Posted on Dec 8, 2016
Combat vet Duckworth worried Congress is ignoring importance of civilian-run military
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I don't know much about her, but I like her. She's a combat Veteran who lost both legs, and that makes her special to me.
Rep. Tammy Duckworth worries her congressional colleagues don’t fully appreciate the importance of a civilian-run military. As a combat-wounded Iraq War veteran and incoming Illinois senator, she finds that troubling.
Rep. Tammy Duckworth worries her congressional colleagues don’t fully appreciate the importance of a civilian-run military. As a combat-wounded Iraq War veteran and incoming Illinois senator, she finds that troubling.
Combat vet Duckworth worried Congress is ignoring importance of civilian-run military
Posted from militarytimes.com
Combat
Iraq
Military service
Disabled Veterans
Congress
Posted 8 y ago
Responses: 11
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SGT (Join to see) One irony which seems to escape incoming Senator Tammy Duckworth is that many Presidents had military service in war from George Washington, Jackson, Grant, Teddy Roosevelt, Eisenhower, through George H.W. Bush. Yes our nation and military are designed to be led by civilians which is why no active-duty officer has ever served as POTUS, SCOTUS justice, or Federal Legislator. However reserve-component officers have served in Congress successfully. Retired officers are civilian in that they have no official-military capacity.
Our three branches of Government are led by civilians and have been since our nations founding. We have had retired military officer advisors to POTUS since the early days of the nation and we have had retired officers serving as Secretaries of Federal Agencies and Departments who have each their nation with distinction.
In the 18th century military-coups were common and the concern about standing armies was pressing. Those days have long passed.
Tammy Duckworth was a junior officer who despite deploying and serving honorably does not seem to grasp the basics of the US Constitution, the limitation of retired military personnel, and SCOTUS rulings on the matter of civilians who were previously soldiers, sailors, or marines [airmen didn't exist until after 1947].
Thanks for mentioning me LTC Stephen C.
Our three branches of Government are led by civilians and have been since our nations founding. We have had retired military officer advisors to POTUS since the early days of the nation and we have had retired officers serving as Secretaries of Federal Agencies and Departments who have each their nation with distinction.
In the 18th century military-coups were common and the concern about standing armies was pressing. Those days have long passed.
Tammy Duckworth was a junior officer who despite deploying and serving honorably does not seem to grasp the basics of the US Constitution, the limitation of retired military personnel, and SCOTUS rulings on the matter of civilians who were previously soldiers, sailors, or marines [airmen didn't exist until after 1947].
Thanks for mentioning me LTC Stephen C.
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1SG James Lampe
Well said, sir. I fully concur. Hopefully she will select subject matter experts to teach, coach and mentor her in this very challenging path that she is on.
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SGT (Join to see)
LTC Stephen F., I appreciate your well thought out response. It clears things up for me about her. I told my wife, when I first heard this, the Generals are citizens now and could be considered as consultants.
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Nothing more than another Veteran who is playing the party line. There is a congressman from Texas ( Gallegos) who has came out and said he would not approve of Mattis's selection as SOD because of the 7 year law.
The Democrats got their asses handed to them in the election and now they are going to go out of their way to block any nominations that Trump has on the slightest pretext.
To be fair the Republicans pull the same shit. That's why President Obama wasn't able to appoint a Supreme Court Justice to replace Scalia.
The Democrats got their asses handed to them in the election and now they are going to go out of their way to block any nominations that Trump has on the slightest pretext.
To be fair the Republicans pull the same shit. That's why President Obama wasn't able to appoint a Supreme Court Justice to replace Scalia.
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SGT (Join to see)
They won't give an inch to allow trying to unite the parties. The only people they're hurting is the American citizens. That goes for Republicans and Democrats. It's a sorry situation that's been going on for at least eight years.
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1stSgt Eugene Harless
Once you put a D or an R after your name, you pretty much toe the party line, whether Veterans get hurt or not.
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Much ado about nothing, SGT (Join to see). As General Douglas MacArthur said in his Duty, Honor, Country speech in 1962, "This does not mean that you [the military] are war mongers. On the contrary, the soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war. But always in our ears ring the ominous words of Plato, that wisest of all philosophers: 'Only the dead have seen the end of war.'"
These retired generals, like MacArthur, have seen the ravages of war first hand, and won't be quick to pull the trigger. Duckworth may have the best of intentions, but she hasn't thought this through.
Here's General MacArthur's entire speech. LTC Stephen F.
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/douglasmacarthurthayeraward.html
These retired generals, like MacArthur, have seen the ravages of war first hand, and won't be quick to pull the trigger. Duckworth may have the best of intentions, but she hasn't thought this through.
Here's General MacArthur's entire speech. LTC Stephen F.
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/douglasmacarthurthayeraward.html
General Douglas MacArthur: Thayer Award Address ("Duty, Honor, Country")
Full text and mp3 audio of General Douglas MacArthur "Duty, Honor, Country" Address at West Point
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Maj Kevin "Mac" McLaughlin
I love that speech. My Father was actually there as a senior at West Point. For their 50th reunion in 2012 I got to go see where it all took place and I took pictures from where my father was sitting at the time.
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LTC Stephen C.
Maj Kevin "Mac" McLaughlin, General MacArthur was 82 years old when he gave the speech. He used no notes. If you listen to the recording, you'll not hear a stammer, or an "uh" or an "ah". It would be incredible for someone in their prime to deliver a speech as he did, but at 82 years of age? Incredible.
The story I've heard is that only one person, a Cadet, had the foresight to record the speech on a hand held recorder. Otherwise, there would have been no audio transcription whatsoever.
That your father was there for that event is also incredible. From the reports I've read, there was not a dry eye in the house when MacArthur finished. His Duty, Honor, Country speech is simply one of the best speeches ever delivered by anyone, anywhere, anytime.
The story I've heard is that only one person, a Cadet, had the foresight to record the speech on a hand held recorder. Otherwise, there would have been no audio transcription whatsoever.
That your father was there for that event is also incredible. From the reports I've read, there was not a dry eye in the house when MacArthur finished. His Duty, Honor, Country speech is simply one of the best speeches ever delivered by anyone, anywhere, anytime.
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SGT (Join to see)
Maj Kevin "Mac" McLaughlin - That's some great history to be passed down through the family. Thank you for responding.
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SGT (Join to see)
LTC Stephen C. - I can certainly understand that. I think that may be McCain's problem. There's no doubt both have PTSD, which I think drives their opinions.
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