  |
|
|
|
I have never intended for this column to be an outlet for my political leanings. My concentration has been and continues to be towards the motion picture and television industries. If you do not wish to read the following political diatribe, go to http://www.doonesbury.com/ .
Someone with a particular axe to grind is COL David Hackworth, USA, ret. of Vietnam War fame. He now writes commentary both for national newspapers and for Soldiers for the Truth (SFTT) http://www.sftt.org/ . Of all the commentators regarding the current state of the U.S. military, his is not necessarily the most articulate or researched but certainly the most honest. However, the more I read about the current state of affairs regarding the U.S. military the more I get worried. I started working for Uncle Sam at the end of the Vietnam War and continued through the Bush era. I have seen what happens to a military when you cut funding to the point that soldiers can no longer do their jobs. I have also been involved in defense programs where I have seen billions of dollars go into developing one airplane. As a nation, if we keep on this path of seemingly aimless disarmament we will be left with a shell of what had been a proud and useful service. Notice, I did not write that disarmament was necessarily a bad thing. What I am writing about is the aimlessness of our disarmament. Talking to one of my associates who works for the Center for Military History in Washington D.C., he told me that despite numerous attempts on the part of the military hierarchy to get a goal or path of disarmament out of the current Administration they have been unsuccessful. Unfortunately, when one refuses to lead those being lead tend to find their own paths. This randomness path taking of seems to be what is happening in the current military. The one recurring theme I have noticed in the articles I have read in SFTT is the inordinate amount of whining. Times are tough. Our military has been cut back significantly with detrimental effects The actual number and types of missions our military has been asked to perform have also proportionately increased. Our civilian and military leadership shows a discernable lack of that same capability. But geez, I have to wade through such a long, disjointed journey of soldiers/sailors/airmen/marines telling a collective us that "it (being the state of the their situation in the military) was better in the good old days (whenever that was)." Perhaps, but leaving a bad situation does not make that situation better. Leaving a bad situation without solutions only prolongs the agony. Go To Page: 1 2
The copyright of the article An Axe To Grind in Military Movies is owned by John Lovett. Permission to republish An Axe To Grind in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
|
|
|
|
