Just heard the orange god deliver this line at the daily CODIV-19 task force briefing. For this fool, the military is a pile of new "stuff," He bought it, he paid for the "stuff" so, he has created a "brand new military." What about the people who served throughout the miserably stupid war in Iraq and the equally stupid post 2009 attempt to pacify Afghanistan, a country that never was and never will be. Think of the money and blood that we pissed away there. Even the Pompous one sees the necessity to withdraw our support from the wretches who run the government there or pretend to do that. Or perhaps Trump told him to stick it to them, at long last. Trump's experience of "military service" was his corrective enrollment at a private military high school, but he has stated that he knows "all about it.
Someone remarked to me once that it had been a miracle that the US could create an army for WW2. I asked him in response what sort of occupation Marshall, Eisenhower, MacArthur and Patton had been involved with before the war. Shoe sales? Gas station ownership" Insurance sales? What?
It would be tempting to think that one might vote for the Democrat. Biden the demented? Sanders the Marxist dreamer? Cuomo the massive NY City creep egotist?
No, we Deplorables are stuck with El Trumpo. pl
Col.,
“we Deplorables are stuck with El Trumpo.”
On a bright note today is another day where Hilary is not President.
If MSM were in the business of posting facts instead of partisan hyperbole, you would think the Dems would have run something far better than a Sanders or a Biden at this particular juncture of history.
So did we get are handed a choice among “deplorables”; or an echo of equal deplorables. Right now, I will continue to dance with the gal who brung me. Trump is seasoning well and growing into the job. I would like to see what his next four years will bring. He knows the inside game now.
Who was it who said ask a government insider to do something and you get a string of excuses why it can’t be done. Demurr to a business person who asks to get something done, and he/she will say fine, now go find me someone who can get it done. KAG 2020.
Great post.
Sanders partnered with Tulsi would have been viable – at least worth a roll of the dice. The best part about this ticket is that it would have put Tulsi in Pole Position in 2024. Alas, it is not going to happen.
James T
Is it a sin to hope for someone’s death? Tulsi would be a great president.
The limited amount of commentary that I have read of the “corona” spending package wafting through the halls of Congress is that both political parties have determined that some folks get $1,200 as a one time payment from the fiscal package but Wall St and big business managements get both $trillion from the fiscal spending and $4 trillion conjured up by the Fed.
I see many Trump supporters who are active on social media rather unhappy!
Is this going to be another 2008 redux? Bailout for Wall St speculative losses while underwater homeowners foreclosed.
But, the best corps commander on the western front in WW I was a corrupt, former, real-estate speculator from British Columbia with a vanity commission in the local militia, Lt.Gen. Sir Arthur Currie. Not being burdened with a military education that would incline him to fight the new war as though it were like the immediate past ones, he carefully studied the realities on the battle field, and created new strategies and tactics, including combined-weapons, infantry companies, and full disclosure down to the lowest buck private of tactical plans. No officers left, no NCOs left, the privates still knew where to go and what to do. His commander of artillery, a former physics teacher, used sound ranging to locate the German artillery and obliterate it, so as to preclude any artillery support for German counterattacks.
The Dems were never going to permit a Sanders nomination. They have achieved that. All he can do now is keep running through the primaries to the bitter end and make the Dems suffer at DemCon 2020.
Keith Harbaugh’s earlier-thread comment shows me that I am not the first to suspect the Dems have signaled the MSDNC-Industrial Complex to prepare the public for sending in Cuomo to substitute for the failing Biden. They won’t want to make Hillary the VP choice, but Hillary and her Bucket of Despicables will scream for Hillary regardless.
I begin to think the DemParty Leadership has already secretly decided to throw the election. If they are afraid they won’t lose it fair and square, they will throw it to make sure of losing. Their hope is that by 2024 things will be “so bad” that the Deplorables will come “crawling back” and beg the Democrats for a Catfood Despicable to “take us away from all this.”
You’re taking Trump too literally.
He’s not a scholar, not a lawyer.
He’s a salesman.
He deals in hyperbole.
Be grateful that he’s there, not the Clinton crime family.
( This comment is entirely unrelated to the subject, but I am afraid an Open Thread may not be offered before the end of March.)
I have mentioned Acres USA ( the paper) before and sometimes their bookstore section. They have a sale every March on some books. Normally I would not feel time-sensitive about writing this, but this year because of the corona situation, the Acres USA people say that any orders for books by Canada and Australia ( as well as America itself) will be sent free of shipping charges. If that is a real and huge expense to Ausralia, then this might really be interesting.
Some of the books are for the devoted hobbyist but many are for the working professional grower. Subject areas are soils and soil science/ field-row crops/ livestock from big to small and other things. Some of the soil books are recent translations from German not available otherwise or otherwhere. The sale ends on March 31st. Here is the link to the book descriptions and how to order.
https://www.acresusa.com/collections/books-videos?utm_source=Acres+U.S.A.+Community&utm_campaign=5649018d27-BOTW+3-24-20+Soil+Fertility+Animal+Health&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_65283346c2-5649018d27-184789077&goal=0_65283346c2-5649018d27-184789077&mc_cid=5649018d27&mc_eid=f874b279b6
And here is how they describe their “last week offer” of free shipping to America, Canada, Ausralia.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Get Free Shipping During the Last Week
of the March Book Fair Sale!
We know that it’s a tough time right now for a lot of folks, with many things uncertain, so we wanted to extend an extra savings offer the final week of our March Book Fair Sale – Free Shipping to select regions.
March book Fair Sale
At checkout, enter the code COMMUNITYSTRONG and get free shipping on any order within the U.S.
We’re also offering free shipping to Australia and Canada on any order over $100, with the code: AUSTRALIASTRONG or CANADASTRONG
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
( I will not be hurt or offended if this is not posted, considering its total variance from the subject. But in case it would be considered worthy of inclusion, it might be wrong of me to have withheld it. Either way, here it is).
I wish I could remember the source — maybe S.L.A. Marshall — I read that at the beginning of America’s entry into WWII a British general expressed their opinion, based on centuries of experience, that it tool at least two years to create an effective Army, but here were the Americans churning them out in less than a year. I remember reading (I was stationed in Germany at the time) about the Big Red One being beefed up at Fort Riley to be sent to Vietnam. I’m pretty sure that took more than a year. I am tempted to think that it was indeed a miracle that we had a real genius, George Catlett Marshall, to lead the effort. Since then it has been people like Richard Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld. At one time I greatly admired Colin Powell, but he blew that up with his horrible speech to the UN.
It is much easier to deliver new stuff than it is to replace deadwood.
Which four current timeservers are you suggesting are the equal of those four generals? I think Schwarzkopf was the last winning general and that was a generation and a half ago.
As for wishing someone dead, it is a common sin; I’ve heard it happens in the best of marriages.
CK
I knew Schwartzkopf and you exaggerate his worth. Fat Norman couldn’t devise a good plan for Desert Storm and the JCS had to take control of the process.
I’m surprised of how stuck on Trump so many remain. Equally stuck on past evils too (Hillary!). He’s a fragile horse being propped up by 2nd & 3rd rate talent. My standard of quality & performance is too high to let him have more time behind the wheel. My vote won’t count given I’m in a GOP dominated Southern state, though in my view the election isn’t about policy, criminal behavior, the depth of the state or the cut of their jibs. It is about speeding the implosion of both political parties. It is long overdue & more important for the American Experiment’s health than what animates day-to-day noise across the commons. And I know no more effective means of doing so than whip-sawing the parties by throwing them out as early & often as possible.
Procopius,
The two year schedule is about what it took. Mobilization, call-up of the National Guard and Reserve, selective service, procurement of materiel, and specific planning began, or were already underway, in the autumn of 1940. Significant ground operations began in the autumn of 1942. Also, I don’t think that the 1st DIV took a year from being alerted to shipping out to VN.
WPFIII
SWMBO and I heard this “brand new military” comment at the same time you did. We had the same reaction, although I’m pretty sure the TTG household spewed more vitriol than the Lang household. Our military has been in constant flux since 1775 and even before that. It has never been “the stuff” that made our military what it was and what it is. In my case, I was an infantry lieutenant in the days of the “Hollow Army.” My platoon averaged 25 men strong rather than the required 44. I had more high school dropouts than graduates. Our equipment was old and not plentiful. Our first contingency mission was to immediately reinforce Korea. Our second mission was to reinforce Europe. The thought of holding some German village against the Soviet Third Shock Army was sobering.
Yet every man, from the pot smoking PV2 to the grizzled old command sergeant major took our charge seriously. We trained hard, being in the field well over 50% of the time. We trained to operate out numbered and out gunned. We conducted emergency readiness and deployment exercises (EDRE) monthly loading everything up for airlift often with basic load and often ending in a live fire assault or defense. We even practiced combat assaults from C-130s onto unimproved airstrips. That was a hoot. I would have proudly led and fought with these men in Korea or Europe and died alongside them if necessary. I am certain to this day that our foemen would have paid dearly for their temerity to face us.
Colonel
I agree with you wholeheartedly about Tulsi. I had given up all hope that anyone but Biden would win the DNC primary, and then I just read about Biden’s campaign staffers taking great care to protect him from COVID-19. I can’t bring myself to wish for his death, but perhaps he could become indisposed?
Re. your comment on Schwarzkopf and his bad planning.
What does that say about the people around him – all career military?
A cadre of high level professionals who couldn’t do their job.
No wonder, the last war the US won was by Patton, Marshall, Eisenhower.
UpstateNYer
USCENTCOM was scheduled for disestablishment as part of the”peace dividend” hoped for after the end of the USSR. Fat Norman was sent there to shut down the command over a period of about a year. He was given the command by his WP buddies so that he could be promoted to four stars. The command, located at Tampa, had always been a haven for second raters looking to retire in Florida. When the Iraqis invaded Kuwait these dregs were unable to imagine anything but a broad frontal push into Kuwait. Powell rejected that approach and a team of skilled planners was brought in (the jedi knights) to write a new plan for a a wide envelopment around the left. I was intimately involved. And hated for my role.
TTG
There was a lot of cursing here.
96 Senate votes for Socialism..not a single vote against. Democratic socialism/call it what you will, comes to the rescue of Democratic capitalism. As for 2 Trillion (and ciunting!) … Congress/POTUS are putting it on our and our kids CCs. The buggers in Congress have drilled an election financing hole (in only a week 10 days!) that makes Citizen United look like pocket change.
PS: If Nancy wanted to sink Biden she got it done. Just who she has in mind I can only guess but I’d bet good money it’s not Bernie. The “old lady” knew two things “going in.” One: that before it was over Hunter would be front and center. And Two: her chance was weak to none that she could get McConnell to call up witnessess in the Senate. Just where she and the Dems go from here is her/their problem. Appologies for the sour note. Stay well all, ted
Dream on about VP Gabbard because the fix is in for VP Michelle Obama. Letter to the editor in the LA Times toutes VP Michelle Obama to be the team to “wallop Trump”. Coming soon to a letter to the editor page near you.
I suspect this is a coordinated publicity roll out. LA Times highlighted this with the following title: “Pick Michelle Obama for VP” Writer claims Michelle Obama will “energize not only the Democrat Party but the entire nation, especially in these uncertain and stressful times.”
Indeed who does benefit keeping our times as “uncertain and stressful” as long as possible? Look for similar language. When the public sector unions want something, they know how to go after it. VP Michelle Obama is thier reason to back Biden now that is looks like it will not be a brokered convention.
pl,
Same here. It wasn’t just TDS. It was Trump’s swat at the military. It was personal for us as I’m sure it was for you.
Trump can be an arrogant ass and sure was in this instance. I can’t image hanging out with the likes of him.
But I love his pro-America platform and associated economic and immigration policies. I will vote for him again because I don’t the country overrun by illegals and our industry destroyed and handed over to foreigners. I also like that he is not for the identity politics that divide our country.
@The Colonel:
Gen. Schwarzkopf carried out the plan he was given, correct?
And so he is the last “winning” American Army General. Given that he is everything you have said he was, what does that say for the current crop of Stars?
@UpStateNY:
There is some historical disagreement as to who won the ground war in Europe. There is also some disagreement about what and who won the ground war in Manchuria and China.
The US Navy did an adequate job in the Pacific and the Marines did likewise in the Island Hopping part of the Pacific war.
The Perfumed Princelings ( and now Princesses ) are part of every military forever.
TTG,
“We trained hard, being in the field well over 50% of the time.” That reminds me of the old Skipjack class fast attack I was once assigned too (it was commissioned before I was born). We had more time at sea than home port. I remember once we were tracking a Soviet sub in the Western med and were ordered to the give up that duty so the 5th fleet could assign the newest 688 to the job with all the resulting kudos and praise for a job well done. Not a word to the sonar operators aboard our ship who identified the damn thing to begin with. Buy hey, we had a ‘new navy’ and Sec. Lehman was going to make sure the latest and greatest got all the (at the time internal) pr. It was good for the budget.
Hated for your role in Desert Storm?
Why and by who?
El Trumpo reminds me of Slick Willy Clinton. Both were draft dodgers and koozhounds; and both showed disdain for the military. This country needs a new political party or better yet a way to eliminate the media and the debates from the election process.
The thing that really pisses me of about Trump is his blatant humping of the American flag. If he’d been in the military and done that he would have been court-martialed. At least back in my time.
CK
I knew this was coming. This was a major episode in my life and I remember it well. Fat Norman was the recipient of an approved contingency plan that was the basis for existence for his command, USCENTCOM. That plan was never intended to be an operational plan. He was supposed to modify the plan to fit the reality of the moment. He did not. He merely allowed a lot of drones on the CENTCOM retirement plan to draft the simplest possible plan. After the concept of his plan soaked in at Washington, I, and maybe others, was asked if this was a good plan. I was asked by Powell, Soyster and the navy dweeb who was head of the J-2 function of DIA what the “center of gravity” of Baathist and nationalist Iraq was. I told them that it was the Iraqi Army to include the Republican Guard with its three division armored corps. I was asked what the plan should do. Regretfully, because of past missions to Iraq during their war with Iran, I said that the Iraqi Army should be trapped in Kuwait and destroyed. A plan was subsequently adopted to push hard from south to north while swinging wide around through the desert with 18th Airborne Corps (including the French Division) to get north of the Kuwait/Iraq border and trap them in Kuwait. This only partly succeeded because after the mass of the Iraqi forces were defeated south of the Kuwait Airport, a “sauve qui peut” order was issued by the high command to evacuate division and corps staffs , support units and what was left of higher quality units. We would have bagged the lot except that a lot of their people could not get past the barbed wire barrier along the Kuwait/Iraq border at the two lane crossing point and were shot to death by our air in masses strung out along the fence. The pictures of this were in the media and ’41 Bush told Powell to stop it. Fat Norman did that. LTG Fred Franks and 7th US Corps waiting to spring the trap north of the murder air slaughter were ordered to halt in place and enough Iraqi Army escaped to reconstitute itself. Me? It was deeply resented that a mere retired colonel who was an SES and a planner for J-2 intelligence in the ME should have intervened to say that Fat Norman was a fool. I flew into the kill zone just south of the border with a senate delegation three days after the massacre. Standing on the bermed up road looking at the masses of still burning vehicles and bodies I was approached by a young US Army captain who told me they had gotten what they deserved. I told him to shut his fucking mouth
TTG
Very personal “It don’t matter. It don’t mean nothin.” That’s what the grunts said in VN. I think of my father’s comrades who fought to the death against the Japanese in 1942 on Bataan. Where did I leave that bottle?
TTG
From my memoir –
“The trip to Turkey was an adventure in itself. The Langs drove to Venice where they boarded a very modern French built motor ferry for a three-day trip to Izmir across the Mediterranean. The sea was blue, their stateroom was pleasant, and the cuisine in the first class dining room was splendid.
At Izmir, he made the acquaintance of a truly memorable “Old Army” character. This was Major General John K. Boles, the Chief of Staff of Land Southeast… This crusty old buzzard was a true “diamond in the rough.” He was from the Class of 1939 at West Point, and had fought his way across northern Europe in the 3rd Armored Division. His whole family was cavalry all the way back to the 1830s, when an ancestor had been a founding member of the 1st Dragoons, the very first US regular mounted regiment
Lang first met the man when he reported in the general’s office in Izmir. Boles was filling his pipe from a large wooden humidor. The tobacco looked and smelled like Burley. This was hopeful. At least he’s not altogether a Yankee… Lang thought.
Boles’ “blouse” was open and in closing the drawer of his desk, he caught the skirt of it. He looked down and said, “Well, good thing I had my pants on…” He then looked up and began to question Lang’s provenance in the closed world of Army society. “You look like Old Army to me,” he said. “Just the way you stand there… You’re not afraid of me. Are you Steve Lang’s son? No? Are you the nephew of the Lang girls in Baltimore?” He asked if Lang were related to this Lang or that, and finally said, “Well, who the hell are you, Lang?”
Walter Lang was angry. He looked Boles in the eye and said, “Sir, I am Sergeant Major Lang’s son.” This was not strictly true as the father had retired as a lieutenant colonel, but he had been a sergeant major at one point.
Boles considered that and then asked, “Which regiment?”
Lang ransacked his memory and chose the best one. “26th Cavalry,” he replied.
This was the Philippine Scouts cavalry regiment.
Boles now really looked at him. “My father commanded the regiment in the 20s,” he said. “I was born at Camp John Hay. We lived there for twelve years. I remember a sergeant named Lang in “G” Troop…”
”That was my father,” Lang answered in astonishment.”
“Your father taught me to ride. Sit down. Is your father still living? Yes? Please pass him my regards.” the general said.
After a half hour of conversation, Boles asked if he knew what happened to the horses.
“The regiment’s horses?”
“Yes.”
“They shot them when ordered to surrender on Bataan. They killed them to save them from the Japanese. Each trooper shot his own mount. My father still cannot speak of it.”
Boles lowered his bald old head and nodded.
Sergeant Major Lang’s son had found a friend. He and General Boles became boar hunting and SCUBA diving companions. Friendship is not too strong a word for the relationship that emerged.” pl
What needs to be discussed and that urgently, is the total bankruptcy of the Wall Street financial system. Four trillion has been announced to bailout this madness while the average Joe get $1200 to distract him from this fact. The Wall Street free market system is dead, it was dead in 2008 and now amount of money printing will save it. The time is now to revive the glass steagall banking legislation to kickoff an FDR style recovery otherwise expect a rapid push for a bankers dictatorship centered around their fantasy of a green new deal as stated by mark carney on many occasions.
PL
In regards to the planning for offensive operations in Gulf War I, I read that the ideas of Col. John Boyd, USAF, ret. was paramount. He is the only non Marine who has a statue dedicated to him at Quantico. From Wikipedia, “John Richard Boyd was a United States Air Force fighter pilot and Pentagon consultant of the late 20th century. His theories have been highly influential in the military, sports, business, and litigation fields.” Did you ever run across him?
Dennis Daulton,
re: The time is now to revive the glass steagall banking legislation …
I would agree with that and it would be quite sensible to do that.
Point is, you are not ever going to get that with Trump and his happy Trumpeteers.
Why? Because they have managed to enact two or three laws in almost three years (One Law A Year
– OLAY – would look splendid in white on a red golf site cap)) – a speed so fast one falls asleep watching.In contrast to that, Trump solo destroyed treaties and presidentially away-decreed about 50+++ times as many laws or regulation rules
though not yet with tweets.Responsibility, rules and regulations, just like evil things like taxes, are a vile anathema to Trump.
He picks just the people he needs for his view of how work should be done:
etc. pp.
pl,
Yes, we share a history and set of traditions rich enough to nourish us through any crisis, an anchor that will stand fast through the worst of storms. I almost feel sorry for those pitiful souls who cannot appreciate or even grasp such a history… almost.
TTG (if you will indulge me, Col Lang),
Here’s an old tune that may smooth one’s contemplation of things not mattering.
https://youtu.be/5DhOSXG3PVM
Sorry — I can’t find a link to Trump’s actual “brand new military” remarks. Can anyone help or just type out what he said? Thanks.
Colonel, Sir
you are probably correct in your prediction.
yes, we will be stuck with the coronated king of sycophants, cronies and in-laws. Sad.
Oh crap!
The USS Theodore Roosevelt 5000 floating city has confirmed
COVID expanding onboarding. They’re heading for Guam which is scrambling to provide makeshift medical facilities in place for when the Carrier arrives.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/03/26/coronavirus-rapid-spike-in-cases-on-the-uss-theodore-roosevelt/
@The Colonel:
Thank you for the details and the painful history. When it was ended in 91, Noman, Colin and Bush sr. got the kudos. It has been 30 years and I honestly do not remember any lionization of Gen Franks at that time or since. What I do remember most vividly is the sudden national belief that America was back, that the long decline from Korea through VN and culminating in the Grenada invasion had been reversed. What is shown to those outside is never congruent with what is known by those inside.
“At Qom, al-Sadr called for expelling Americans in a “humiliating manner” and for all contact with Americans to be criminalized.”
https://original.antiwar.com/William_Walter_Kay/2020/03/26/bad-moon-rising-iraq-on-the-eve-of-tet-offensive-2-0/
The social distancing of Americans may be disastrous in this case
Larry Kart
He ad libbed it at one of his CODIV-19 briefings.
Stuart R Woods
I never met Boyd. He was in the ops world and I was an intel puke. His contribution to the plan was probably on the air side at Checkmate. He believed as I did that you have to operate faster than the enemy can react. But then, Stonewall Jackson was the real master of that. Read my Army War College article about that. “Jackson’s Valley Campaign and the Operational Level of War.” Parameters Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, Army War College Winter 1985.
Larry Kart,
It was part of his opening remarks during the 25 March Coronavirus Task Force briefing. As Colonel Lang said, Trump clearly ad libbed it. No speech writer would pen that meandering stream of consciousness.
“So we are setting up a fund of $45 billion for disaster relief. That’s more than doubling the amount available to support my national emergency and disaster declarations. It’s a doubling up. $27 billion to build up the Strategic National Stockpile with critical supplies, including masks, respirators, pharmaceuticals, and everything you can imagine — because it was very depleted, like our military was depleted. Now we have a brand-new military. Never had a military like this. We have equipment either coming or it’s already come. For the most part, it’s already come. But we have a lot of things that will soon be coming — planes, missiles, rockets, lots of things. But the stockpile was very depleted, like everything else.”
J,
A fleet carrier has state of the art medical facilities aboard. “The crud” of one kind or another circulates the the crew in the first week or ten days every deployment. A carrier getting aircraft from a shore base might see that more often.
The word “makeshift ” does not appear in that article. It does reference CNN, who reference unnamed Pentagon officials. Why wad the ship making a port stop in Vietnam two weeks ago is a good question to ask the CNO.
Fred,
That was my question. Why did that ship have to make a port call at all? What was the CNO thinking? Clearly a lack of intelligence, discipline and judgement in the Pentagon.
I had a thought last night about what Trump can do. Why not redefine national security and begin the process of disengaging from our military involvements around the world? Get out of Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq for starters. Withdraw all support from Saudi adventurism in Yemen. Leave Iran alone. If Trump did that, I believe he would be unbeatable in November.
TTG, my thinking exactly. Get the troops home. Now if Trump could then bury the hatchet with Russia and China, you have the beginnings of a new and better world after the Pandemic.
To me, that is the best use of the game changing potential of Coronavirus – use the crisis as a basis for permanent change. This is the “freeze, unfreeze, refreeze” model of strategy.
Unfortunately history may have more malevolent ideas….