Maj. Mark A. Smith, USA, Ret.
Christmas Wishes to Every Friend of Every Faith
[Editor’s Note: Maj. Smith issued these greetings in a timely manner yesterday when the newspaper was closed.]
Good morning to all my fellow Americans and to our allies in the War On Terror.
To our brave on battlefields around the world, God bless you and Merry Christmas.
Good morning to all my fellow Americans and to our allies in the War On Terror.
To our brave on battlefields around the world, God bless you and Merry Christmas.
So You Want to Compare Wars?
So you want to compare wars? I heard a politician say to a smirking commentator, whining.
No mention of right or wrong. Just, “I know we cannot win.”
I listened in stunned silence to all we have become. A nation with a choice: Stand up and fight or run.
Not one word for victory or the warriors brave. Women scream “Quit.” “Honor my shameful knave.”
I listened in stunned silence to all we have become. A nation with a choice: Stand up and fight or run.
Not one word for victory or the warriors brave. Women scream “Quit.” “Honor my shameful knave.”
One Man’s Faith Wreathed in the Joy of Christmas
In a place called the Holy Land,
In every church, school and book,
Now they call it the Middle East,
Scholars gave it another look.
They used to call it Christmas then,
But the geniuses gave it an “X,”
It seems it was all just a myth,
Some lies from evil men, a hex.
In every church, school and book,
Now they call it the Middle East,
Scholars gave it another look.
They used to call it Christmas then,
But the geniuses gave it an “X,”
It seems it was all just a myth,
Some lies from evil men, a hex.
Tough Questions for Those Who Think We Are the Enemy
[Editor’s Note: Second of two parts. See Part One, “Here Is a Lefty Who Deserves to be Swift-boated,” ran last Wednesday, Nov. 21.]
Senior military officers who retire often go into the private sector, using connections and expertise gained in the military.
Senior military officers who retire often go into the private sector, using connections and expertise gained in the military.
Here is a Lefty Who Deserves to be Swift-Boated
In the final analysis, victory or defeat on any battlefield, too many times, will be measured on the weight of the leadership personalities involved.
If true victory is desired, the so-called Grey Man of management lore must be shunned to the sidelines and staff positions. For the very blandness of his persona will be readily measured in the buckets of blood and broken bodies of his subordinates.
True warriors are now moving to the forefront. But role players do remain evident as they try to distance themselves from an endeavor they cannot understand.
If true victory is desired, the so-called Grey Man of management lore must be shunned to the sidelines and staff positions. For the very blandness of his persona will be readily measured in the buckets of blood and broken bodies of his subordinates.
True warriors are now moving to the forefront. But role players do remain evident as they try to distance themselves from an endeavor they cannot understand.
Biting Differences Between Soldiers and Politicians
1.POLITICIAN His offices at home and in Washington are paid for by others, as is his lodging. He appoints his relatives and those of his political moneymen to do-nothing, high-paying jobs.
SOLDIER His office is a jungle hell or sandy dry desert. He must put the best man in every position to merely preserve their lives. There are no do-nothing jobs in his unit. The politician complains about the cost of filling even the most critical. If he chooses to reside away from his family, he pays for a second home. His wife donates her time in an unpaid job at the post thrift shop.
America, Where Have You Gone?
As age advances, we have a tendency to look back on the things and the people meaningful in our lives. By the time you hit your 40s, you have a pretty good idea about who in your past was real ands who was a pretender. In my youth, anyone who thought he could use the terms "patriotism" or "Mom's apple pie" in a derisive tone was in for a butt-whipping. Now these terms are said with a sneer on the 6 o'clock news.
We had Christmas and Easter in public schools.
A poster of a praying soldier might be in a history book or even on the classroom wall. After all, with World War II just over and Korea in full fight, everyone knew American soldiers prayed. At least most of them did.
Just So I Understand
1. We spend years making sure no illegal alien is left behind, but it is perfectly alright to desert those who went to defend the country on a foreign shore to the gulag forever.
2. We have millions of illegals in our country, and we feel obligated to accommodate them. But when a legal migrant wishes to purchase guns so he may fight and return to his home country, we jail him.
How the POW Issue Equates with the War on Terror
If I was ever certain of anything in my life, it was that the United States government never would deal with anything the way it has our missing warriors.
What I did not get is buried in all those statements about quagmires and no more Vietnams.
What equates most between the quest to bring Americans home from far shores/captivity and the war on terror? It is a simple word: Fear.
Spectacular Inside Story on This Weeks Arrest
[Editor’s Note: Gen. Vang Pao of Orange County, a prominent leader of Hmong refugees in this country, was among nine persons arrested on Monday in an alleged plot to overthrow the communist government of Laos.]
I suppose the first thing I thought when I got a call saying Gen. Vang Pao had been arrested was “I told you so.”
But that did not last long.
