A New Direction

The 2016 election was critical for  America, and the victory of Donald  Trump may well have stopped the decline of our nation and will begin the recovery process so  needed.   Those who are not happy with the outcome need to give this man a chance to govern.   A quick look at his appointments gives us even more confidence in the future.   People who have the expertise and skills in each area have been appointed.   Especially important is our new national security staff, military experience and knowledge of the world's political landscape.   Building up our military is the first and most important step in re-establishing American power and prestige in the world.  President Trump has committed to that and put in place the people to make it happen.   The next four years will be unlike anything ever seen in our American political experience, a new president who operates in a different way, and has surrounding himself with smart and dedicated people.   Things will be different, but is it time for a new direction.

Benghazi and Pearl Harbor

I have just read over one hundred pages of the Benghazi Report and I see some striking similarities to the history that surrounds Pearl Harbor.    First, a disregard for obvious signals that increased security was needed and the threat was mounting.  Second,  a failure to respond as soon as the attack began as was clearly shown in the report.   Third, the order to the military to "deploy" and take action to rescue those in Benghazi by the SECDEF, and for some reason that still us unknown, was not followed.  No forces were sent!
Those who say it was too late to do anything totally disregard that the length of the battle was unknown, and in fact in thirteen hours help could have reached the battle.   The report also mentioned a failure of DOD to respond on what SOF forces were in the area, those assets were not defined and the committee could not get a clear answer.   I wonder if there were AC-130s available that could have, by themselves, saved our people.
Benghazi was a failure of the national command authority on many fronts down through the chain of command and should be examined closely just as it was in Pearl Harbor where we saw people get fired.   The DOD Inspector General should retrace the steps that took place because the ball was dropped.
Hillary Clinton has responsibility for Benghazi and the people of this country should not even consider hiring her as our Commander in Chief.

American Impotence

Iranian forces seized two American boats and 10 sailors without a shot being fired,  why have a Code of Conduct.

1.     I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.

2.     I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist.

3.     If I am captured I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and to aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.

4.     If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information or take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades. If I am senior, I will take command. If not, I will obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me and will back them up in every way.

5.     When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give name, rank, service number, and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause.

6.     I will never forget that I am an American, fighting for freedom, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.

The President Got It Wrong (Again)

President Obama during his SOU mentioned "lessons learned" in Vietnam and Iraq, we did learn some lessons, but not the ones he covered in his speech.    What we learned was win the war, finish it, and stay engaged; good examples would be  Germany, Japan, and Korea where we finished and stayed (still there today).  How can he get it so wrong, his ideology drowns out his common sense and understanding of fighting a war.    We watched Vietnam fall when we pulled out and cut off aid, and Iraq is following when we did the same thing.  We can only hope that because of ISIS we may re-engage in Iraq and still have a chance to finish.   We must also apply the same strategy to Afghanistan; finish with a victory and stay engaged until the threat is over.