Posted on 06/30/2021 8:41:33 AM PDT by Kaslin
For all of his personal faults and shortcomings - and there were many - General George S. Patton was a leader. He won battles. In fact, as a battlefield commander his contributions probably more than any other American general led to the Allied victory in World War II. Patton knew how to lead. He knew how to get the most out of his men to achieve victory.
Did General Patton ever make any mistakes? Sure he did, as we all make mistakes. But General Patton learned from his mistakes and then he put them behind him and moved on to his next victory. He didn’t dwell on the mistake, or worry about how it might affect his career. His job wasn’t to secure another promotion or another medal for his chest, he knew exactly what his job was. His job was to lead his troops in battle to victory.
Something that modern American military ‘leadership’ seems to have forgotten. The generals and admirals running things nowadays seem much more concerned about political correctness and protecting their careers than in leading men and women in battle.
The ‘BLUF’ - Bottom Line Up Front, to use a military phrase - is that the War Fighters are being ill served by the U.S. officer and senior NCO corps. And that goes all the way up to the top to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Vietnam legend and military critic Colonel David Hackworth had a name for them. He called them the “Perfumed Princes,” his own name for “the Brass,” which had been in common use by members of the military forever to describe the higher ranks that remained in safety behind the front lines, and not up front where the casualties occurred.
ry decoration for valor that the nation gives multiple times, including a whole handful of Purple Hearts.
A military hero, and more importantly a War Fighter in the truest sense of the word. He didn’t spend his career back at Headquarters giving briefings, drinking coffee, and puffing on cigars with the “Perfumed Princes.” He spent his time in the blood and the mud with soldiers fighting and dying for our country.
How many serving in our Armed Forces wearing lots of stars on their collars can come close to saying the same thing? I would venture to say very few. You see, War Fighters and true leaders don’t usually rise to the levels of high command in today’s Armed Forces. They’re far too valuable commanding units that are actually engaged with the enemy. You need leaders in combat.
I recall one day in 2006 when I was serving in Iraq as a civilian, watching an Army Command Sergeant Major (CSM) berating a couple of junior enlisted soldiers because they weren’t wearing the correct socks in their boots. For the uninformed, a Command Sergeant Major in the U.S. Army is a big deal and is usually assigned to a headquarters command, not a front line combat unit. So not just officers can qualify as “Perfumed Princes.”
This particular CSM was walking around Camp Victory, the large U.S. base out by the Baghdad International Airport, and was doing ‘sock inspections.’ The highest ranking Non-Commissioned Officer of the enlisted ranks in the Army walking around asking junior enlisted men to hike up their pant leg so he could see their socks.
The soldiers I saw being berated had white cotton socks on, which considering the oppressive heat in Iraq seemed to be a reasonable thing to wear. White socks would help keep one's feet drier and more comfortable while wearing combat boots in the heat I would think. The socks were concealed by the boots and uniform pants, so they weren’t at all visible. Yet here was this CSM berating soldiers over their socks. Apparently wearing white socks wasn’t acceptable.
I remember being struck by the thought that these two younger soldiers probably had more combat time, and more opportunities to display true leadership on the battlefield than this CSM ever did.
How so? You see, we had only been at war for about three or four years at the time. In order to reach the rank of Command Sergeant Major in the Army one usually spends at least 20 years before coming close to being promoted to CSM. And one has to rise through the ranks up to the more senior enlisted ranks, which would also include headquarters command positions in order to reach CSM. So the CSM berating these two soldiers about their socks could only have possibly had at most three years serving in combat – if any - out of a 20 or 30-year career. While these two junior enlisted soldiers had probably spent almost their entire time in the Army conducting patrols in the heat of Baghdad or Afghanistan, and serving in combat. Fighting and displaying battlefield leadership and making decisions to help keep those under their immediate command alive.
I relate this story not to be critical of all senior ranks, enlisted or NCO, since there are indeed and have been some damn fine Colonels and Command Sergeants Major in the Army. But they are the exception anymore. Far too many have become the “Perfumed Princes” that we’ve been told about. More worried about being politically correct, or even worse “woke,” than in protecting America and winning wars.
And nowadays in this dangerous world we could use a lot more Colonel Hackworths to lead our troops, and a lot fewer “Perfumed Princes.”
This is the result of both parties violating the Constitution and swearing in an ineligible Kenyan from Indonesia.
Well, there was no grass there, and the CSM couldn't yell at troops to stay off the grass.
Poor CSM had to find SOMETHING to do.
Democrats won power and they’re aligned with the hard Left that rioted for seven months last year. The brass will serve the gang in power.
Patton: Take the first battalion over this ridge in the morning
Officer: But their LGBT activists say it’s not fair that they can’t have their lattes when they wake up
Patton: Get that battalion in place
Officer: The LGBT activists are asking if it is a “safe place.”
Patton: Look soldier, I need those troops in fighting formation ready to go
Officer: Are you using verbal violence on me?
Patton: WHAT!
Officer: Look, my two mothers didn’t raise me to deal with this patriarchal abuse. I have problems of my own and now you using micro aggression on me, well...
Patton: Get this pantyhose out of here!
Officer: You sexist clown... you won’t even have transgender washrooms for the troops. Thank God Biden got elected!
George Patton would have personally shot many of our current crop of elected leaders. Possibly more ‘Republicans’ than Democrats.
“The brass will serve the gang in power.”
The brass are looking forward to big pensions with COLA which most taxpayers do not have. They are looking forward to double dipping with cushy consulting jobs, corporate board seats, and executive roles at big defense contractors. To take advantage of these benefits all they have to do is play the game and be ready to collect on retirement day. As you said the brass will serve the gang in power. If they are one day asked to order their troops to round up American citizens or fire on citizens the only question they will ask is “How many do you want?”
Ahhhhh…..socks.
Seems unimportant, but it’s not.
I am glad the SGM had a sock inspection.
Young Soldiers, and civilians, have no idea of the importance of socks to a Soldier.
Walk through swamps for 30 days and find out how important they are.
The problem is that too many leaders focus only on the little things and neglect the big things.
Amen
The author has never been in the military and does not know what he’s talking about. If the CSM thinks checking his soldiers socks is important to him, then it is important to everyone else. My thoughts, based on 20 years in the Navy, is he was nipping something in the bud. Maybe everyone was getting too lax about other or all the rules. It’s called discipline and uniformity and it’s all about paying attention to detail. You get a lot of that in boot camp.
You’re right about more Republicans!
Exactly - COTTON socks? They should be berated.
Wool - high percentage merino wool, and accept no substitutes.
Poor leadership permeates throughout the entire government. A majority of these people would starve if they had to work in the real world.
The author doesn’t claim to have been in the Military. As a matter of fact he writes that he served as a civilian in Iraq. There were many that did. He was not the only one, I am sure. Remember the time after the war started some of those terrorists blew up that bridge (I don’t remember where exactly and many of those US civilians were killed.
Yep, you are right, or at least put them in the brig etc. for failure in duties, command, the wrong war mindset, etc.!
Maybe the type of sock is important to avoid rotting the feet with constant sweat, etc.
The color of sock is NOT important, especially in active war, etc.
Yes, discipline is important, though not to a micromanaging degree, especially during active war, etc.
See my comment I just posted about socks specifics.
Heaven help us if we get into a Big War with a Modern State. This time I don’t think we will win. If we fight Russia we will be luck to pay reparations to Putin and lose Alaska. If we fight China we will have Chinese soldiers patrolling the streets and lose Hawaii. They will not care if they are called racists.
Sometimes, seconds count.
If you are doing an inspection just prior to moving out, you don’t have time to play 20 questions with every private in the unit.
“The author doesn’t claim to have been in the Military.”
From my post:
“The author has never been in the military”
I never said he said he was in the military; I simply said he was not in the military. My point is that he, despite his civilian service (on which I have no opinion because I know nothing else about him), doesn’t know what he’s talking about as far as military discipline and that was the basis of his entire article. That’s really my only point. I assume you post articles for discussion since that’s the whole point of Freerepublic. Do you want to debate my point or just make stuff up that I didn’t say? I distinctly remember when the contractors were killed in Iraq. There were, unfortunately, many contractors kill in Iraq, both security types and regular workers. What’s your point?
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