Guest barrold713 Posted October 22, 2000 Share Posted October 22, 2000 Thank you very much for the kind words Jim. I truly appreciate the affirmation. To bring the general comments posted earlier to a recent specific, I bring up the images of the USS Cole. These have struck me recently with the feelings I described earlier especially since the sights of Norfolk Naval Base are quite familiar. Not to be conspiratorial, but I just have a sense that stopping in Yemen was another of the misguided applications of the military we have been plagued with as of late. Mostly it is a sense that the welfare of the personnel in the pursuit of their given mission is not placed in an appropriate regard. It seems apparent that the security concerns necessary to perform a simple refueling evolution were not a priority for some reason and this is troubling. Based on the State Department's designation, Yemen is not much different than Iran in regards to terrorism yet this single small ship was ordered to the port during a time of violence in the region. When an alert for terrorist activity has been issued, would it not be the least bit prudent to divert the ship to a more secure port if the need to stop was not urgent? I don't mean to imply that something malicious was intended, but rather that this was another case of negligence and disregard for the duty and unstated contract comprised of balancing a commander's need to complete a mission and the commanded's trust that their lives will not be irresponsibly risked. Showing the flag may be a valid mission but it does not outweigh the responsibility of maintaining a reasonable level of security. The chain of command failed the 17 sailors killed and the remaining crew of the USS Cole and those real people died for no reason. To rub salt in the wounds of anyone who cares about the military, the State Department issued a memo quashing a statement condemning this terrorist act since the loss of 17 sailors did not compare with the number of palestinians killed in the recent outbreak of violence. We have lost our way and we need to find our way back to an honorable policy. ------------------ "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb discussing what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote" - Ben Franklin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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