US SOLDIER IN IRAQ RESPONDS TO FIRST DEBATE

JB WILLIAMS.COM ^ | OCTOBER 4, 2004 | CAPTAIN RON HAYES,US ARMY, IRAQ

[mabelkitty]

Awesome read!
He nailed the "kid" soundbite that Kerry has been trying to sell - but what about the children?

You have to be dishonest or ignorant to believe these intricate terrorist networks in Iraq just popped up over night after March 2003. It's obvious to any armchair strategist that the communication, funding, weapons, and manpower were developed over a long period of time. Saddam was heavily involved and exporting terrorists (from the Sunni triangle perhaps?) and now they are fighting for control of Iraq and it's oil fields. Imagine Al Quaeda with a sympathetic UN to recognize them as the new rulers of Iraq - only they won't call them Al Quaeda - they will call them Sunni nationalists. Doesn't matter - they are all the same.

[TADSLOS]

Man on the scene BUMP!

[dirtbiker]

Wow - wish the whole country could read this letter.

Amen to that!!!

[paws_and_whiskers]

AMEN and AMEN!

[Ann Archy]

Misty...I have asked you three times to PLEAE take me off your PING list! I only have Webtv and one of your pings eats up all my space and I can't retrieve anything else! I don't want to be mean, but I have asked you at LEAST three times.

[middie]

If this captain served in my command I would have him standing before me in a Plebe Summer brace as I order him to study and report back to me on the mandatory abstinence imposed upon active duty military personnel in matters of contemporary political issues. His commentary is a rash and totally unacceptable venture into those very political issues that are to be assiduously avoided lest the uniformed service take on the same mantle of involvement common in Third World countries and the now defunct Soviet Union where officers and enlisted active service members served in the Poliburo. Our job is to, in Ollie North's infamous quote: "Salute and say yes sir..." to whomever the commanding authority may be.

Even those cyphers and uniformed syncophants known as the Joint Chiefs of Staff, make a pretense at careful avoidance of "political issues" as they take an active role in advocating whatever the SecDef and president want. The abandonment of that 200-year doctrine is a primary reason why we're in the FUBAR train wreck we now face each day. The only general officer who had the cajones to tell his civilan bosses that, like the famous Emperor of fairy tale history, when it came to their Iraq plans, they metaphorically had no clothes on, was put out to pasture like a Kentucky barn horse.

Whether by design to keep their phoney-baloney jobs in the Pentagon, (oh yes, I have the right to evaluate what they do and to reach that conclusion since as a senior officer I spent seven years in that magical kingdom across the river in Virginia), or, in the unlikely event they really and honestly hold such illogical and outrageously dumb views, they at least have some modicum of justification for jumping into the political issue pool in order to advise their civilian bosses. But that's giving the JCS generals and their complict staffs too much credit for having a degree of intellectual honesty that is anathema to them as they clamber up the general officer promotion ladder.

But to return to the matter of this captain in the field offering his on-site strategic observations and political conclusion, he should be firmly repremanded and reminded that his 1st Amendment options are curtailed while he wears the uniform in matters of foreign and military policy making at the political levels.

There exists a compelling governmental interest in keeping active duty military personnel from getting involved in the cesspool of politics as an advocate for one of competing policy alternatives. Anyone who may doubt that can simply look at the cases decided by the Supreme Court. After the captain and his ego recover from the wrist slap for his well-intentioned, but ill-founded transgression he will, no doubt, continue to be a competent leader and rise within the system. It's certainly not something that should be a career ender--although in today's "zero defect" morass instituted by Sec. Rumsfeld through his ego-driven intolerance, any expression that draws his rebuke probably will end a career (example, General Shinsiki a damn fine Army Chief of Staff who had the temerity to tell Rumsfeld a truth the boos didn't want to hear. The reaction to such heresy was to make the offending general irrelevant during his final months in office and to send a clear and unambiguous message to the generals in SecDef/DOD that dissent was equavalent to disloyalty and only slighty less than treason).

[getgoing]

thank you for sharing the message from Kate. Let her know they have the support, prayers and appreciation of my family.

[Brownie74]

I didn't watch the debate but from what I understand Bush could have hit several home runs during the debate but he didn't. Some of our conservative talk radio host down here are really on him about it. Bush is a nice guy but he is a total twit at times.

I'll probably watch the next debate - maybe. Don't ask me what Kerry means when he says something. He is totally out in left field.

.

[7.62 x 51mm]

(((:::CRISP SALUTE:::)))

[talleyman]

Bump.

[WomanofStandard]

"thank you for sharing the message from Kate. Let her know they have the support, prayers and appreciation of my family."

Thank you so much Lt. and thank you for serving. My prayers are with you also as they are for all our military.

[MistyCA]

I agree

[CHARLITE]

Here is a copy of an email I received today, Oct. 4, from JB Williams who knows Cap'n Hayes and who was the one who sent me the letter for posting wherever I thought it might do the most good, which turned out to be Free Republic. Text of JB's email below:

Captain Ron Hayes is a real soldier
email | Oct 3, 2004 AD | Capt Hayes


Posted on 10/03/2004 1:01:49 PM PDT by Sola Veritas


There was a great "post debate" analysis posted on Free Republic that was supposed to be from a Captain Ron Hayes. It was so good that many did not believe in came from a real soldier on the ground in Iraq. Fortunately, I have an old army buddy who is an Army Lieutenant Colonel at the Pentagon. I asked if he could verify the man's authenticity. He did and you can read the "redacted" emails below. I took out the LTC's name and the email address for CPT Hayes. Folks I am a part time Private Investigator here in Oklahoma. This guy is the real deal. So, stop saying he is a "plant", etc.

EMAIL Series follows:

Ron:

No problem. The Free Republic post was forwarded to me by a friend in Oklahoma and he asked if it was real. It was fairly easy to find you on AKO. I placed him in the CC: of this email.

Thank you for your service. I hope all is well with you and your troops. Please let me know if you have any needs, there are plenty of folks willing to support here at home. You are in our prayers.

LTC Sxxxx ----- Original Message ----- From: CPT Hayes To: 'Rxx Sxxxx ' Sent: Sunday, October 03, 2004 1:07 AM Subject: RE: Was that you?

Sir,

I really did not know what sites it was sent to. A friend sent the article to a few sites, but I am not sure which ones. I checked out the free republic site, and yes that is my article. I don’t typically like to be vocally one sided on a political campaign for the presidency, because I just might be bashing a man, whom I will have to swear to follow as my Commander in Chief, but I thought I would take the chance on this one. I will of course follow whomever the American Voters determine is the next president, but the elections are getting closer, and I want people to know the view from here.

Captain Ronald W. Hayes

---

From: Rxx Sxxxx : Sunday, October 03, 2004 00:11 To: ron.hayes(redacted email address) Subject: Was that you?

CPT Hayes:

Was that your post I read in the Freerepublic?

LTC Sxxxx

[Xcoastie]

Thanks for the post. CPT Hayes thanks for your service, you and the many other brave men and women serving make us so very proud.

We pray for your protection and safe return daily, and we admire your courage. God bless you.

[philetus]

"There is no greater dishonor to the 1350 plus coalition and contractor deaths, and over 7,000 wounded men and women, than to plan a retreat before a reasonable assurance for the success of the new Iraqi government can be attained."

I nominate this for quote of the year.

[middie]

Returning GIs are leaving the armed forces and NG as quickly as they can. These troops have been lied to, deceived and exploited by an administration that talks-the-talk but, as yet, does not walk-the-walk. Instead of gearing the country to fight a war and structuring the economy dedicated to fighting and winning, this admin. still thinks they can do it "on the cheap" just as LBJ did with his idiotic "guns and butter" concept in the 1960s.

This pres. makes great oratory about the sacrifice but he refuses to provide the logistical and manpower support to put troops in the conflict area who are properly trained and prepared for hostilities.

[CHARLITE]

I actually DID mail it to various show hosts at Fox News and to the veteran groups with whom I work and whom I try to help get out the truth about John Kerry. I must have sent this letter to roughly 100+ as well as to Roger Ailes, Tony Snow, O'Reilly, Rita Cosby, Sean Hannity and dozens of online web journals, like ChronWatch, The Rant, AIM, Insight,Daley Times-Post,MichNews,The American Thinker.......and more. After I'd done all of the emailings, I decided to post it on Free Republic and crushkerry.com

[kimosabe31]

Great letter.