CATHERINE MOY: Change is Coming for U.S. Troops (MAF Article)

Move America Forward ^ | December 29, 2008 | Catherine Moy

[Syncro]

Monday, December 29, 2008

Posted By:
Catherine Moy
Permalink

Change is Coming for U.S. Troops

The election of Barack Obama as America’s next president has many of our troops confounded. Six out of 10 active service members are worried about Obama as commander in chief, according to a Military Times poll.

“Being that the Marine Corps can be sent anywhere in the world with the snap of his fingers, nobody has confidence in this guy as commander in chief,” said one lance corporal who asked not to be identified.

For eight years, members of the U.S. military have served under a Republican commander in chief who reflected their generally conservative views and led them to war in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Now, the troops face change not only at the very top of the chain of command, as Obama nears his Jan. 20 inauguration, but perhaps in mission, policy and values.

Underlying much of the uncertainty is Obama’s stated 16-month timetable for pulling combat troops out of Iraq, as well as his calls to end the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy to allow gays to serve openly in the military, according to survey responses and interviews.

“How are you going to safely pull combat troops out of Iraq?” said Air Force 1st Lt. Rachel Kleinpeter, an intelligence officer with the 100th Operations Support Squadron at RAF Mildenhall, England. “And if you’re pulling out combat troops, who are you leaving to help support what’s left? What happens if Iraq falls back into chaos? Are we going to be there in five years doing the same thing over again?”

It is no surprise that U.S. troops are leery of change. President Bush is a veteran and his father was a war hero from WWII. Bush also shows great respect for the U.S. military, where as Obama has had a difficult time giving kudoss to American troops for the relative safety inside Iraq.

This video shows troops giving Obama a cool reception. It contrasts the excitement of American troops when President Bush visited them in Iraq.

The troops are not alone in their trepidation of our president-elect.

Move America Forward just returned from Guantanamo Bay and, as I have described earlier, the hardcore terrorists live in cushy surroundings. Prisoners in American prisons would give their eye-tooth to go to Gitmo, which the media and leftists have branded as a torturous environment.

Mr. Obama wants to close gitmo - a huge mistake. If he does such a thing without going to Gitmo and visiting the prison facilities himself, he will act in a careless and dangerously uninformed way.

That is not change we can believe in.

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[Syncro]

Mr. Obama wants to close gitmo - a huge mistake. If he does such a thing without going to Gitmo and visiting the prison facilities himself, he will act in a careless and dangerously uninformed way.

[scottywr]

My youngest son loves the idea of serving and really wants an ROTC scholarship. I’m not thrilled with the prospect of him serving under the obomination, and I don’t think he is as excited anymore. I think the volunteer military is really going to suffer over the next 4 years. I’m worried.

[Thunder90]

As long as he is in ROTC and not in an active service branch, he should be OK. Obama and the Dims will screw up and we will have a new Reagan in 2012.

[Warriormom]

Do you have anyone in mind? I’m not being critical, I’m just asking. I see a lot of potential out there, but I don’t see anyone floating to the top right now. Perhaps I’m missing someone.

[Seaplaner]

I suspect that the Obama/Ayers Doctrine will be headlined by the systematic attacks on our militiary's traditions, order, missions, funding, and standing in our national community.

I worry that the same Marxist candidate who chose to visit a gymnasium rather than our wounded troops in a European hospital (and his close friend, a terrorist who bombed the pentagon) will do what they can to undermine our military.

I'm also concerned that the closing of the prison at Guantanamo could be a mere preliminary, and superficial effect of the anti American Military operations to come.

Hopefully I'm wrong here.

.

[unkus]

There will be many negative repercussions for our military under the 0af/Puppet on a string 0ne.

[VigilantAmerican]

Keeping Gates on as Sec Def was just a smokescreen to conceal things to come as far as Hussein’s real agenda, as well as a sure signal that Hussein simply needs him there, needs things to stay in place in that realm for the time being, because Hussein has not a shred of a microscopic clue at all how to handle military affairs and worldwide conflicts as they are now.

Deep in his anti-American heart, Hussein would love to be able to put Jeanine Garafalo or Bill Ayers himself or Jay-Z or Ellen Degenerate or Kanye West or Cornel West or Cynthia McKinney or Cindy Sheehan or Bono or Bozo the Clown in charge of DoD, anyone but a pro-American hawk and preferably some trans-gender Islamofriendly communist, but he has to wait until things go completely sideways again for us in the Middle East or whatever once he’s firmly past the transition period and he can scuttle Gates and replace him with Mumia Abu Jamal or Rosie O’Dogshit.

[ExGeeEye]

....sarah....

[Chickensoup]

I have decided to steer my children away from the military. I dont like how it has been handled lately. I would encourage them to join a defensive force in a minute,but these incursions dont work. I will not put my children in harms way when our military is fighting battles and the war itself is treated like a crime scene. I will not let my children fight with the administrations tying one hand behink their backs.

It will be worse under Obama.

[pabianice]

I know over 1,000 vets and their spouses in two vet organizations. Every one loathes The One.

[ma bell]

You sound like a complete idiot.

[Chickensoup]

You sound like a complete idiot.

Why? Because I disagree with you?

You are a small-minded simpleton who cannot see beyond your nose.

And cant let anyone else have a different opinion.

[ma bell]

chickenlittle wrote I would encourage them to join a defensive force in a minute,but these incursions dont work. I will not put my children in harms way"

I'm sorry, but once your kids are 18, you have no choice in their desire to enlist or refuse to put themselves in harms way like those of us that have or currently doing. That further belittles your opinion you have of the military.

Defensive Force?? What, join the Michigan Militia? That is eerily similar of what Caroline Kennedy said to why she wants to have Clintons long-time vacated Senate seat - an Airheaded rationale of an answer.

[tlj18]

I would request that you allow your children to make their own decisions in regards to the military. I'm in the Army, I've been in for two and a half years, and I'm about to re-enlist. I am not pleased with who my Commander-in-Chief is going to be, but it doesn't affect my decision to re-enlist. For me, the hardest part of re-enlisting is deciding what duty station I want next! I want to get more training, more experience, before I even consider leaving the military. I'm acquiring skills that would have been difficult to nearly impossible to get in the civilian world.

I understand what you're saying, though. But nevertheless - I serve the United States of America - and not the Republican Party. Although it does seem like the Republican Army sometimes, with the very small number of liberals I've come across....

[steve8714]

I wouldn’t lump jay-Z or Bono in with that other shite.

[Warriormom]

I agree that she has what it takes, but she was damaged during the campaign. Hopefully, she will want to repair the damage and get back on the national stage. The democrats did a great job of defining her and she fell right into their trap with her Couric interviews - that will be a lot to overcome, but I think that she can do it.

The people I see making their move are (in no certain order)Mark Sanford, Kenneth Blackwell and Michael Steele. I think Newt Gingrigh would like to be a player, and I like him alot, but I think he was way too much baggage and isn’t electable.

[Chickensoup]

You are in the military and power to you.

I dont control my children but I certainly have infuence. I can and do encourage them. I will strongly discourage miliary service at this time because I think that we are not having wars. Instead these police actions with tribunals second guessing the troops are horrible and cause soldiers to be operating with a lawyer in their mind. It is, in my opinion insane. It doesnt matter who is in office. It is not a democarat or republican problem, it is a will to win problem on the part of the US government.

[Night Hides Not]

My youngest son loves the idea of serving and really wants an ROTC scholarship.

Go for it!!! That's how I paid my way through college at a very expensive private university. I'm proud of the fact that my parents didn't have to put out a dime for my college education.

There's a little secret they don't let on about: a final decision doesn't have to be made until after the sophomore year. If your son decides he's not cut out for the military, he can resign his schollie at that time.

I didn't know about that codicil, but it wouldn't have mattered. I stayed in for eight years.

[sean327]

Time for me to get flamed. I just watched the video attached to your post and was disturbed by what I saw.
These young Marines may not like Sen Obama, but they need to respect the office he holds. They should be on their feet when they are talking to a United States Senetor. It doesn’t matter what their feelings are for the man, they still must uphold the customs and courtesies of our beloved Corps. That being said I’m pretty sure there was a SgtMaj present who corrected this at the appropriate time.

Let the flaming begin!!

[Chickensoup]

I dont think it is an airhead response. I am tired of sending our children into Chaos-stan to fight in centturies old animosities. May Chaostan fall into itself.

No I dont think that my chidren should join a milita. I think the US should be focusing in on protection and survival instead of spending monies overseas.