Trump picks McMaster for national security adviser

The President has selected Herbert Raymond “H. R.” McMaster to be his national security adviser. For those of you not familiar with McMaster, I’d have to ask you “where have you been for the last 26 years?” From Wiki;
During the Gulf War in 1991 he was a captain commanding Eagle Troop of the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment at the Battle of 73 Easting. During that battle, though significantly outnumbered and encountering the enemy by surprise as McMaster’s lead tank crested a dip in the terrain, the nine tanks of Eagle Troop destroyed over eighty Iraqi Republican Guard tanks and other vehicles without loss, due to the Abrams tank being state-of-the-art armored technology while the Iraqi equipment included grossly outdated T-62s and -72s of the Soviet era as well as similarly dated Type 69s of Chinese manufacture.
McMaster was awarded the Silver Star. The battle features in several books about Desert Storm and is widely referred to in US Army training exercises.
His book, “Dereliction of Duty” criticized commanders in Vietnam for failing to confront civilian leadership about the realities of the Vietnam War and it was a best seller in the halls of the Pentagon in the years leading up to the war against terror.
In April 2014, McMaster made Time’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world. He is hailed as “the architect of the future U.S. Army” in the accompanying piece written by retired Lt. Gen. Dave Barno, who commanded U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan from 2003 to 2005. “Major General Herbert Raymond McMaster might be the 21st century Army’s pre-eminent warrior-thinker,” Barno wrote. “Recently tapped for his third star, H.R. is also the rarest of soldiers—one who has repeatedly bucked the system and survived to join its senior ranks.”
We chewed the same sand when my unit passed through his from 73 Easting to Objective Norfolk through the swath of destruction his soldiers had cut through the Iraqi Army.
The Marines have Mattis, and the Army has McMaster – now Trump has them both on his team.
Category: Politics
Get some!
A home run after the Flynn debacle.
Bob Beckel on Fox News’ The Five just addressed the General (and Trump) as, “comrade.”
What an asshole….Beckel, that is.
I have just created an App based on DragonSpeak that will turn your TV channel to a preferred choice if it recognizes Shemp Smith, Juan Williams, Geraldo Rivera, or Bob Beckel. Imma bout to blow up GoFundMe.
“Shemp” Smith. I see what you did there.
Nice.
Bob Beckel and Shep Smith suck the Barbed Cock of Satan… while Jerry Rivers holds it for them!
Beckel…”comrade”. His inner Communist is showing.
Caling that moron Beckel an asshole is an affront to all decent assholes in the world!! Beckel is a lowlife, ignorant piece of worthless shyt!!
Highly and uniquely qualified. Godspeed General Mc Master. Thanks for putting your back into it and pulling on that line.
Well now, this is full of win. There’s some Mad Mullahs in Iran shitting peach pits right about now.
Or they should be.
I’m sure the special snowflakes will find something to bitch about. I think the General is a great pick.
I’m not much of a mixologist, JimV; glass, ice, bourbon to cover is about my speed. But there are a couple favorites, like the old Somali Pirate- three shots and a splash, and my new one, the CryBully- melted snowflakes and a shot of Schadenfreude.
Prost!
I’m so gonna borrow the CryBully. Thanks, in advance, Ed.
Mi casa, su casa, Up. Use it in good health.
I am sure the Blowhard of Berzerkeley will have something to whine about this pick. REMFs never like real combat warriors. It makes their fobbitry look weak.
Toujours Pret
Good for him, I had the pleasure of working with him in Talafar in 2005. Great man.
Unfortunately I was leaving just as 3D ACR was coming in – woulda been nice to see the changes they made in that craphole called Tal Afar.
Okay, any Navy guys coming up for something any time soon?
You guys had your shot with Robert Harward.
You all had Maybus!
Sorry, couldn’t help myself
Low blow…I like it
You officially suck, Blaster.
*grin*
Oh crap! You had to bring that up. In-coming from Ex in 3,2,1…
Blaster, I think you just VOLUNTEERED yourself to be her scratching post!
Scary. Very scary.
McMaster is an awesome pick. Daesh should be shittin’ their burkas about now.
Ret. ADM James Stavradis is a super sharp fella, but apparently was a Hillary guy all the way.
There were several FO/GOs who hooked their little red star-covered wagons up to the HRC donkey because they thought that she was a ‘sure thing’ and that they would get high level cabinet appointments after she won the election.
But thankfully it didn’t work out that way, and now they’re burned amongst their peers and in their respective service communities/cultures. Permanently.
Hope they enjoy their retirements in ever-increasing dim obscurity.
May they all live in “interesting times.”
Okay, I got a physicist for science adviser.
Looking good. Another great pick.
Agreed.
Had him as MCOE CG for a couple years. That guy is a BAMF in the truest sense of the word.
I keep thinkin’- Is my country finally gettin’ with it? Been pissed at the gubmint since RVN ’66. We got a lotta hard work ahead, but Trump is sure putting a TEAM together. The First Lady leadin’ the Lord’s Prayer sure didn’t hurt. Semper Fidelis.
Why oh why Lord are you being so kind to us?
Oh, Lord, won’tcha buy me
A Mercedes Benz?
My friends all have Porsches
I must make amends
I worked hard all my life
With no help from my friends
Oh, Lord, wontcha buy me
A Mercedes Benz?
Happy now!
Good question, this country of “sheeples” has consistently turned their back on a merciful God, I truly believe, this is Americas LAST CHANCE! Turn to Jesus, accept the sacrifice he made for each of us and enjoy the next life he has prepared for us, otherwise…..well, you HAVE heard of hell, torture, torment, stench, fire, etc etc…YOUR CHOICE!
And The Army Goes Rolling Along
HOOAH!
I’m so old I was HOOAH before HOOAH was even fucking invented…
Dang, that’s pretty old!
Got you beat…I’m so old I pulled near security for Moses when he parted the Red Sea!
Who else here besides Ol’ Poe is so old they went to jump school at Fort Campbell? And our Hooah was AIRBORNE! or ALL THE WAY!
So old that CIB has a spear in the box?
I wanted John Bolton simply because of how triggered all the right people would have been. I guess this is ok.
Best part of this is that Bolton is in there with McMasters. Must take teams of people to keep up with our new president.
YIPEE, another adult placed at the helm!
I was at a Flag retirement a couple of years ago, and the 3-stars wife kept remarking that it was time that her husband “got paid what he deserved.” He did. He got a $7M signing bonus and a salary package worth almost $3M/year for 4 years.
A few months after I retired from the Navy, I went to work for a company that had a retired Army Surgeon General on the payroll. His deal was worth $33M in stock options and his wife was the first one to admit that she would crush his nutz if he ever considered a GOVCO job.
After 37 years in the Navy, the one consistent, known, and irrevocable truth I know is that Flag officers all feel like they have been working for free because they are so fucking brilliant, talented and dedicated. The picosecond they drop off the stars and the Corfams, they want to get paid. The only ones more sure of that is their wives.
There are the rare exceptions; none have been named on these pages.
How about being a little more open channel and a bit less cryptic, D? If you think McMaster is one of those chasing the big bucks, why not say so?
My wife would like for me to get paid what I deserve (in her eyes, at least) as well.
On the other hand, I don’t think any average military service man or woman gets paid “what they deserve” – especially the 11-Bravo types. I’ve known a rare few who got paid a lot more than they deserve. But usually, for the toll it takes on a family, they are vastly underpaid.
Your broad-brush smear, OC-D, is not much more than that – a broad-brush smear. Unbecoming.
Forget getting on Google tonight as the Demos will be burning it up trying to find out something negative on the general.
80-0. Sounds pretty good to me.
Yet another good choice for the Trump Administration.
Dems will probably say he wasn’t fair to the Iraqis so he’s too mean to confirm.
Confirm? He doesn’t require confirmation.
Go here for the battle of 73 Easting interview with Col McMasters
Any naysayers about the M1 Abram’s ability to handle Soviet armor and the fighting ability of the US Army’s tankers need to watch this.
Patton’s phrase ” like shit through a goose” describes the battle of 73 Easting to a “T”
I didn’t enlist AD soon enough to be part of DS/DS but I heard that everything we had went through their tanks like shit through a goose while they couldn’t do any better than an MKILL (Mobility Kill, short for immobilize) on an Abrams.
Do keep in mind that the Iraqis,and most Soviet client states and so-called “chimp” models, not the top-of-the-line stuff reserved for Soviet use. The T-64 for example, as Soviet-only. The T-72s in Iraq lacked the best Soviet targeting and night-vision systems.
If I have the story straight, the Iraqis -did- have the top-of-the-line 125mm tank -rounds- to shoot at us. The Soviats believed these would kill an M-1 for the he frontal arc. It must have been crushing that these rounds failed almost utterly to breach the Abrahm’s armor.
Had the Iraqis had the full-up models, it would have been more of a fight. Not enough to alter the outcome, but definitely would have given them night-capability and greater range. The lack of night-vision and the effective half-range compared to ours was overwhelming.
I think the Soviets effectively lost heart when they saw us beat the Iraqis like a cheap rug. They were a favored client,and did get the best of the export stuff, even some good stuff. You can say “ours is better” in russian for decades, but watching the Red Army’s toys crushed like …cheap toys…., had to factor into someone’s calculations. The battle of 73 Easting was likely cataclysmic to Soviet estimates of a European war and its likely outcome.
Like “M-1s parading in Red Square” kinda depressing.
Reagan forced them to open their eyes on Economics. Bush forced them to open their eyes on the supposed invincibility of the Red Army.
And you can bet your ass that -Putin- understands that chain of events. And, that he will -not- make the same mistakes as his predecessors. We must be wary, and ensure that we are not temptingly weak.
tankers lead the way godspeed sir
I met Lt/Gen McMaster when he came to Camp Rudder to do a Silver Star Medal award. In casual conversation, after the ceremony, at the reception in “The Gator Lounge”, he wanted me to know that this award was downgraded from the DSC, and that he felt this soldier had deserved the higher award. He really impressed me that day. I am more impressed with our Commander-in-Chief every day.
No, McMaster is not Hondo.
Sure-that’s what you’d like the DRC to believe, but can you account for McMaster’s movements over the last few weeks.
Nice try at misdirection-but you could not fool Bernath’s crack investigative team so easily.
For the record: Jonn is correct. No, I am not LTG H. R. McMaster.
The fact that anyone might mistakenly think I am is indeed a high honor. I hugely respect the man’s work – both professionally as a Soldier and officer, and as a researcher and author.
IMO his book Dereliction of Duty should be required reading for all SNCOs and Officers in all 4 military services, and for every DoD Civilian serving in the NCR. It’s that good.
Well, it’s my understanding that it’s an easy enough mistake to make. Supposedly, when Hondo takes off his hair piece, the resemblance is striking.
Is that a Silver Star he is wearing?
How did he get it?
Desert Storm, 73 Easting, he was a troop CO in one of the Cav squadrons.
His troop chalked up more Iraqi tank kills than any other cav unit in Desert Storm. Under his able command, his Troop (Acav’s and M-1s) ran into about a tank brigade of the vaunted Republican Guard and just about wiped them out to the last tank.
No. I didn’t read the opening post.
I just looked at the picture and when ballistic. I hate, HATE, officers with valor awards.
Well, ya know, some people have awards that they didn’t want.
I think it is a minor indicator of his character that when he was photographed/videoed with Trump he is only wearing the top two rows of his ribbons on his uni, instead of the eight rows he is apparently entitled to wear.
For us ignorant types (a group that may consist of only me as a member):
I’m guessing that while precedence is dictated in the uniforming code, it is not dictated that one must wear all of one’s recognitions? That is, one may chose which ribbons and/or medals one wears on one’s formal uniform?
Perhaps that, but my understanding is that General Officers are not bound by 670-1.
Correct. Per 670-1:
[blockquote]a. Commanders may require the wear of awards on the following occasions.
(1) Parades, reviews, inspections, and funerals.
(2) Ceremonial and social occasions.
b. Awards are worn at the option of the wearer when not prohibited during normal duty hours. Personnel also may wear awards on appropriate uniforms when off duty (see para 29–4, below). Personnel are encouraged to wear authorized awards on the service, dress, and mess uniforms.
c. Soldiers may wear awards on the class B uniform during duty hours and when off duty, at their option. [/blockquote]
My father told me of the time an MOH NCO showed up on parade without any ribbons. Said NCO was directed to return to formation with the highest-valued award he received.
NCO returned with only the Army Good Conduct Medal ribbon.
True story.
Yes, Jonn. I can think of one in particular no sane person wanted. I think its called the Purple Heart. In RVN, long long ago, we referred to it as the VC Markmanship Badge.
If the officer in question served valorously, why should he not wear a recognition for so serving?
Time to re-think your knee-jerk reaction there, Yef.
Well, dude, some officers actually earned their valor awards. I suggest you read some MOH citations for officers who served in combat in the RVN. In particular, you should read the one for CPT Charles Q. Williams, or as the troops called him in the 509th PIR, “Captain Smoke” and Major Fire, after he was promoted. His citation is three pages long, single spaced.
Your frequently intemperate remarks here, Yef, indicate that you’ve got a lot to learn. We should all hope there is time enough remaining.
He could start by removing that gigantic chip that he has on his shoulder regarding officers.
It’s childish, and it’s getting to be tiresome.
Agreed.
Oh really, Yef? So you ‘hate, HATE officers with valor awards’, eh? Well, hopefully you’ll run into Major Brian Chontosh USMC at some point, and then you can proceed to lecture him on why he doesn’t rate his Navy Cross, being that he’s an officer and all that. http://www.victoryinstitute.net/blogs/utb/2003/03/25/brian-r-chontosh-navy-cross-citation/ ‘The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the NAVY CROSS to FIRST LIEUTENANT BRIAN R. CHONTOSH MARINE CORPS for service as set forth in the following CITATION: The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to First Lieutenant Brian R. Chontosh, United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism as Combined Anti-Armor Platoon Commander, Weapons Company, Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, FIRST Marine Division, First Marine Expeditionary Force in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM on 25 March 2003. While leading his platoon north on Highway I toward Ad Diwaniyah, First Lieutenant Chontosh’s platoon moved into a coordinated ambush of mortars, rocket propelled grenades, and automatic weapons fire. With coalition tanks blocking the road ahead, he realized his platoon was caught in a kill zone. He had his driver move the vehicle through a breach along his flank, where he was immediately taken under fire from an entrenched machine gun. Without hesitation, First Lieutenant Chontosh ordered the driver to advance directly at the enemy position enabling his .50 caliber machine gunner to silence the enemy. He then directed his driver into the enemy trench, where he exited his vehicle and began to clear the trench with an M16A2 service rifle and 9 millimeter pistol. His ammunition depleted, First Lieutenant Chontosh, with complete disregard for his safety, twice picked up discarded enemy rifles and continued his ferocious attack. When a Marine following him found an enemy rocket propelled grenade launcher, First Lieutenant Chontosh used it to destroy yet another group of enemy soldiers. When his audacious attack ended, he had cleared over 200 meters of the enemy trench, killing more than 20 enemy soldiers and wounding several others. By his outstanding display of decisive leadership, unlimited courage in the face of heavy enemy fire, and… Read more »
Oh really, Yef? So you ‘hate, HATE officers with valor awards’, eh? Well, hopefully you’ll run into Major Brian Chontosh USMC at some point, and then you can proceed to lecture him on why he doesn’t rate his Navy Cross, being that he’s an officer and all that. http://www.victoryinstitute.net/blogs/utb/2003/03/25/brian-r-chontosh-navy-cross-citation/ ‘The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the NAVY CROSS to FIRST LIEUTENANT BRIAN R. CHONTOSH MARINE CORPS for service as set forth in the following CITATION: The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to First Lieutenant Brian R. Chontosh, United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism as Combined Anti-Armor Platoon Commander, Weapons Company, Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, FIRST Marine Division, First Marine Expeditionary Force in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM on 25 March 2003. While leading his platoon north on Highway I toward Ad Diwaniyah, First Lieutenant Chontosh’s platoon moved into a coordinated ambush of mortars, rocket propelled grenades, and automatic weapons fire. With coalition tanks blocking the road ahead, he realized his platoon was caught in a kill zone. He had his driver move the vehicle through a breach along his flank, where he was immediately taken under fire from an entrenched machine gun. Without hesitation, First Lieutenant Chontosh ordered the driver to advance directly at the enemy position enabling his .50 caliber machine gunner to silence the enemy. He then directed his driver into the enemy trench, where he exited his vehicle and began to clear the trench with an M16A2 service rifle and 9 millimeter pistol. His ammunition depleted, First Lieutenant Chontosh, with complete disregard for his safety, twice picked up discarded enemy rifles and continued his ferocious attack. When a Marine following him found an enemy rocket propelled grenade launcher, First Lieutenant Chontosh used it to destroy yet another group of enemy soldiers. When his audacious attack ended, he had cleared over 200 meters of the enemy trench, killing more than 20 enemy soldiers and wounding several others. By his outstanding display of decisive leadership, unlimited courage in the face of heavy enemy fire, and… Read more »
There are exceptions to every rule.
And then there’s Bill Albrecht who earned three Silver Stars as a captain. Do a Google search and tell me how pissed off you are that he saved more than a hundred and twenty men one night.
Ok. Point taken. Perhaps I should not over generalize, no pun intended.
However I stand by my claim that many officers have undeserved valor awards. Like that dude that got first to Baghdad in 2003.
“However I stand by my claim that many officers have undeserved valor awards.”
That very well might be true, and perhaps the same for enlisted.
Based upon your previous posts, you obviously detest all non-combat military personnel and now Officers that earn Valor awards.
Way to support the common goal….
YEF, yer a dope! I know of several officers who have EARNED the awards they wear. Just one, an Active Duty LTC, now leading a Battalion in Afghanistan, wears an EARNED CIB, A Purple Heart, a Bronze Star Medal/V, and more. He earned these while an enlisted man, in Operation Just Cause, in Operation Gothic Serpent, and in more than a dozen other operations in Africa and other hotspots. You would “hate, HATE, this officer with valor awards”?
Yer a dope.
Oh come on, that’s all you got? Every body knows I’m a dope. You need to come up with something original.
Sen Tom Cotton (who served under McMaster) was the one who suggested the general to the WH.
Bravo! On another topic related to my senator, I sent him an email yesterday requesting that he officially read the MoH recipients’ letter to Blumenthal into the Senate Record so that it becomes part of the historical record of that body. I suggested it might gain him a lot of veteran votes in future elections.
As the MNFI command historian in early 2007, I was able to observe and interact with COL McMaster for many weeks while he organized and set up the OIF strategy team for the incoming GEN Petraeus. I also conducted a wide-ranging two-hour history interview with COL McMaster at Camp Victory regarding his progress toward creating a new COIN-based strategy for OIF. Alll my dealings with COL McMaster in 2007 indicate he is a brilliant and level-headed intellectual warrior scholar who has walked the walk and will be an outstanding natsec advisor and a much-needed asset to the Trump administration…
Historian, what do you make of Open Channel D’s comment above?
Sour grapes, IMHO.
OC-D is certainly entitled to his opinion, but I saw no evidence of that back in 2007. If LTG McMaster is of that type, I think he would have cashed in on his three stars by now instead of taking on this new bitch of a job…
Excellent choice! Sabre, Brave Rifles!
Blood and Steel!