Graying Devil Dogs Still Growl
By Thomas D. Segel (09/16/07)
Harlingen, Texas, September 15, 2007: They are mostly old now and many are long retired. Still, these Marines, these graying alumni of the warrior band who were called "Teufel Hunden" or Devil Dogs by their World War I German enemies, remain protective toward both Country and Corps. They also keep a watchful eye on the Young Lions now wearing the uniform who are waging heroic warfare against a fanatical enemy. These veterans are very up front with how they view the actions of our national leadership, the media and the anti war movement. The MoveOn.org ad calling General David Petraeus "General Betray Us" that was reportedly given a very favorable discount by the New York Times, has generated rush of negative comments.
Most former Marines think the media is completely anti war - anti military and do not accept either print or electronic accounts as truthful reporting. Many of them rely on email communications from Iraq and Afghanistan to assess how the conflict is progressing. Emailed reports from Marines in Iraq tell their retired brothers and sisters at home more about the war than is ever presented by the media. Those now in the war zone say the death toll of terrorists is supposedly between 45 and 50 thousand. This is why, they say, our troops are seeing few armed attacks and more of the IED (Improvised Explosive Devices) and suicide bomber attacks.
Our Marines report Iraq is a mixed bag with some Iraqi troops fighting well. Most of the Iraqi Army is thought to be all right if they have American support, and some still not worth being called military units. Marines say the Kurds are very pro-American and fearless fighters. There is more and better intelligence because everyone is sick of insurgent attacks on civilians.
They also are stunned and dismayed by what they see in the American news media. Marines and most of the armed forces in Iraq see the media as being against them. Reporters are despised and distrusted. Those few who are embedded in units are neither trusted nor respected.
The morale among Marines remains very high. They not only believe they are winning, but winning decisively. They have few complaints about food, equipment or their in-country leadership. That does not keep them from saying they don’t have enough troops in-theater to shut down the borders with Iran and Syria.
The same feelings exist in those Marines now in Afghanistan. One now engaged on that battlefield is Colonel Wayne Morris. Already retired, he returned to active duty and has served a full tour fighting the Taliban. He has already extended that tour of duty to continue a fight the needs to be won. “It is really sad,” he says, “to be over here fighting a war that we hope will keep the bad guys from more overt action in the States…and watching so many remaining asleep at the switch. Sure, the vast majority are Dems, but there are also Reps who just don’t get it. More sadly, and as you and I well know it to be a prophesy of truth, it will take another horrific event to mobilize Americans again…and even then, who knows for how long?”
The Graying Devil dogs at home are growling too. “The cheap shots at General Petraeus are intolerable”, remarks Dr. John W. Schmidt of Troy University in Alabama. This retired Marine Colonel says Petraeus has “given his best military opinion and advice as was requested by his civilian leaders. He is not a politician or an elected official. He is a soldier doing the job that he swore to uphold and defend. To call him a betrayer is another prime example of pure partisan politics voiced by someone who knows neither sacrifice or honorable service to this nation.”
Clarence “Bart” Bartolomeo is a retired Marine Captain who also served in every enlisted rank during his more than 27 years on active duty. “It is hard to believe that MoveOn.org has taken over the Dem Party, but the facts are there. Their ad is an insult to the U.S. military. If the American people had any smarts they would throw out those Dems and Republicans who think and act like Dems”.
John Wear is a former Marine Sergeant now living in New Hope, Pennsylvania. He thinks, “Our president made some serious decisions early on…and at least did something about the hate-filled Muslims in the Middle East. He had the support of just about the entire Legislative branch of government. They are now against everything and all things George W. Bush. They would accept defeat if it meant winning against Dub Ya. They all need to be taken out in a field an summarily shot for treason.”
Master Sergeant Bruce Halm, USMC (Ret) now lives on Okinawa. He feels those in elected office “are only interested in their own political agenda and there are only a few who voice their support, although meekly. When you have ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and the others slanting perspectives, intentionally misrepresenting and reporting facts, having lost their sense of fair play and honest reporting, coupled with an idiot generation of Americans who only believe in their own personal success and wealth and have no sense of comradery, loyalty to others, or commitment to ourselves as a nation…. it is no wonder we follow the losers.”
Richard C. Erck, another former Marine Sergeant has similar views. He says, “I feel there is no hope for our government officials. It is already too late to reel them in. They have become so pompous and fat on the backs of their voters…and the government has become so top heavy that ‘We the People’ can no longer support it. They need to be held accountable. They are not above their electors and should be reminded that they are servants of their individual states as well as our great nation. If we go to war for another nation it should be no different than one friend helping another. We don’t quit helping our friend until he is able to fend for himself. Our leaders should keep that in mind.”
From Jacksonville, North Carolina, retired Marine Major Art Furtney writes,” One would think that our so called leaders in Washington would have some clue of what this war is about, and the fact that WE ARE AT WAR. As you know, they don’t know or have their collective head in the sand. Those that probably do know are so full of hate and so far left that they are willing to ‘sell’ our country to the devil to gain power. Or is it that they hate President Bush so much? I for one, and most of the former and retied Marines that I am acquainted with, admire President Bush’s leadership although we are not in total agreement with all of his policies i.e. the illegal immigrant situation. The General’s briefing to Congress was truly professional and it is readily apparent that the present strategy is working.”
Two of this writer’s former Marine Combat Correspondent brothers-in-arms also weighed in on the current media firestorm about falsely accused betrayal. John Boring makes his home in Arizona and Ed Evans writes from Tennessee.
Says Boring, “The tone of certain liberal-left Washington politicals - read Democrats and a few Republicans - is a bull-headed stance that is focused on walking away from a war in Iraq regardless of consequence. This stance, in my opinion, is in open defiance to a setting president and is taken to answer political polls that state the American public supports a cut-and-run answer to the situation in Iraq. I don’t agree with these polls. No one has ever asked my opinion, so therefore these polls are suspect. I’m concerned that Congress is not focusing more of their energies and skills on correcting what is wrong in America, instead of trying to slap down a president who may be more right than we know.”
Ed Evans concludes the Marine reports saying, “Those who put out the ‘General Betray Us’ ad are without honor. The actions of the MoveOn.org people make it clear they are all about politics and either (a) don’t understand the Global War on Terror, or (b) don’t believe it is real. Either way, they need to get out of the way and let those who understand do what is needed to protect them, so they will have the freedom to continue to be useful idiots for our enemies.
“In the conflict that faces this generation, and may well face the next two, it goes much deeper than the feeling that ‘if you are not for me you are against me’. There is no place to sit on the sidelines and wait this one out. If you are not actively taking part in the Global War on Terror, your inaction, your ambivalence, your ignorance is helping the enemy. War is like that.”
Semper Fidelis,
Tom Segel, Another Graying Devil Dog Still Growling
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