with big egos who'd been offended by another guy with a big ego.

Please spare use such smug nonsense. Rumsfeld does not seem to know what he's doing but that doesn't stop him. Come to think of it, doesn't stop Bush either.
-- David Brown

It's interesting to see how many people have broken ranks in both the military and state departments. Add that to the growing national and international chorus of criticism of the Bush administration. Gosh. It almost makes you wonder that something could even be wrong. Nah.
-- Richard Bentley
Tucson, Arizona

I have spent the last 35 years of my life working with the military, 27 years on active duty and as a support contractor. Back in my active duty days, we had a saying that the one star flag officer was still a warrior but after that they were pure politicians. Since most of these protesting generals were promoted during the previous administration, I would take a lot of their criticism with a jaundiced eye, especially those from the Army. The fact that the SECDEF passed over all of these generals and their colleagues when making his selection for a replacement Army Chief of Staff would seem to be a relevant point also. These generals were groomed by General Shinseki whose most notable achievement seems to be putting the entire Army into French looking berets, adding a touchy feely element and neglecting the needed warrior craft.
-- Tom McGonnell
Alexandria, Virginia

Exactly.
-- Mark Stewart
Jacksonville, Florida

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