Monday, December 8, 2014

OUR MILITARY, A SHIP WITHOUT A RUDDER…


I thank God every single day that the majority of my time spent in the military was spent with someone at the helm who knew what it was to be a leader. Most of my time was spent serving under men whose last name was Reagan or Bush. Out of the 24 years I spent in the Navy I had the misfortune of serving under Jimmy Carter for 1 year and ‘Slick Willie’ Clinton for 8, and it was under these two pathetic imbeciles that leadership was simply nonexistent. So, needless to say, it was during those 9 years that morale was at its lowest, and pay was at its tightest.

And now after 6 years of being forced to contend with he who is without a doubt the most ill-equipped commander in chief in the history of this nation, it comes as no surprise to find out that morale in our armed services is now at an all time low. And I believe that I read somewhere, that pay and benefits are also being reduced for those who serve. The disdain that Democrats have long felt toward those who serve in the military has always been significant, but with this current president of ours it has been taken to new heights. I think we can all agree that he hates the military.

And while for some of our war-weary troops the end of an era of war in Iraq and Afghanistan is seen as being good news, for other service members, it's seen as little more than a total morale killer. You see, for many of them, particularly the young grunts and others in combat arms specialties, it's the realization that they may never go into battle for their country and their comrades. Many of these folks who make the decision to join, do so because of the wars this country is involved in.

But with Barry rapidly reducing the size of our force involved it what has become known as our "Overseas Contingency Operation", many have been force into retraining of one kind or another in the hope of being able to survive as the services are being rapidly downsized. The wars against America's enemies gave troops a noble purpose. Their training had focus, their sacrifices were appreciated by a largely grateful nation. That gratitude was reflected from the White House to the citizen in the street, all of whom heaped praise upon military members for their service.

There was a time when Congress lavished generous pay increases and expanded benefits on them while spending deeply to provide the gear and weapons they needed. Recruiters raced to grow the size of the services, and society vowed to never again undervalue the one percent of the country who willingly stepped forward to keep them safe. But it would appear that was then, because now it all seems quite different. Today, that gratitude seems to be dwindling. Those who join the military are said to do so because they can’t do anything else. What an insult!

And to add insult to injury, it courtesy of Barry’s failed leadership and his continuing effort to reduce America’s leadership role in the world, that the services have been made to weather several years of significant cuts in funding and tens of thousands of troops have been unceremoniously given the boot. Many still in uniform and seeking to retire from the military fear the same fate, as those cuts are not yet complete. I was fortunate to retire when I did, because it’s no longer worth it to make the military a career,

A Military Times survey of 2,300 active-duty troops found morale indicators on the decline in nearly every aspect of military life. Troops report significantly lower overall job satisfaction, diminished respect for their superiors, and a declining interest in re-enlistment now compared to just five years ago. Troops feel underpaid, under-equipped and under-appreciated, the survey data show. Our all-volunteer military is entering an era fraught with uncertainty and a growing sense that the force has been left adrift.

One trend to emerge from a recent Military Times survey is "that the mission mattered more to the military than to the civilian," said Peter Feaver, a political science professor at Duke University who studies the military. "For the civilian world, it might have been easier to psychologically move on and say, 'Well, we are cutting our losses.' But the military feels very differently. Those losses have names and faces attached to [them]." But when our commander-in-chief fails to put a name and a face to those losses, why should anyone else?

The priority for liberals has never been to maintain a strong defense of this nation. What has always been far more important to these scumbags is to make sure that we maintain the ability to cover the cost of those who the Democrats actively encourage to latch themselves onto the fat government teat. And we have been doing just that at an ever-increasing rate during the last 6 years, while sacrificing our ability to defend ourselves against what has become a rapidly growing list of enemies, also thanks to our commander-in-chief. It’s crazy!

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