BREAKING Top Army General Drops Bombshell about ISIS as He is about to Retire

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 13:05:48 -0400

Is it too late for Gen. Odierno to be voicing his opinion like this?

Or is he just opening up now because he is done and has nothing to lose?

http://conservativetribune.com/top-army-general-bombshell/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=TheNewResistance&utm_content=2015-07-23

BREAKING Top Army General Drops Bombshell About Obama as He Resigns

Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose ...

Response by SN Greg Wright made Jul 25 at 2015 1:11 PM

SN Greg Wright — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 13:11:56 -0400

Well firstly he's still in uniform, so he has plenty to lose. Secondly, he's just voicing his opinion. In this case, it's not one that I believe will get him disciplined. He's saying, "I said this back when, and it wasn't taken to heart", not 'POTUS is an idiot.'

Response by LTC Kevin B. made Jul 25 at 2015 1:14 PM

LTC Kevin B. — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 13:14:55 -0400

That is a misleading headline. The headline makes it sound like he's resigning because of the ISIS issue, which isn't the case (he'll be retiring). The article also intermingles his words with the writer's commentary, as if the General said all of those things.

Bottom line, it's never too late to give an opinion.

Response by COL Mikel J. Burroughs made Jul 25 at 2015 1:17 PM

COL Mikel J. Burroughs — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 13:17:11 -0400

SPC Private RallyPoint Member I like GEN Odierno and I like the fact that he is speaking out. He made it to that job for reason. All of us "Arm Chair quarterbacks" can second-guess what he is saying, but he had access to the intelligence and the facts. He is assessing the situation and letting the Commander in Chief know as he is going out the door he doesn't agree with the direction the military is going in with the current level of threats. Remember, when the USSR was at the top of their game and looking down the barrel of the Fulda Gap Reagan built are defense posture up to over (21) Divisions (I believe that is correct - historians correct me if I'm wrong), but I'm pretty close to the number - it was a formable force to deter USSR further aggression and keep everyone in checkmate. Now we are decreasing our military when the threats are all around us whether we want to admit it or not. I like the fact that he took the high road, finished his career and is now standing up and sending a message to this country, Congress and the current leadership as well as the future leadership that will inherit the 450K Army. Good for him!

Response by COL Jon Thompson made Jul 25 at 2015 1:23 PM

COL Jon Thompson — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 13:23:24 -0400

He is not resigning but retiring so the headline is misleading to begin with. It makes it sound like he is being forced out due to disagreeing with the President. However, I will say that it is interesting that he is still in uniform when he is making these comments. Too many people get out and write a book after the fact when they no longer have any influence and I wonder why they did not have the moral courage to make a stand when they could. This raises an issue that I have thought about quite a bit. When you disagree with policy so strongly, should you resign to make a statement or stay in to either try to change the policy or just ride with the waves?

Response by SCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 25 at 2015 1:44 PM

SCPO Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 13:44:42 -0400

The whole military command structure should have told this POS where to get off years ago. Mutiny, yes. Insubordination, you bet. Who cares? One of Obama's singular agendas has been to embolden the Arabs in whatever form they come, and to demoralize and destabilize our military. Am I the only one who has seen this? No. General Odierno, General McChrystal, and many others have had it up to their Dress Blues bow tie with this sanctimonious fraud of a president. So have I.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 25 at 2015 1:48 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 13:48:21 -0400

Response by CPT Aaron Kletzing made Jul 25 at 2015 2:47 PM

CPT Aaron Kletzing — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 14:47:44 -0400

Quick point -- he is not resigning. He is retiring, which was expected and not a surprise. SPC Private RallyPoint Member will you please update your post's title here to make it more accurate, and less misleading? Thanks in advance.

Response by LTC Jason Bartlett made Jul 25 at 2015 4:10 PM

LTC Jason Bartlett — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 16:10:37 -0400

Not impressed. Think of the impact he could have made by resigning his position while he had influence not when he has one foot out the door.

Response by LTC Bink Romanick made Jul 25 at 2015 4:14 PM

LTC Bink Romanick — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 16:14:09 -0400

SPC Silva, it should be made clear that GEN Odierno is retiring and not resigning. That sets the tone for the article. If you can't believe part you can't believe it all. Obviously GEN Odierno has advised the CJCS and SECDEF on his opinion previously. Normally TCS doesn't speak directly to the President.

If you'll rememember we withdrew our forces because Iraq refused to renew our SOFA, without which U.S. soldiers could have been tried in Iraqi courts. Neither the Bush or the Obama administrations could persuade Iraq to relent.

As for the interview, I found the interviewer asking questions that would reinforce her preconceived notions. This article emphasizes phrases that the General wasn't particularly emphatic on.btupicslly misleading.

A point to remember ISIS was conceived and originated in Syria, by former Baathists from Saddam's regime and started as a reaction to Assad as part of the Sunni-Shia conflict in the Middle East.

Response by Cpl Chris Rice made Jul 25 at 2015 5:09 PM

Cpl Chris Rice — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 17:09:06 -0400

I just recently changed my specialty within nursing, needs to work on a medical surgical floor where I dealt with patients who were going to get better, or they were going to die. Pretty much their future was written in stone, and it was an extreme emergency any time this future was threatened. I’ve now moved in the critical care field, and one of the things I’m realizing is that modern medicine allows us to basically put somebody on life support to an extent that they would never technically die. I almost wonder if Iraq is an analogous situation, yes things were going really good, and the US constructed Iraqi state looked like it was going to survive forever, but I feel like just as in my profession if that person is on the life-support machines for five minutes, or five years if there is not actually any hope of growth, or healing there’s no point keeping them on the machine for any longer. As we are seeing some of the defeats of the Iraqi army where tens of thousands of American trained troops are tossing aside their weapons and running from inferior forces I don’t know how many decades of American life support would’ve been necessary to maintain that stability.

We definitely have a legitimate discussion to be had over whether the investment would have been worthwhile in the maintenance of a stable Middle East, but I’m not convinced that further US investment would have created a stable Middle Eastern country that would’ve been capable of combating the situation whether it occurred now or 50 years in the future.

Please don’t get me wrong, the current administration is not and most likely will not accept responsibility for its role in the current problems within the Middle East by withdrawing troops at that time (as most administrations would not either), but just because they haven’t accepted responsibility for that, and just because the outcome was not positive does not mean that it was the incorrect action to take. I also wonder if maybe this was the best time for it to happen, as in Iraq you have the great majority of the population still remembers the rule of Saddam Hussein, and now they’re being threatened and required to work towards some form a unity to combat this horrendous force that is ISIS, or they may be required to in the very near future. In 40 years you would have a generation that was fully dependent on US military ground support for the defense of their nation, and we would have US troops dying for a citizenry that was most likely unwilling to die for its own protection.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jul 25 at 2015 5:23 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 17:23:20 -0400

His responsibility is to tell the truth and to visualize the way forward. In one insurgency the government used the Hammer and Anvil method. The Anvil, local forces, engaged the insurgents while the regular army swept in to Hammer the insurgents. Iraq had no Hammer when we left.

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Jul 25 at 2015 6:24 PM

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 18:24:13 -0400

Won't be the first, Won't be the last. Senior Officers live in the Whirlwind that is Inside the Beltway Politics and Politics is an Ugly Game. They are Sworn to the President but their Advancement is up to the Senate and with a Conflicted Government you have to decide which is more important to you. Obviously he has thrown his lot in with the Republicans with hope of a position possibly in an Republican Administration. Nothing More, Nothing Less.

Response by SSgt Alex Robinson made Jul 25 at 2015 6:39 PM

SSgt Alex Robinson — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 18:39:37 -0400

He has nothing to lose and we must know the truth. We need to know what we are facing so we can prepare!

Response by SSG (ret) William Martin made Jul 25 at 2015 7:13 PM

SSG (ret) William Martin — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 19:13:53 -0400

Reporters or media groups which are a civilian organizations do not know the difference between resigning and retiring. Maybe it makes for a better title to make people think POTUS fired his top general because he disagreed.

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 25 at 2015 7:26 PM

CW5 Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 19:26:55 -0400

I think he is opening up now because he's near the end of his career. It's most unfortunate that the Army Chief of Staff had to waffle when asked if he voiced his opinion directly to the President. The bottom line, apparently, is that he did NOT voice that opinion directly because he didn't have the opportunity. I do not envy our senior military leaders. They are put in a position of having to walk a fine line between reality and political reality, and that's unfortunate.

I say God bless and thank you to GEN Odierno. Wow, 39 years of service. We owe him a debt of gratitude.

Response by COL Charles Williams made Jul 26 at 2015 1:35 AM

COL Charles Williams — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 01:35:25 -0400

Frustrating... The last time I went to Iraq... and stayed for 15 months... General O was the Corps (MNCI) Commander. When we left (Nov 07), if felt like we had really made a difference during the Surge, and things were looking bright. We blew that. Like Germany, Japan, and Korea, we need to stay until the job is done. All the arbitrary dates and timelines politicians set are killing us. If we are going, we need to stay until the mission is complete. I still remember Bill Clinton saying we would be out of Bosnia in 6 months...

Response by PO1 John Miller made Jul 31 at 2015 3:03 AM

PO1 John Miller — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 03:03:27 -0400

I agree with pretty much everyone when I say that General Odierno is 100% correct.