James Joyner and Pauline Shanks Kaurin War on the Rocks June 16, 2020 The confluence this year of Memorial Day and commemorations of the 100,000 Americans who had died from COVID-19 should naturally have sparked a conversation about whose sacrifices should be honored by the nation. Since it did not, let’s start it here. At…
Category: Veterans
RealClearDefense March 3, 2016 The 25th anniversary of America’s victory in Operation Desert Storm passed without much fanfare on Sunday, February 28. Much to the chagrin of some of my fellow veterans of that conflict, the Pentagon held no official observance. Having gotten more than our fair share of accolades at the time, I’m not…
Christian Science Monitor March 16, 2015 WaPo’s Jonathan Capeheart found a retired general to pile onto the criticisms against Sen. Tom Cotton’s open letter: The open letter to the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran signed by 47 senators and instigated by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) was a stunning breach of protocol. One so outrageous that my former…
The Hill June 24, 2014 The revelation that some 65 percent of executives at the embattled Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) received performance bonuses last year did something rare these days in our nation’s capital: It unified congressional Republicans and Democrats. In a hearing Friday, it was revealed that all 470 of the VA’s senior executives were…
Tech Central Station March 3, 2005 Phil Carter and Paul Glastris make “The Case for the Draft” in the current Washington Monthly. “America’s all-volunteer military simply cannot deploy and sustain enough troops to succeed in places like Iraq while still deterring threats elsewhere in the world. Simply adding more soldiers to the active duty force, as some in Washington are…
Tech Central Station January 11, 2005 Bradley Graham reports in the Washington Post that Army leaders are pushing to make last year’s increase of 30,000 troops in the active-duty force permanent and to change the law to allow longer and more frequent call-ups of some reservists in order to meet the obligations of the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.…
Tech Central Station December 14, 2004 Army National Guard Specialist David Qualls and seven of his comrades filed suit against the Defense Department over what they charge is the unfair extension of their active duty obligation beyond the term they agreed to. Qualls signed up with the Arkansas National Guard under the “Try-One” enlistment option which, according…
Tech Central Station August 10, 2004 The pseudonymous blogger N.Z. Bear issues a bold proclamation: “I’m going to go on record and predict that the Swift Boat Veterans kerfuffle won’t just be a major negative for Kerry: it will be a campaign-killer.” His rationale is that, if any of these charges stick, it will cement the image…