I first read it here, and the JS Online has confirmed it ... Rep. Mark Gundrum (R-New Berlin) has been called up to active duty. According to JS Online, he will be stationed eventually in Iraq as a judge advocate.
Other Side wishes him and his family (wife and six children) well. Regardless of political ideology ... this is incredibly remarkable. One would think that he could get an exception (legitimate in this case) with six children.
Now, let's see if all those college-age Republican warmongers, like GOP3.com: The Triumvirate, will follow his brave example, or will they continue to wage this war from the safety of their dorm rooms.
Urge Biden To Do All He Can To Get ERA Published As 28th Amendment
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The ERA Coalition is asking everyone to call, text or email President Joe
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The problem, Tim, is they haven't been asked in any meaningful way to serve. We're told on a regular basis we have enough troops, we have enough troops, we have enough troops. And then we mutter under our breaths how the war has stretched our armed forces. I would argue this has been the biggest flaw in Bush's prosecution of the war. Had he taken to the airwaves in the days after 9/11 and said that our nation seriously needed our youth to answer the call the way they did after Pearl Harbor I think the "stretched resources" we would be talking about would be how to handle the intake and training of so many recruits.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, that moment is gone, and the recruitment efforts were the first casualty of trying to fight a war while at the same time trying to maintain a homefront that was unaffected as much as possible.
I was struck this evening while learning a bit more about the Spanish American War how the destruction of the Maine resulted in recruiting stations to be overwhelmed by volunteers from all strata of society.
But I suspect that's not the answer you wanted to hear.
History shows us that Americans have risen to the challenge when the war was just and the aims were defined. You are absolutely right about the Sapnish American War, but that was hardly unique. WWI and WWII saw young men from all strata, as you say, join out of pure love of country.
ReplyDeleteSince Vietnam (maybe even back to Korea) there has been a diffrent result. I think one reason is the rise of mass media ... people are less likey to believe what they're told when they can see with their own eyes.
I agree that a clarion call for service would have helped.
Anyway, I suppose I was being a little snarky.
He's jumped the snark!!!
ReplyDeleteA technical correction to Wiggy's otherwise sterling post:
ReplyDeleteThe "small Army" idea was from the SecDef., who attempted to apply "lean manufacturing" concepts to war.
Doesn't work. Never did, never will. Smart warfighting is a positive, but there is no way to replace "boots on the ground."
Well, sure there is, Dad. You replace them with private contractors to protect the diplomats, build the bases and do the support tasks that Logistics and Engineering units used to do.
ReplyDelete