Comments on: Tone-deaf military leaders

By: Meryl Yourish

Meryl Yourish — Thu, 03 May 2007 14:05:15 +0000

They were (and are) my cousins’ husbands. Army, Navy, and Air Force. Everyone but the Marines were represented. Both coasts.

One of them was going to stay career Navy, but left early due to the death of my cousin (his wife).

I have also met a few milbloggers.

I’ve always liked military folk. I respect their commitment. I suspect that attitude comes across when we meet.

By: John M

John M — Thu, 03 May 2007 14:01:30 +0000

Meryl,

Most civilians never have occasion to even MEET anybody in the military, so I wonder if your friends have some unusual circumstance. Were you friends with them BEFORE they joined up? Are they in the national guard or reserves? What was the context that you met them in?

I think the Evangelical Outpost has the right take on this:

http://www.evangelicaloutpost.com/archives/003623.html

By: Meryl Yourish

Meryl Yourish — Thu, 03 May 2007 12:44:03 +0000

John, I’ve known military men and women all my adult life, and I really don’t get that sense at all from the majority of them.

But I can see how the higher-ups might get that attitude. It’s no different from the attitude of our own elected representatives.

Or the media elite.

Or, in fact, anyone with more money than the average American. It’s called “elitism.”

By: Joseph T Major

Joseph T Major — Thu, 03 May 2007 10:30:59 +0000

"Well, Iâ€m a veteran, and you have to understand something about the all-volunteer force. Soldiers today really consider themselves a group apart from society." Starship Troopers, anyone?

By: Bob

Bob — Thu, 03 May 2007 03:24:58 +0000

Yeah, sadly the Pentagon is located in Washington, D.C. and there never seems to be a shortage of politically astute DoD operatives eager to silence any troops who might embarrass a Congressman. And I fear that Secretary Gates is among the slickest of Free Speech’s opponents.

By: Walter E. Wallis

Walter E. Wallis — Thu, 03 May 2007 01:05:19 +0000

Bad deal. The troops know the peril of putting operational stuff on line, and reminders are always in order, but if you trust them with guns trust them with keyboards.

By: John M

John M — Wed, 02 May 2007 19:00:45 +0000

Well, I’m a veteran, and you have to understand something about the all-volunteer force. Soldiers today really consider themselves a group apart from society. Probably 90% of people in the military just don’t care at all what the civilian populace thinks, good or bad. In fact, the word “civilian” is almost like a mild slur. The bloggers are an exception, but the other 90% really don’t care one way or the other what kind of news gets out. So it’s easy for them to put other priorities, such as security, over blogging.