Whittling down the heroes
Last week, TSO wrote about the politically correct process that the White House is using to honor Iraq War veterans at their state dinner later this month. USA Today details the process this morning;
First and foremost, every state, territory and the District of Columbia had to be represented. Ethnic, racial and gender diversity was crucial, and every service and every rank had to be included.
“The whole kit and caboodle,” said Marine Sgt. Maj. Brian Battaglia, senior enlisted adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and highest ranking enlisted officer in the military.
“What we wanted inside that (East) Room is America,” Battaglia said of the White House location where the dinner will be held.
Yeah, that’s not America. We’re supposed to be about one culture with a single heritage, not gender and racial identities. We were attacked because we’re Americans, not because of stupid shit like who puts what in who.
About 100 guests and their significant others are being invited to the White House. But after the service chiefs, families who lost a loved one in combat and other selected VIPs were accounted for, the Pentagon had 64 slots left for combat veterans.
So a single party to honor veterans of a war will only be attended by 64% of those heroes? What the fuck are the other straphangers there for? To feel heroic?
The Marines addressed the problem by selecting troops who live largely in the Washington, D.C., area but whose hometowns were from states that needed to be represented, said Gunnery Sgt. Chanin “Nun” Nuntavong, who with one other Marine contacted potential attendees.
Yeah, THAT has never happened before. The headshed wienies get to go to the fancy parties and get honors while trigger pullers out in boondocks get to watch it on TV while they’re waiting for their next guard shift.
Category: Barack Obama/Joe Biden
Like I said, just buy me a beer at the VFW or Legion and I’ll be fine with it.
I think I’d honestly rather hang out at the VFW, as much of an honor as it would be. I’ll stay in the dirt with the grunts I know and have come to love. No homo.
Damn sparky great minds think alike.
I wonder what the rank structure will be there? Will any E3s or 4s even make it?
Additionally I bet they have to make it a direct order to attend (place of duty) because I can see a couple troops taking exception to that.
I hate this politicalization of the military.
A nice cold beer at the local VFW, more rewarding than having to listen to a teleprompted holier than thou dinner speech.
The real shocker is service chiefs, families who lost a loved one in combat and other selected VIPs
You are telling me that less then 30 Gold Star families were either invited or accepted? That says it all right there.
Community organizer dinner
My local VFW is offering free beers to anyone who has seen combat since 2001 that night, and his wife is talking about offering a free dinner for us too.
64 seats of 200 is 32%. Assuming that each invitee is authorized a guest, that’s 32 invitations left, or 16% non-brass, actual combat Veterans.
He claims “every rank” will be invited, and it’s going to be pretty difficult to find an E1 with a combat tour.
But, going to DC area residents, does NOT reflect the 50 states, just because those DC residents once lived elsewhere.
Finding 200 (or rather 100 +wives) Veterans that are good Democratic Supporters of the POTUS won’t be that difficult in a population of 1.5 Million, and I doubt the organizers will put up much of an argument to a Veteran that declines.
Regardless, I’m with the other readers here. I would rather be in t-shirt and jeans at the VFW, than as a prop in suit, to the guy’s re-election campaign who in the same breath says we “must bear true faith” with Troops and Veterans, and slashes the Troops and charges Veterans for their service related medications. http://waronterrornews.typepad.com/ps/2012/01/america-when-will-you-stand-up-for-veterans.html
You know, if I were running for some elected office, I’d make certain that the scene(s) of high-ranking mucky-mucks all hobnobbing with the TOTUS and such, were put into a TV ad for my campaign, and contrasted against scenes of veterans in unemployment lines, pics of foreclosure signs fixed to the doors of their houses, etc, and I’d try and get it run in every market I could, for as often as I could afford to.
If the JCS and service heads had any remaining backbone, they would all decline the offer to participate on behalf of all of the services, and tell the White House that this was a really bad PR idea.
V/R
Tim, with youtube and a video editing program, you can create any video that comes to your mind.
I read crap like this and every day, in every way, remain thrilled that I talked my kid out of joining the Marines.
These people ought to be ashamed of themselves.
How’s the White House supposed to know how to honor heroes when they don’t have the slightest idea what a hero is?
@13 PintoNag, they don’t know what a hero is much less any of those fuzz nuts having honor. I’ll be at post #41 having a beer or six!?
“other selected VIPs”? Will that be Beyonce, Jay who the fuck and Fity Cent? Or, Nazi Pelousy, Dingy Harry or maybe the recent ship-naming honoree? Or, maybe the local representative for the Occutards?
@15 You forgot representatives from CAIR.
@#13
Pintonag,
Reminds me of Oddball’s comments to Crapgame in “Kelly’s Heroes”
“To a guy like you, a hero is some kind of a weird sandwich”.
There’s also this one, which I still love:
If I were invited I would not be allowed to go. My wife knows that I could not behave myself. You know when Teleprompterjeebus started talking about how he won the war or how he supported us I would have a uncontrollable fit of “bullshit” coughs…
These assorted “montages” frankly having been going on for a very long time, that is not what bothers me. The idea that the Administration would use racial/gender divides does. This presentation of the military as some egalitarian institution, where everyone/branch/MOS, is equally important, has caused alot of damage to the services and of our countryman’s basic understanding of said. The differences of individuals, outside of deeds of battlefield heroism, should be downplayed as much as possible.
I was waiting for the mandatory number of gay service members that were required.
I am so damn glad I got out 30+ years ago and will be dead before this reaches it’s inevitable, ugly, PC end. Four years and I’m done!! I’ll move to Utah and claim the ‘thumb’ on my former girlfriend’s parents farm, land a double wide on it and go fishing.
If this is how SOME get honored ****SPIT***** however, as a Gold Star Mom I think that living Hero’s should be represented not that Fallen. The living do not get all the honors they deserve. And all should be presented and accounted for not just a select few, We The People” are paying for it anyway not the CIC. And besides I wouldn’t go if invited.