Posted on 11/19/2012 6:19:40 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Then-defense secretary Robert M. Gates stopped bagging his leaves when he moved into a small Washington military enclave in 2007. His next-door neighbor was Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the time, who had a chef, a personal valet and — not lost on Gates — troops to tend his property.
Gates may have been the civilian leader of the world’s largest military, but his position did not come with household staff. So, he often joked, he disposed of his leaves by blowing them onto the chairman’s lawn.
“I was often jealous because he had four enlisted people helping him all the time,” Gates said in response to a question after a speech Thursday. He wryly complained to his wife that “Mullen’s got guys over there who are fixing meals for him, and I’m shoving something into the microwave. And I’m his boss.”
Of the many facts that have come to light in the scandal involving former CIA director David H. Petraeus, among the most curious was that during his days as a four-star general, he was once escorted by 28 police motorcycles as he traveled from his Central Command headquarters in Tampa to socialite Jill Kelley’s mansion. Although most of his trips did not involve a presidential-size convoy, the scandal has prompted new scrutiny of the imperial trappings that come with a senior general’s lifestyle...
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Would you rather the General be bagging his own leaves or keeping our troops alive?
I seriously doubt Gates did any yard work.
I’ve never seen an O-5 do his own yardwork, much less a general or a cabinet officer.
How about punishing Obozo and wife for their lifestyles?
I hate it that we put civilian appointees over our military. Most are not even veterans, nor have most ever even shown a glimmer of patriotism. One disaster currently in the making is that Obambi is going to make John Kerry Secretary of the Navy. There isn’t a less deserving candidate in the country. It was a Senate committee led by Kerry and John McCain that shut down any hope of ever bringing our POWs home. They listened to testimony of viable sightings of POWs but discredited anything the POW families had to say. It was disgraceful to watch, and to think that John McCain who had be a POW himself would turn his back on those we left behind. But now this, to put a military-hater like Kerry in charge of our Navy makes me sick. He will do everything in his power to destroy our Navy.
I hate it that we put civilian appointees over our military. Most are not even veterans, nor have most ever even shown a glimmer of patriotism. One disaster currently in the making is that Obambi is going to make John Kerry Secretary of the Navy. There isn’t a less deserving candidate in the country. It was a Senate committee led by Kerry and John McCain that shut down any hope of ever bringing our POWs home. They listened to testimony of viable sightings of POWs but discredited anything the POW families had to say. It was disgraceful to watch, and to think that John McCain who had be a POW himself would turn his back on those we left behind. But now this, to put a military-hater like Kerry in charge of our Navy makes me sick. He will do everything in his power to destroy our Navy.
Yeah, having those civilians in charge sure is a pain. Without them, we could have had one helluva a junta long ago.
Obviously I am being sarcastic..and I appreciate your point. But civilian leadership is a keystone to our national existence.
I am fairly certain that the Founding Fathers wanted the military under civilian control. Secondly, Sen. Kerry is being considered for Secretary of Defense, not Secretary of the Navy, as I recall.
As Sec of Defense, Gates could easily afford to have someone take care of his lawn, and so can a Four Star general. There is no reason enlisted men should have been tending to some General's personal needs at home off base.
If one of my former bosses had been calling out people from the company, on company time, to do his house keeping chores for him, they would have had their asses fired, and rightly so.
I doubt he bagged his own leaves either. I had the displeasure of shaking his hand once.........dead fish, or "princess shake" comes to mind.
It made my skin crawl. Shake my hand and look me in the eye like a man d#mn#t.
The current SECNAV kind of sucks, naming ships after these “progressive” civil rights leaders and, Gabby Giffords (not to discount what she went thru, but my goodness, what about the medal of honor winnerrs?). Mabus is terrible. I don’t see how Kerry could be worse as SECNAV.
The current SECNAV kind of sucks, naming ships after these “progressive” civil rights leaders and, Gabby Giffords (not to discount what she went thru, but my goodness, what about the medal of honor winnerrs?). Mabus is terrible. I don’t see how Kerry could be worse as SECNAV.
You sure about that? You should check the Constitution before you decide.
But civilian leadership is a keystone to our national existence....<<
I believe that like I think Blacks should never be Presidents...(Think about it!)
as to your Tag...I believe every word of it....Lt green...*S*
Bullshit. I did mine every week (except while deployed) for nearly 30 years. When I didn't do it, my wife and kids did.
I retired from the service in 2009, and I still do my own yard work.
Hahahaha! When I was writing that I knew it’d get me in trouble.
I doubt Kerry will ever be Secy of the Navy. If, for no other reason, being a U.S. Senator is a more ‘prestigious’ position and, since Kerry is from MA, it’s more ‘for life’ than a federal judicial appointment. A Secy of the Navy would leave after this Administration. Unless Kerry is planning to wind down his career, it’s not likely he’d take that position.
I was ordered to live in a fairly nice 3 bedroom house, a mere five minute run (not drive) from the operations command post, although I was not a “senior level NCO”.
It caused a whole lot of heartburn for my neighbors, several senior NCOs at the E-8 and E-9 level, who were not designated critical operations staff, once me and my long haired civilian dependent (USAF veteran) husband moved in!
Since I was enlisted, and not an officer,assistance with quarters upkeep was not a perk I enjoyed, nor could I have asked my assigned personal staff to do any minor chores, since I didn't have any personal staff assigned to me.
I didn't begrudge my superior officers any of their rank perks.
They were there at all the same constant 24/7 hours calls, as I was.
But I didn't have to deal at all with any of the politicians and civilians, that they did.
My husband mowed the grass of several enlisted friends living on base housing, just because he had time, and they didn't.
He would have mowed my commanding officers grass too...if someone didn't always beat him to it.
“I did mine every week (except while deployed) for nearly 30 years. When I didn’t do it, my wife and kids did.”
Ditto.
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