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1st woman to lead Army infantry division

I would say that to any new commander. There's people depending on her to do her job, so they can stay alive; just like any other commander.

You say "go girl". I say: she hasn't successfully lead her division, yet.

I'm not going to shower her with praise because she's a female commanding an infantry division, just like I wouldn't shower a male officer because he was promoted to division commander.

Let me know when she does something really heroic; just doing her job doesn't count. Until then, she's just another soldier.

Agree. These "firsts" are insulting in a way. Think about what "I'm the first from my family to graduate college" means. On the surface, yay for you. Unfortunately it also says that your family is uneducated.

For something to be a "first", it has to be unusual: "First Down Syndrome child to pass a 6th grade math test". It's condescending and very charity-like.

The best we could have done for the woman, and all woman kind, is to accept her new lofty position as perfectly normal for a woman (and not mention it).
 
Agree. These "firsts" are insulting in a way. Think about what "I'm the first from my family to graduate college" means. On the surface, yay for you. Unfortunately it also says that your family is uneducated.

For something to be a "first", it has to be unusual: "First Down Syndrome child to pass a 6th grade math test". It's condescending and very charity-like.

The best we could have done for the woman, and all woman kind, is to accept her new lofty position as perfectly normal for a woman (and not mention it).

I disagree with treating her like she's special, because she isn't. She's unique, because she's the first female division commander, but she isn't special.
 
I don't see any combat experience. Would you hire someone to build you a house who had never built a house? Just asking.

Would you hire someone to lead the Nation with absolutely no political experience.....
 
I disagree with treating her like she's special, because she isn't. She's unique, because she's the first female division commander, but she isn't special.

There's a fine line between unique and special though in this context. She is unique because women aren't usually in her position - she'd be special for the same reason.

Take my situation. The only network manager in the US with vintage, unopened Bill and Ted figures displayed in my office. This makes me unique, but not worthy of a news article. There's been no "war on Bill and Ted fans" or "Equal pay for Bill and Ted fans" mantra in the media, so there is no "plight" that I overcame to make me special.
 
I disagree with treating her like she's special, because she isn't. She's unique, because she's the first female division commander, but she isn't special.

I always knew you were a smart guy.

Clever even.

Do you work alone? Jus askin.


Everyone knows one criteria of what's news is the unusual. BG Yeager is the fourth lady general in the California NG. So while that's getting more to be the case, it is exceptional that she's been appointed to command an ID. Yeager went NG from active duty after having her first child, which is not unusual either. All the same it is a path particular to her gender.

Promotion boards of senior generals endorsed Yeager for her first star and now for her second star, which is SOP in promoting general officers, the same being true for admirals of course. Senate votes the final say while Potus puts his John Hancock to it after the fact. Potus btw knows he's too clever by a half but it makes no difference to him of course.
 
I wouldn't care if the general contractor ever has touched a hammer in his or her life. Not in the slightest.

Would you buy a car from a company whose CEO never worked on an assembly line or eat at a restaurant of a company whose CEO was never a fry cook?

Do a lot of people die on the assembly line or if the fry cook screws up? The same can't be said when a general screws up.
 
Do a lot of people die on the assembly line or if the fry cook screws up? The same can't be said when a general screws up.

When you find any blemishes in her military record, let us all know okay?
 
For my kid in the military and who was in multiple actions in multiple theaters of combat, the opinion is that things would go much better if high ranking officers would just stay away and do their paperwork because they usually don't have a damn clue what they're talking about. Let the combat team do what they do best. Colonels and generals are best at paperwork and bureaucratic protocols.

She has had more than her share of showdowns with colonels. The colonels always lost. Neither her nor anyone on her team is going to die because of a dumbass anal colonel. Among all her duties, included was telling anyone else "no" when it came to missions and the equipment of it. She has that in written orders and protocols. She can not order things to happen, but she can order anything to not happen.

Then again, that is iffy. Another hearing was over her engaging the enemy when specifically ordered not to. She had a clever technical defense ("confusingly worded order") and the reviewing officers had combat experience themselves, so understood her motive. If you see the enemy, clearly the enemy, and can kill the enemy, you kill the enemy. Some officer on the other end of a radio doesn't really know what's happening. Particularly when that enemy had shot at you and your team. Kill them. Simple to understand, no?

On one occasion she was brought up on charges by a colonel equating to mutiny when she ordered her crew not to proceed in defiance of a colonel and then she broke equipment to prevent the mission proceeding when he assembled another crew and team. The end result was the colonel was given the option of retiring honorably or facing court martial himself. The colonel broke many written protocols trying to end run around her and the investigation showed that everyone would have died but for her refusal and actions.

This woman was not promoted to lead banzai infantry charges. Her real job is logistics, protocols, regulations, personnel matters and paperwork.

Virtually none of what you just wrote is true. You may be able to peddle this BS to people who have zero clue about the military but to any one who has been in the military let alone well over a decade of SOF experience, it is obvious that it's total nonsense.
If you are going to continue making up stories you should at least try and make them believable.
 
Virtually none of what you just wrote is true. You may be able to peddle this BS to people who have zero clue about the military but to any one who has been in the military let alone well over a decade of SOF experience, it is obvious that it's total nonsense.
If you are going to continue making up stories you should at least try and make them believable.

Are you saying Joko is Tangmo Lite?
 
When you find any blemishes in her military record, let us all know okay?

Only people who have never done anything will have no blemishes on their military record. Smart people learn from their mistakes.
 
Would you want you son being thrown into combat by someone who has no idea what combat is?

We have had several Presidents who have sent many sons and a few daughters to their deaths in war that have 'no idea what combat is'.... :roll:

Eisenhower sent thousands of sons to their deaths but wasn't a combat veteran.

Marine Corps 4 star general Allen had no direct combat experience. I can't find where Petraeus has any direct combat experience, chest full of bright ribbons though...

I do believe your standard is double and your objection is due more to a lack of penis than a lack of direct combat experience... :peace
 
My only issue here is that somebody who never served in Infantry is now commanding an Infantry Division.
It is not me confusing her gender with her abilities, I only question her past experience for her current role. If she was assigned as the Commander of an Aviation Division I would not even blink. And by the same token, if my past ADA Commander was given such an assignment I would question her also. Because she had spent her career in Air Defense, not Infantry. So respectfully take your patronizing attitude and stuff it.

If your only issue is not commanding an infantry division then you shouldn't agree with Jack Fletcher getting a carrier.... he had ZERO carrier experience.
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But let's play this out, a commander does far more than play with the equipment, nice they can do so but do you really think a General's ability to dig a two man fighting position makes them a good Infantry General??? There are far more REMFs and wienies in an Infantry division and the staff is a small army unto itself. There is so much more to fighting than moving units around.

To attempt to use Eisenhower as experienced in combat units, you need to recall almost all theory and doctrine was scrapped after 'Operation Torch', if you study the first battles against the Germans our armored units suffered great losses due to piss poor doctrine. The Infantry suffered great losses due to piss poor doctrine. What Eisenhower 'learned' did him little good (might even had done ill), what served him well was his ability to adapt and select good subordinates, and then keep them under control.

Let's look at a modern Infantry Division in combat- does the general lead the assaults, lead the counterattack to seal a breach? The general has an OPERATIONS staff that does the planning, a good G3 counts more than the general.

Of course the general thinks he is a 'warfighter' (Tommy Franks went on to some length lecturing that, even if he sat hundreds of miles away in an airconditioned HQ while the Grunts sweated it out in the blazing heat in MOPP gear.) But truth is Generals are administrators and more like CEOs than 'warfighters'

So take your rather empty objections and insert in your 4th point of contact.... :peace
 
Within the military, male resentment or opposite to women in arms can get people killed real quick. If a person can not live with military command, then don't join up or get out when possible. The military does not need malcontents - period.

Complaining about higher ranking officers isn't anything new. It's been going on since Army's have existed. A change over the past in the USA military is lower ranking personnel may complain and - circumstantially - may refuse to comply with orders if the order truly is incompetent in a way the clearly and unnecessarily risks lives, equipment or the mission.

A Marine we know was selected to be made the squad leader in the Heldman District of Afghanistan specifically for refusal to comply with a CO's orders in a simulated firefight in training when it was his turn to lead the squad, stating "this would get my squad killed," noting they were told to treat it 100% real. A higher CO told him to instead do it his way. His squad prevailed. In retaliation, the first CO ordered him and his squad to shift roles and play the insurgents. The first time they repelled the Marine squad and the second time - horror of horrors - captures one in the opposing Marine squad.

He employed similar tactics in Afghanistan, very successfully, many firefights, kills and a few captures - no casualties in his squad. He declined re-enlisting, in part because he was catching flake over always leaving part of his squad behind. In his opinion, anyone who was incompetent, cowardly or wouldn't function as part of the whole squad only endangered everyone and was an interference to success. He told some interesting stories of his experiences.

I wouldn't believe that from anyone else but him, but I know him. He grew up on a farm and was a hunter all his life since a very young child - going out on his own probably around age 8 with a single shot .22 rifle. He is the only person I know who said they joined up specifically to kill people - more precisely to "hunt" the greatest game of all - humans who are armed and hunting you. State wrestling champ, crack marksmen, fearless, Enjoyed a good fist fight with bigger kids, extremely skilled hunter, high IQ, and now with a high university education and professional career - not someone you'd want to go up against.

The point? Unlike in the past, there are many safeguards against incompetent COs that used to not exist. The person sure as hell better be right about it, but certain orders can be defied, particularly if lives are at risk. But the personnel better be correct and it better not be speculative, petty, or just a matter of a difference of opinion. The days of ordering men to charge the machine guns in attrition of personnel tactics are over.
 
Virtually none of what you just wrote is true. You may be able to peddle this BS to people who have zero clue about the military but to any one who has been in the military let alone well over a decade of SOF experience, it is obvious that it's total nonsense.
If you are going to continue making up stories you should at least try and make them believable.

Are you saying Joko is Tangmo Lite?


AVF Lifer NCO Fight Songs as viewed from here.

To the tunes "The Army Song" and "Green Berets":


Over hill, over dale, as we hit the dusty trail
As the lifers go stumbling along,
Watch them drink, watch them stink,
Watch them even try to think,
As the lifers go stumbling along.

For it's heigh heigh hee, truly ****ed are we,
Shout out your numbers loud and strong. R.A.!
For wher'ere you go, you will always know
That the lifers go stumbling along.
Stumble! Stumble! Stumble! (Brown 1969)



A parody of the "Ballad of the Green Berets" (Lansdale 1976)

Frightened soldiers from the sky
Screaming "Hell I don't wanna die,
You can have my job and pay,
I'm a chicken any old way!"


As I noted generally and inclusively, some certain lifer Marine NCO retired from AVF would also be included of course.


I congratulate Laura Yeager the soon to be two-star general and CG of the 40 ID. Her commissioning source is Rotc and she has two master degrees, one from Chapman University in Psychology and another from the US Army War College in Strategic Studies. BG Yeager deployed to Iraq in 2011 as deputy commander of the Cal Guard’s 40th Combat Aviation Brigade, then served as a battalion and then brigade commander in the infantry division. Her husband is a retired LTC.



1000w_q95.jpg

Cal Guard Col. Laura Yeager is seen here in 2013 with her father, retired Cal Guard Maj. Gen. Robert Brandt. Col. Yeager, an Army aviator, is being promoted to brigadier general in May.


“People complain about some of the things the military makes you do,” said Yeager. As a female, I have found the military to provide opportunities and benefits unmatched by any profession,” she said.

“Clearly, females are in the minority within the military, yet in every assignment I have held, my mostly male peers, subordinates and superiors, have supported me, treated me with respect, coached, mentored and advised me. At the same time, I have been inspired by the incredibly strong and amazing women I have served with and for. I was especially proud to have commanded the same brigade, the 40th CAB, my father once commanded.”

Needless to say, I would not have achieved this rank without every one of them, from the professor of military science at Long Beach State Rotc, to the platoon sergeant I served with as a platoon leader, ranging all the way up to brigade commanders and the adjutant general.”


DVIDS - News - Cal Guard Black Hawk pilot promoted to general
 
We have had several Presidents who have sent many sons and a few daughters to their deaths in war that have 'no idea what combat is'.... :roll:

Eisenhower sent thousands of sons to their deaths but wasn't a combat veteran.

Marine Corps 4 star general Allen had no direct combat experience. I can't find where Petraeus has any direct combat experience, chest full of bright ribbons though...

I do believe your standard is double and your objection is due more to a lack of penis than a lack of direct combat experience... :peace

You seem to be the only one who is worried about her sex. I could care less. You are the one who seems obsessed with overlooking an obvious shortcoming.

Eisenhower made plenty of mistakes that cost a lot of men their lives. With some combat experience some of that may have been avoided. All I know about Petraeus was he seemed to have a problem keeping his zipper up and sold his country out for sex. I served in combat and know there is a lot of critical details that is not covered in training. Having a penis won't compensate for that, for that manner having a **** won't either.
 
*yawn*

I really do not care to be honest. A General in most cases today is little more than a glorified babysitter and paper pusher. They put a General who was a pilot in charge of an Infantry Division.

Hey, why not? Why not make the Admiral in charge of fleet ops an Admiral who spent their career in supply and finance? Make the Colonel in charge of the 2nd Marine Logistics Group (formerly FSSG) in command of an Amphibious Brigade?

So they found a puppet who never really served as Infantry and put her in charge of an Infantry Division primarily made up of National Guard. This is primarily a publicity stunt, and nothing else but. That she is female makes not a damned bit of difference to me, but I think if I was her I might find it just a bit more than a little patronizing.


40th Combat Aviation Brigade (40th CAB) is a unit in the 40th Infantry Division.

Yeager has been a member of the 40th Infantry Division since 1994.

Aviation Brigade.

Infantry Division.

California Army National Guard.

Units

40th Infantry Division (Mech) (In Part)

79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (United States) (79th IBCT)
1st Battalion, 160th Infantry Regiment
1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment
1st Squadron, 18th Cavalry Regiment
1st Battalion, 143rd Field Artillery Regiment (1-143rd FAR)
578th Brigade Engineer Battalion (578th BEB)
40th Brigade Support Battalion (40th BSB)

40th Combat Aviation Brigade (40th CAB)[1][2]
Company C, 1st Battalion, 168th Aviation Regiment (HH-60L)[3]
Company B, 1st Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment (CH-47F)[4]
1st Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment (United States)
HHC and Company A, 3rd Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment (United States)
640th Aviation Support Battalion (640th ASB)

California Army National Guard - Wikipedia





Laura Yeager was a student at UC Irvine when she saw a U.S. Army poster on a bulletin board in a hallway advertising $100 monthly stipends and a possibility for scholarships. The ROTC program wasn’t available at the school in 1983, so Yeager, then a freshman, transferred to Cal State Long Beach.

“I talked to the Air Force ROTC and because I wasn’t in sciences or engineering, they weren’t interested,” Brig. Gen. Yeager said on Thursday, June 13. “The Army ROTC scooped me up right away and I went to camp at Fort Knox. We did low-crawling and learned to fire a rifle. I had a really good time — I was just hooked at that point.

She will take command of the storied 102-year-old 40th Infantry Division in the California National Guard, in a ceremony June 29 at Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos. Though she acknowledges the milestone, she said, she doesn’t expect it to be a distraction. It’s also not the first unit she’s made history with — she was the first female commander of Joint Task Force North, United States Northern Command at Fort Bliss, Texas.

“This is just the next assignment and opportunity to command,” she said.


US Army poster helped push California woman to be 1st female to lead an Army Infantry Division – Monterey Herald





40th CAB takes to the sky in Kuwait

12.20.2015

CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait – The 40th Combat Aviation Brigade officially took charge of all aviation operations within U.S. Army Central’s area of responsibility during a transfer of authority ceremony at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, Dec. 20.

First Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment, 40th CAB has taken control of a fleet of aircraft including UH-60 Black Hawks, CH-47 Chinooks and Gray Eagle unmanned aerial systems. The CAB’s 640th Aviation Support Battalion operates the brigade’s ground fleet, including Palletized Load Systems, Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks and Humvees.

The 40th CAB is headquartered in Fresno, California, but has been joined by men and women from all over the United States, including Arizona, Arkansas, Oregon, Montana, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington and West Virginia.


DVIDS - News - 40th CAB takes to the sky in Kuwait


Infantry.
 
You seem to be the only one who is worried about her sex. I could care less. You are the one who seems obsessed with overlooking an obvious shortcoming. Eisenhower made plenty of mistakes that cost a lot of men their lives. With some combat experience some of that may have been avoided. All I know about Petraeus was he seemed to have a problem keeping his zipper up and sold his country out for sex. I served in combat and know there is a lot of critical details that is not covered in training. Having a penis won't compensate for that, for that manner having a **** won't either.

Well what you don't know would fill volumes but we don't have time for all that.

I was DIRECTLY addressing your tripe about 'knowing combat'...

YOU ignore the simple fact so many never served Presidents have sent so many to their deaths,

YOU ignore Marine General Allen never having led a combat unit.

You try and ignore all Petraeus did (to include re-writing the COIN manual) and talk about the affair (Name the General who didn't)

Name the General with combat experience who didn't make mistakes that cost lives ( Grant at Shiloh to start)

There is a YUGE difference between direct combat and directing combat. The Army I served in made that distinction… platoon LEADER, Division COMMANDER.

To sum up, you want a commander with direct combat experience to be a Divisional Infantry Commander- THAT is what I addressed... :peace
 
AVF Lifer NCO Fight Songs as viewed from here.

To the tunes "The Army Song" and "Green Berets":


Over hill, over dale, as we hit the dusty trail
As the lifers go stumbling along,
Watch them drink, watch them stink,
Watch them even try to think,
As the lifers go stumbling along.

For it's heigh heigh hee, truly ****ed are we,
Shout out your numbers loud and strong. R.A.!
For wher'ere you go, you will always know
That the lifers go stumbling along.
Stumble! Stumble! Stumble! (Brown 1969)



A parody of the "Ballad of the Green Berets" (Lansdale 1976)

Frightened soldiers from the sky
Screaming "Hell I don't wanna die,
You can have my job and pay,
I'm a chicken any old way!"


As I noted generally and inclusively, some certain lifer Marine NCO retired from AVF would also be included of course.

I congratulate Laura Yeager the soon to be two-star general and CG of the 40 ID. Her commissioning source is Rotc and she has two master degrees, one from Chapman University in Psychology and another from the US Army War College in Strategic Studies. BG Yeager deployed to Iraq in 2011 as deputy commander of the Cal Guard’s 40th Combat Aviation Brigade, then served as a battalion and then brigade commander in the infantry division. Her husband is a retired LTC.

Cal Guard Col. Laura Yeager is seen here in 2013 with her father, retired Cal Guard Maj. Gen. Robert Brandt. Col. Yeager, an Army aviator, is being promoted to brigadier general in May.


“People complain about some of the things the military makes you do,” said Yeager. As a female, I have found the military to provide opportunities and benefits unmatched by any profession,” she said.

“Clearly, females are in the minority within the military, yet in every assignment I have held, my mostly male peers, subordinates and superiors, have supported me, treated me with respect, coached, mentored and advised me. At the same time, I have been inspired by the incredibly strong and amazing women I have served with and for. I was especially proud to have commanded the same brigade, the 40th CAB, my father once commanded.”

Needless to say, I would not have achieved this rank without every one of them, from the professor of military science at Long Beach State Rotc, to the platoon sergeant I served with as a platoon leader, ranging all the way up to brigade commanders and the adjutant general.”


DVIDS - News - Cal Guard Black Hawk pilot promoted to general

Oh, lookie...

More 3 Diamond Tangmobabble followed by regurgitation of items easily gleamed elsewhere..

“This country has not seen and probably will never know the true level of sacrifice of our veterans. As a civilian I owe an unpayable debt to all our military. Going forward let’s not send our servicemen and women off to war or conflict zones unless it is overwhelmingly justifiable and on moral high ground. The men of WWII were the greatest generation, perhaps Korea the forgotten, Vietnam the trampled, Cold War unsung and Iraqi Freedom and Afghanistan vets underestimated. Every generation has proved itself to be worthy to stand up to the precedent of the greatest generation. Going back to the Revolution American soldiers have been the best in the world. Let’s all take a remembrance for all veterans who served or are serving, peace time or wartime and gone or still with us. 11/11/16 May God Bless America and All Veterans.”
― Thomas M Smith

“There are only two kinds of people that understand Marines: Marines and the enemy. Everyone else has a second-hand opinion.”
― Gen. William Thornson, U.S. Army
 
Last edited:
40th Combat Aviation Brigade (40th CAB) is a unit in the 40th Infantry Division.

Yeager has been a member of the 40th Infantry Division since 1994.

Aviation Brigade.

Infantry Division.

California Army National Guard.

Units

40th Infantry Division (Mech) (In Part)

79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (United States) (79th IBCT)
1st Battalion, 160th Infantry Regiment
1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment
1st Squadron, 18th Cavalry Regiment
1st Battalion, 143rd Field Artillery Regiment (1-143rd FAR)
578th Brigade Engineer Battalion (578th BEB)
40th Brigade Support Battalion (40th BSB)

40th Combat Aviation Brigade (40th CAB)[1][2]
Company C, 1st Battalion, 168th Aviation Regiment (HH-60L)[3]
Company B, 1st Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment (CH-47F)[4]
1st Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment (United States)
HHC and Company A, 3rd Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment (United States)
640th Aviation Support Battalion (640th ASB)

California Army National Guard - Wikipedia





Laura Yeager was a student at UC Irvine when she saw a U.S. Army poster on a bulletin board in a hallway advertising $100 monthly stipends and a possibility for scholarships. The ROTC program wasn’t available at the school in 1983, so Yeager, then a freshman, transferred to Cal State Long Beach.

“I talked to the Air Force ROTC and because I wasn’t in sciences or engineering, they weren’t interested,” Brig. Gen. Yeager said on Thursday, June 13. “The Army ROTC scooped me up right away and I went to camp at Fort Knox. We did low-crawling and learned to fire a rifle. I had a really good time — I was just hooked at that point.

She will take command of the storied 102-year-old 40th Infantry Division in the California National Guard, in a ceremony June 29 at Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos. Though she acknowledges the milestone, she said, she doesn’t expect it to be a distraction. It’s also not the first unit she’s made history with — she was the first female commander of Joint Task Force North, United States Northern Command at Fort Bliss, Texas.

“This is just the next assignment and opportunity to command,” she said.


US Army poster helped push California woman to be 1st female to lead an Army Infantry Division – Monterey Herald





40th CAB takes to the sky in Kuwait

12.20.2015

CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait – The 40th Combat Aviation Brigade officially took charge of all aviation operations within U.S. Army Central’s area of responsibility during a transfer of authority ceremony at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, Dec. 20.

First Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment, 40th CAB has taken control of a fleet of aircraft including UH-60 Black Hawks, CH-47 Chinooks and Gray Eagle unmanned aerial systems. The CAB’s 640th Aviation Support Battalion operates the brigade’s ground fleet, including Palletized Load Systems, Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks and Humvees.

The 40th CAB is headquartered in Fresno, California, but has been joined by men and women from all over the United States, including Arizona, Arkansas, Oregon, Montana, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington and West Virginia.


DVIDS - News - 40th CAB takes to the sky in Kuwait

Infantry.

100% AVF.

Tell her how you hate the AVF.
 
There's no hate of AVF anywhere in the homeland.

It's just plain and clear AVF is a chapter of the Republican Party. Retirees are included. Each is true for the most part.

And we're still waiting for AVF to win something besides the election of Republican Party presidents.
 
There's no hate of AVF anywhere in the homeland.

1. You aren't in the homeland as I recall.

2. You have lied, libeled and insulted the AVF for years. IOW you are lying.

It's just plain and clear AVF is a chapter of the Republican Party. Retirees are included. Each is true for the most part.

Another ignorant statement. Another indicator you never served. No officer, however stupid they appear, would say anything like that.

And we're still waiting for AVF to win something besides the election of Republican Party presidents.

A doubly stupid statement.

The only war that can be said to have been lost is the one you claimed to have avoided fighting.

Everyone else knows the victories.
 
Well what you don't know would fill volumes but we don't have time for all that.

I was DIRECTLY addressing your tripe about 'knowing combat'...

YOU ignore the simple fact so many never served Presidents have sent so many to their deaths,

YOU ignore Marine General Allen never having led a combat unit.

You try and ignore all Petraeus did (to include re-writing the COIN manual) and talk about the affair (Name the General who didn't)

Name the General with combat experience who didn't make mistakes that cost lives ( Grant at Shiloh to start)

There is a YUGE difference between direct combat and directing combat. The Army I served in made that distinction… platoon LEADER, Division COMMANDER.

To sum up, you want a commander with direct combat experience to be a Divisional Infantry Commander- THAT is what I addressed... :peace

Now I see your problem. You are not even aware that the President is not a General. You do not even know the duties of the President. I will try to keep this simple so even someone who is mentally impaired can understand it. The President is an elected official who does not have the ability to declare war. Declaring war is the job of Congress not the President. So if anyone is sending troops off to war, it is Congress not the President. After Congress declares war, the President isn't the one who decides how those troops will be deployed, that is the job of the Generals. Take Desert Storm for instance. We had good combat seasoned Generals who used that knowledge to expertly use their troops to get the job done. The Generals at the top did not worry about breaking a nail or hurting someone's feelings. They focused on getting the job done and were better able to do it because they understood what the men in the field were going through.

You mentioned Generals make mistakes. That is correct. The ones who make the most mistakes are usually the ones who least understand what they are doing. The reason they don't understand what they are doing, is they lack experience. I notice that you also cherry pick a small group of Generals who you say lacked combat experience. Using Generals who climbed through the ranks during times of peace. However, since the US has been at war for nearly two decades, I will grantee that well over 90% of the commanders of infantry units have combat experience. That is the way it should be.
 
No problem with a woman Army General.As long as she has menopaused and can't get pregnant or have periods that might influence her decisions.
 
Within the military, male resentment or opposite to women in arms can get people killed real quick. If a person can not live with military command, then don't join up or get out when possible. The military does not need malcontents - period.

Complaining about higher ranking officers isn't anything new. It's been going on since Army's have existed. A change over the past in the USA military is lower ranking personnel may complain and - circumstantially - may refuse to comply with orders if the order truly is incompetent in a way the clearly and unnecessarily risks lives, equipment or the mission.

A Marine we know was selected to be made the squad leader in the Heldman District of Afghanistan specifically for refusal to comply with a CO's orders in a simulated firefight in training when it was his turn to lead the squad, stating "this would get my squad killed," noting they were told to treat it 100% real. A higher CO told him to instead do it his way. His squad prevailed. In retaliation, the first CO ordered him and his squad to shift roles and play the insurgents. The first time they repelled the Marine squad and the second time - horror of horrors - captures one in the opposing Marine squad.

He employed similar tactics in Afghanistan, very successfully, many firefights, kills and a few captures - no casualties in his squad. He declined re-enlisting, in part because he was catching flake over always leaving part of his squad behind. In his opinion, anyone who was incompetent, cowardly or wouldn't function as part of the whole squad only endangered everyone and was an interference to success. He told some interesting stories of his experiences.

I wouldn't believe that from anyone else but him, but I know him. He grew up on a farm and was a hunter all his life since a very young child - going out on his own probably around age 8 with a single shot .22 rifle. He is the only person I know who said they joined up specifically to kill people - more precisely to "hunt" the greatest game of all - humans who are armed and hunting you. State wrestling champ, crack marksmen, fearless, Enjoyed a good fist fight with bigger kids, extremely skilled hunter, high IQ, and now with a high university education and professional career - not someone you'd want to go up against.

The point? Unlike in the past, there are many safeguards against incompetent COs that used to not exist. The person sure as hell better be right about it, but certain orders can be defied, particularly if lives are at risk. But the personnel better be correct and it better not be speculative, petty, or just a matter of a difference of opinion. The days of ordering men to charge the machine guns in attrition of personnel tactics are over.

Making up more stories I see.
Is you are going to continue to do this you should actually at least learn a bit about the military so your stories would be a bit more believable.

As of right now they are simply nonsense.
 
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