The Iraq War: Warnings Ignored

Truthout was kind enough to reprint a little something I and several other former IC veterans sent to Bush 43 before he launched his war of choice. You can read it here.

Iran: War Drums Grow Louder

From today's Roll Call:

Overwhelming majorities in both chambers are on record in support of a policy that rules out containment of a nuclear-armed Iran as an option. And lawmakers, including Sen.Lindsey Graham, are eyeing new resolutions that would back Israel if it attacks and, potentially next year, authorize the use of U.S. military force.

Insanity.

Memorial Day Reflections

I’m a fourth-generation citizen-soldier. My grandfather served in the 1st Infantry Division (the “Big Red One”) as part of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) under General “Black Jack” Pershing in World War I. The way my dad told the story, grandpa was wounded in battle in 1918, buried under a pile of German soldiers and nearly died himself. Dad was a military policeman serving in the Pacific Theater during World War II. It was a testament to how desperately America needed soldiers then that Dad was even drafted; he’d been blind in one eye since the age of 13. He, too, survived his war. My brother served in the Navy during Vietnam. He was a “deck ape”, one of the guys who made sure the planes were actually ready to be catapulted off the deck of the carrier he served on, the U.S.S. America. My brother also made it home, thankfully.

I was a Cold Warrior, both in the Guard and Reserve, and later in my day job as a military analyst at the CIA. I’m a Desert Storm era veteran, though luckily for me the CIA deemed me “essential personnel” during the war which ensured I’d never be deployed. I’ve always felt some guilt over that, especially knowing what I do about how many tens of thousands of Desert Storm veterans continue to suffer from serious medical problems as a result of their exposure to multiple environmental hazards during and after the conflict. A landmark November 2008 report, published by the VA’s Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans Illnesses, gave a clear idea of the magnitude of the problem, but nearly four years later it’s conclusions and recommendations have long since been forgotten--just like the men and women of that war.

It’s been over 30 years since I enlisted in the Missouri National Guard, but in that time one of the things that has not changed is our nation’s propensity to laud veterans on Memorial Day and Veterans Day while often leaving them to languish all the days in between. That’s wrong--and you can do something about it.

Whether you’ve worn the uniform or not is not as important as whether you show you appreciate the sacrifice of those who have worn it. So tonight, after you put away your barbecue utensils and your grill, get on your computer, locate your Congressperson’s contact page, and let them know in no uncertain terms that before Congress tackles any other problem it needs to pay the debt it still owes veterans of generations past. Telling Congress to properly fund health care services for America’s veterans is the very least you can do, particularly for “forgotten veterans” like the men and women of Desert Storm. Show them you care. Act today.

Wither the Generals & Admirals

Remembering King

(National Archives)

Forty-four years ago today--and a year after he publicly turned against the war in Vietnam--Martin Luther King was assassinated. Hear now the words of our slain prophet, the Isaiah of our age:

"The judgment of God is upon us today. And we could go right down the line and see that something must be done—and something must be done quickly. We have alienated ourselves from other nations so we end up morally and politically isolated in the world."

--Martin Luther King, Jr., Remaining Awake Through A Great Revolution