Jerry Boykin, the retired Army general who now serves as a top official at the Family Research Council, joined FRC President Tony Perkins on his “Washington Watch” radio program last night to discuss a letter that he and other retired officers have sent to Congress urging them to reject the nuclear deal with Iran.
Boykin, of course, could not help discussing the issue in apocalyptic terms, telling Perkins that current military leaders are going along with the deal in order to save their jobs even though it will lead to the “destruction of this nation” . . .
“So what we see now is we see a bunch of senior leaders in our military that have put their careers first,” he said, “that have taken care of themselves before they do what’s really important to them, which is the Constitution of the United States and the future of this nation.”
“I’ll get a lot of criticism for this,” he added, “but that’s okay, you still love me and Jesus loves me so that’s all I really care about, but it’s incredible to me that we have leaders in our military that will go along with something that absolutely portends the destruction of this nation and an abysmal future for their grandchildren.” (Read more from “Boykin: Military Leaders Abetting ‘Destruction of This Nation’ to Save Their Jobs” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-08-30 21:37:282015-08-30 21:37:28Boykin: Military Leaders Abetting ‘Destruction of This Nation’ to Save Their Jobs
One of the biggest casualties of this presidency – one that requires more immediate attention – is the deterioration of our military and the plummeting morale of our service members. Whether it’s the endless social experimentation, the politicized generals, the lack of a defined mission, the tepid rules of engagement, the war on religious liberty in the service, or the depleting resources, there are likely a number of factors behind the demoralizing of our troops.
In what can only be described as pouring lighter fluid on the problem, Obama’s Pentagon is announcing the entry of transgendered soldiers into the military beginning next May. This sounds like a great panacea to a dejected military.
Last year, the Military Times published a riveting report, “A Force Adrift,” in which they surveyed several thousand soldiers, revealing a precipitous drop in morale just from 2009. Here are some key findings:
When Obama came into office in 2009, over 90% of those surveyed rated their overall quality of life as good or excellent. In 2014, that number plunged to 56%.
In 2009, 53% agreed that the “senior military leadership” had the best interests of the soldiers at heart. In 2014, just 27% had that confidence in their leadership.
The number of enlisted soldiers who rated their officers as excellent or good dropped from 78% to 49%.
Clearly, the military has been under stress with the mounting casualties and endless tepid war efforts of the past decade, and that is not all Obama’s fault. But for the most part, the morale held together during the Bush presidency. That has all come unglued during the Obama-era social experimentations. It’s hard to imagine anyone with a lick of common sense agreeing that female commandoes and transgendered individuals in close quarters in the barracks is what the doctor ordered.
Yesterday, USA Today obtained a memo from the Defense Department stating their intention to enact a pilot program integrating transgendered troops into the military. They absurdly estimate there are as many as 12,000 transgendered individuals in the military and plan to offer them time off for hormone therapy.
Take that, Iran and ISIS! We’ll send the new transgendered brigade after you…as soon as we get them squared away with hormone therapy.
One need not be a military expert to understand the nightmare that will ensue in terms of logistics in barracks, showers, and in close quarters. The endless gratuitous distraction of this nonsense, which defies any semblance of sanity or common sense, will invariably ensnare commanding officers in impossible situations, exposing them to accusations of discrimination and immediate threats to their religious liberty.
And most importantly, is this what we need during a time of existential threat from Islamic terror?
It’s time for the presidential candidates to step up to the plate and use their bully pulpit to restore hope to the military and speak out against their abuse at the hands of this decedent administration. They need to boldly address these issues and put forth a specific plan to restore the morale, integrity, and core mission of the military.
Concurrently, it’s time for congressional Republicans, including so-called conservatives, to finally show a willingness to combat Obama’s social engineering after six years of giving him a complete pass. Next month, the House and Senate conferees will complete their work on the FY 2016 NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act), which authorizes all military programs.
What better vehicle than the NDAA, which is viewed as a must-pass bill, to restore a sense of sanity in the military?
At a minimum, Republicans should demand the following:
A provision requiring that any reversal of the ban on transgendered persons in the military must be done with the consent and approval of Congress
A prohibition on lowering any standards for women in training and testing in order to serve in direct ground combat positions
Attach a provision allowing base commanders to grant enlisted soldiers permission to carry guns on military bases
Attach a provision banning the dismissal of any service-member for expressing his or her religious beliefs
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) are the GOP point men on the conference committee. [The other conferees include: J. Randy Forbes of Virginia, Jeff Miller of Florida, Joe Wilson of South Carolina, Frank A. LoBiondo of New Jersey, Rob Bishop of Utah, Michael R. Turner of Ohio, John Kline of Minnesota, Mike D. Rogers of Alabama, Bill Shuster of Pennsylvania, K. Michael Conaway of Texas, Doug Lamborn of Colorado, Rob Wittman of Virginia, Duncan Hunter of California, Vicky Hartzler of Missouri, Joe Heck of Nevada, Brad Wenstrup of Ohio and Elise Stefanik of New York.]
It is their responsibility to exercise oversight over Obama’s inane policies and anti-religious bigotry within the military. Unfortunately, if they sign off on a conference report for the NDAA without any of these reforms, there is no way for rank-and-file members to propose amendments because a conference bill requires an up-or-down vote.
Understandably, many members are leery about voting against a defense authorization bill. But they must remember, rubber-stamping the status quo in the military is not being supportive of the troops. We can’t afford to wait until 2017 to address the urgent problem of a demoralized military. (Re-posted with permission from the author, “Our Military Is Not a Social Experiment” originally appeared HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-08-26 21:41:102015-08-26 21:41:10Our Military Is Not a Social Experiment
A airstrike has taken out the Islamic State’s second in command, the White House confirmed in a statement on Friday. The strike on Fadhil Ahmad Al-Hayali, also known as Hajji Mutazz, occurred while he was traveling in a vehicle near Mosul in Northern Iraq on Tuesday.
Al-Hayali was an “ISIL Shura Council member and, as the senior deputy to ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was a primary coordinator for moving large amounts of weapons, explosives, vehicles, and people between Iraq and Syria,” said White House NSC spokesman Ned Price.
“Al-Hayali’s death will adversely impact ISIL’s operations given that his influence spanned ISIL’s finance, media, operations, and logistics,” Price added.
Charles Lister, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Doha Center, told the Wall Street Journal that Al-Hayali’s killing indicates the U.S. may have gained significant intelligence gathering capability regarding ISIS. “The killing by itself suggests the U.S. has acquired a top-level source of intelligence capable of providing insight into and infiltrating the uppermost ranks of what is a highly secretive and well protected organization,” he said. (Read more from “U.S. Military Reveals a MASSIVE Blow It Just Dealt ISIS” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-08-24 02:14:412015-08-24 02:14:41U.S. Military Reveals a MASSIVE Blow It Just Dealt ISIS
The mystery identity of the first heroic passenger to wrestle a weapon from the high-speed train gunman can be disclosed for the first time by The Telegraph.
Mark Moogalian, a 51-year-old professor at the Sorbonne (originally from Virginia), tackled Ayoub El-Khazzani during Friday’s bloody incident aboard an Amsterdam-Paris international service. Mr Moogalian is the previously unnamed man who came to the aid of “Damien A”, 28, a French banker who confronted El-Khazzani.
The pair tackled the Kalashnikov assault rifle off El-Khazzani, who then drew a sidearm and shot Moogalian in the neck before taking back the rifle, his sister has revealed. Read here for more details.
The three Americans and one Brit who were able to tackle and tie up Ayoub El-Khazzani, the gunman, will recieve the Legion of Honour medal, France’s highest civilian honour.
El-Khazzani’s lawyer claims he was homeless and has suggested he was simply trying to commit a robbery. That version of events has been disputed by officials. (Read more from “Another Hero on Paris-Bound Train: U.S. Professor First Tackled AK47 Wielding Jihadist and Was Shot in Neck” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-08-24 02:04:302015-08-24 02:04:30Another Hero on Paris-Bound Train: U.S. Professor First Tackled AK47 Wielding Jihadist and Was Shot in Neck
Several huge explosions were heard today at a US army base in Japan.
At least 10 fire engines rushed to the scene in Sagamihara city, south of Tokyo, amid reports of a blast sparked by an unknown cause.
Footage shows several small bangs and one huge explosion, which witnesses described on social media as like “a fireworks display.”
Pentagon spokesman US Navy Commander Bill Urban confirmed there are no injuries.
The site is part of a US army complex next to the capital where three deliberate explosions were reported in April, in what police suspect was an act of left-wing Japanese extremists. (Read more from “Huge Explosions at US Army Base in Japan as Warehouse Burns and Emergency Services Rush to Scene” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-08-24 01:55:502015-08-24 01:55:50Watch: Huge Explosions at US Army Base in Japan as Warehouse Burns and Emergency Services Rush to Scene
Off-duty members of the U.S. military subdued a gunman “known to intelligence services” after he opened fire, injuring three aboard on a high-speed train en route to Paris from Amsterdam Friday.
Three U.S. servicemen were on board the train and overpowered the man when the train stopped in the northern French city of Arras, 115 miles north of Paris, French media reported. Some reports said the men were U.S. Marines but that could not be confirmed.
Passengers on the train subdued the gunman and prevented further carnage, said Christophe Piednoel, spokesman for national railway operator SNCF. The train was then diverted to Arras, where police arrested the suspect, Piednoel said on French television i-Tele.
The suspect was arrested after the train stopped in Arras, 115 miles north of Paris, Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henri Brandet said on French television BFM. Passengers were evacuated and police have secured the area . . .
The victims were identified as an American, a Briton and a Frenchman. Earlier reports said two American service members were among the injured. Two of the victims were in critical condition, according to a statement from the office of President Francois Hollande. (Read more from “3 Wounded as Off-Duty US Servicemen Subdue Gunman on Paris-Bound Train” HERE)
After 39 years of service to this country, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno retired on Friday, thanking all military spouses — and especially his wife Linda — for helping to “make us a better Army.”
In addition to praising Linda’s “selfless service,” Odierno noted that she’s attended more than 500 memorial services for fallen soldiers over the years.
We’ll let the general speak for himself:
“She sacrificed her entire life for me. I can never repay her for that.
“It’s often hard for me to stand up here and make other people understand how much our spouses sacrifice.” (Read more from “Retiring Army General: ‘She Sacrificed Her Entire Life for Me. I Can Never Repay Her'” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-08-18 01:25:032015-08-18 01:25:03Retiring Army General: ‘She Sacrificed Her Entire Life for Me. I Can Never Repay Her’ [+video]
Members of a U.S. Army skydiving team will return to their base where they will have access to counseling after a parachutist from their unit died from injuries suffered during a stunt at the Chicago Air & Water Show, a spokeswoman for the group said.
The Golden Knights demonstration team has been put on a “safety stand down” after the death of Sgt. 1st Class Corey Hood, spokeswoman Donna Dixon said Sunday. The group will head to Fort Bragg in North Carolina, where they can meet with chaplains as the Army works to ensure everyone is mentally and physically fit to continue with the show season, she said. The team’s performance schedule could be affected.
Hood, of Cincinnati, Ohio, was pronounced dead Sunday afternoon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. A day earlier, he collided in midair with a member of the Navy’s precision skydiving team during the event along Chicago’s Lake Michigan shoreline. (Read more from “Army Skydivers Returning to Base After Members Tragic Death” HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-08-17 03:00:312015-08-17 03:00:31Army Skydivers Returning to Base After Members Tragic Death
By Theodore Schleifer and Jim Sciutto. The outgoing Army chief of staff said Wednesday that Russia posed the “most dangerous” threat facing the United States today, thanks to its “sophisticated” operations in Ukraine.
Gen. Raymond Odierno, who is leaving his post, estimated that only a third of U.S. brigades are capable of operating at the level of the hybrid warfare Russia is undertaking there. And he worries that Russia could next intervene in NATO allies like Latvia or Estonia.
“They are more mature than some other of our potential adversaries, and I think they have some stated intents that concern me in terms of how the Cold War ended,” Odierno said of Russia when asked by CNN. “They have shown some significant capability in Ukraine to do operations that are fairly sophisticated, and so, for me, I think we should pay a lot of attention.” (Read more from “Top Army Leader: Here Is America’s Most Dangerous Threat” HERE)
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Russia vs. NATO – It’s War Time
By Polina Tikhonova. Analysts at the European Leadership Network think tank conducted an analysis of large-scale military drills that took place in March by Russia as well as smaller military drills carried out by NATO in June.
The analysts concluded that the “nature and scale” of the drills showed that “Russia is actively preparing for a conflict with NATO. . .
A Russian Lt. Gen expressed his opinion that if Ukrainian forces decide to cross the ceasefire line to try take back eastern Ukraine, it would unleash a [wider] war.
Russian troops have launched some of their heaviest artillery attacks on the Ukrainian forces’ positions in six months.
According to Russia military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer. back in February 2013 the chief of the General Staff of Russia, Valeriy Gerasimov, warned that a ‘great war’ was coming. (Read more from this story HERE)
https://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.png00Joe Millerhttps://joemiller.us/wp-content/uploads/logotext.pngJoe Miller2015-08-13 01:57:272015-08-13 01:57:27Top Army Leader: Here Is America’s Most Dangerous Threat
Last fall we wrote about leaders of ISIS encouraging their followers and supporters to attack American servicemen here at home, and that it was imperative that a national concealed carry reciprocity bill be passed to allow members of the military and members public to carry concealed weapons legally from state to state.
“Do not ask for anyone’s advice and do not seek anyone’s verdict. Kill the disbeliever whether he is civilian or military, for they have the same ruling. Both of them are disbelievers. Both of them are considered to be waging war,” said the leader of ISIS in a radio speech.
Well, the recent attack that killed four Marines and a sailor in Chattanooga, Tenn. was unfortunate proof that we were right. At the time officials at the Department of Defense issued warnings to service members, veterans and their families that they might be targets and to be aware of potential dangers and practice situational awareness when off base, as well as monitor their social media accounts.
Unfortunately while DOD warned them, they didn’t give them a means to defend themselves. Military recruiters are never issued arms and even on base stateside only a limited number of service members carry weapons with ammunition and that is generally limited to military police and those on guard or security duties.
This is a long-standing policy going back many decades, though it has nothing to do with a Clinton era directive, as many have claimed. The policy is much older.
As a Marine in an infantry battalion on Camp Pendleton in the 1980s the only time we had our issue weapons was for training, inspections, cleaning, or guard duty and the only time we had ammunition was at the rifle range, live fire exercises or guard duty, and only a tiny percentage of Marines in the regimental area were on guard at any one time. I have spoken to Marines and soldiers who served in the 1970s and 1960s who confirmed the policy was the same then.
The same went for privately owned weapons. If you owned one it had to be kept off base or the unit armory, not in your barracks. Even married Marines living in on base houses couldn’t keep weapons at home. The policy also went back to at least the 1960s.
Regardless of when the policies started, it is time they were changed. They date back to the Cold War, when the homeland was comparatively safe, at least on an individual level. We may have been preparing for all-out war with the Soviet Union but we did not have to face terrorist attacks on our military here on our own soil. The situation we face today is more akin to what the Israelis have combatted for years, when an attack can come at any place or any time and soldiers are armed at all times—even off base and in urban areas.
There has to be a way to allow some of our recruiters at recruiting stations to be armed, to allow soldiers and Marines who wish to carry concealed to do so—especially going to and from base— and to expand the definition of who can be armed on base. The Israelis with a conscripted military manage it; it assumes that our all-volunteer, highly trained, and professional force cannot. If we trust our military with live weapons overseas, we should be able to trust them with them here.
There is a one small consolation that came out of the attack in Chattanooga and it is that is that two of those under attack were able to shoot back against their attacker, apparently with privately owned and not issue weapons. One of them, a Marine, was killed. His Glock was found near him. The other, a naval officer, Lt. Commander Timothy Smith, shot back and lived. Federal agents investigating the attack said these two men saved countless lives.
Of course the great fear now is that that Smith will be prosecuted by the military for his heroism because he may have violated federal law by having a weapon at all. Members of the military cannot pick and choose which orders to obey. He may be given a medal with one hand and a reprimand with the other.
If that happens it would ignite a public relations disaster for the administration. It would be better that this be recognized as a watershed moment and that Smith disobeyed a stupid and dangerous regulation and any necessary punishment be light and symbolic. Honor Smith for showing the way forward and find a way for members of the military to legally protect themselves. (Re-posted with permission, “The New Military: Guns Aren’t Welcome Here”, originally appeared HERE)
Jerry Boykin, the retired Army general who now serves as a top official at the Family Research Council, joined FRC President Tony Perkins on his “Washington Watch” radio program last night to discuss a letter that he and other retired officers have sent to Congress urging them to reject the nuclear deal with Iran.
Off-duty members of the U.S. military subdued a gunman “known to intelligence services” after he opened fire, injuring three aboard on a high-speed train en route to Paris from Amsterdam Friday.
