Pentagon demotes 4-star General Ward

[S2]

There is no tolerance for the troops and junior officers on these scams. I knew a 1st Lt. that surrendered his commission for scamming his girlfriend into a TDY assignment to Hawaii. What happened here is (on many levels) abuse of rank and privilege.

Right now I'm SOOOOO fed up with our general officers (in the midst of war) that notions of trust, honor and fidelity are shameful to mention in the same breath with these men. They've tainted our officer corps with utterly reprehensible behavior of the lowest mean sort.

[Officer of Engineers]

I will say this. Generals have some leadway. The hours that they spent working and the midnight calls that his wife answered just to hear that a Fallen needs to be greeted, I can understand where a man might want to take advantage of a situation, ie a plane needs to go there anyways, why not take my wife and kids?

The phone woke the wife of my CDS, Rick Hillier, at least 10 times, to hear her husband to accept the news of a Fallen. Though Rick never abused his privledge, I will not blame him for one second if his wife catches a C-130 on its way to Hawaii.

[S2]

OoE Reply

Colonel,

"...I will not blame him for one second if his wife catches a C-130 on its way to Hawaii."

I will.

Everybody works hard. Hillier no longer rolls out of the rack in sub-zero temp at 0200hrs to check perimeter guards in Afghanistan. Some Corporal does. On which lives depend that he does. And that Corporal's wife won't have an opportunity to piggy-back on a C-130 hop to Hickam AFB. Nor can she afford her own ticket.

[Albany Rifles]

Colonel,

All can take the wife and kids along on the business trips to fun locales...so long as the serviceman pays for it.

I went TDY to Land Forces HQ in Great Britain and took my wife with me....and I paid every dime over my authorized per diem and her airfare.

The general did not.

And to Steve's point...I have seen a growing sense of entitlement on the part of our military leaders that is arrogance...and I think Tom Ricks' is correct in his assessment that we in the US have not fired a single general in Iraq or Afghanistan for not doing the job...except for one unpopular Army reserve brigadier general. The remainder are allowed to go merrily along wasting blood and treasure in poorly fought and executed campaigns. Our staffs are bloated with ticket punchers and Power Point Rangers who are synchophants and courtiers, not professional staff officers.

I see a lot of this springs from the belief among many in our military that we are "special" because we have stepped forward to serve our country and therefore deserve these priveleges.

They need to read the tag line after all my posts from George WAshington.

[Officer of Engineers]

Colonel,

"...I will not blame him for one second if his wife catches a C-130 on its way to Hawaii."

I will.

Everybody works hard. Hillier no longer rolls out of the rack in sub-zero temp at 0200hrs to check perimeter guards in Afghanistan. Some Corporal does. On which lives depend that he does. And that Corporal's wife won't have an opportunity to piggy-back on a C-130 hop to Hickam AFB. Nor can she afford her own ticket.

Rick did exactly that. On his Change of Command ceremony, he authorized the families of the Fallen to spend a couple of days in Ottawa.

[S2]

OoE Reply

"...On his Change of Command ceremony, he authorized the families of the Fallen to spend a couple of days in Ottawa."

Let me know when his wife hauls some junior stripers wives with her on that unauthorized hop to Hawaii. I have a problem with a Lt. Col professing to think his commanding general's wife is entitled to something that trooper's wives will NEVER get access to. That's your army, though, and mine is PLENTY fcuked up of its own accord.

So, respectfully Colonel, I disagree.

A.R. nailed it. There IS a sense of entitlement/arrogance. I'm unsure where it comes from as these perfumed princes have hardly distinguished themselves with war-winning campaigns. It's been my firm belief for some years that our senior officers possess a severe case of careerism and politic-itis akin to Vietnam. We've not designed and fought campaigns to achieve victory on the field and, instead, acceded to political expediency as directed by their civilian masters.

Their job, properly, is to fall of their swords on behalf of their troops and REFUSE to play along to get along. They've not done so and, thus, we're left with billions squandered in open-sewer money-pit battlefields and blood on our risers that's running knee deep to no good cause.

[Officer of Engineers]

Let me know when his wife hauls some junior stripers wives with her on that unauthorized hop to Hawaii.

It did not happened and therefore, mere speculation on what would have happened.

I have a problem with a Lt. Col professing to think his commanding general's wife is entitled to something that trooper's wives will NEVER get access to. That's your army, though, and mine is PLENTY fcuked up of its own accord.

The perks in my army are far and few in between. Rick flew commercial more often than not and the few times, he did use a government plane was because of scheduling needs.

What Rick has done to my army is to again instill a sense of pride, a sense of service. He took a broken down, worn out army with too few men and too many jobs and saw it through a war. He lead by example. His biggest personal expense voucher was $24.95 when he bought lunch for the Minister of Defence at the cafeteria.

Even at his Change of Command ceremony, he authorized and invited the Families Fallen to attend. For what he has done for my army and as much as we needed him, he needed his wife, I don't mind him a little slack that he never used.

[S2]

OoE Reply

"...mere speculation on what would have happened."

Your opinion of such is not speculative. It is on the record. You've annointed him as worthy of that his troops would never have access to...nor their wives. So be it. Your army. As I said earlier, mine has more than enough problems to address with our leadership.

[Officer of Engineers]

Your opinion of such is not speculative. It is on the record. You've annointed him as worthy of that his troops would never have access to...nor their wives. So be it. Your army. As I said earlier, mine has more than enough problems to address with our leadership.

I, however, am not in a position to authorize his expenditures. What I accept or not accept is my own opinion and has no bearing on official policy.

[antimony]

Is that a lot or not. The general must have a budget in the millions.

For the US this seems like penny pinching to me.

DE,

India can take a lesson from this. If a country as rich (perception) as the US has such strict controls on public funds, no reason why the Indian administrators and officers and play footloose with the same public funds. I abhor the amount of perks showered on everyone from junior officers such as BDOs and SDOs right up to secretaries and ministers. Same with military officers - why do they need sahayaks at this day and age?

Also, its not just the money, its the principle that that money belongs to the taxpayers.

[JAD_333]

This is not a black issue, is it? I wish the man was purple. This was a human failing, not a racially targeted act. Only one of the 5 comments below recognizes that.

Comments from a black newspaper: Gen. Ward, Former Head of U.S. Africa Command, Stripped of Star

Ajamu Ogunleye McClennon
How does the appearance of success confuse so many in this modern era? How many examples are needed to know WE cannot play the game the same way as the MAKERS OF THE GAME do? SMH!
Reply · 1 ·
· Tuesday at 2:46pm

William R. Smith · Central Commercial High School
"the master's tools will never dismantle the master's house" Audre Lorde
Reply · 1 ·
· Tuesday at 3:00pm

George Bobb · Engineer at GT&TC
The Difference between a Black General and a White General the White one will never looses a Star.
Reply · 1 ·
· Tuesday at 3:25pm

Lee Patterson · Northwestern High School
We'd better not let the U$ Black press make a "Black role model" out of this warhawk general who lavished himself with bourgeios opulence at a time when so many Black people are suffering the most gaping divide between the opulent predator rich and the devastated dying poor...
Reply ·
· Tuesday at 6:20pm

David M Murphy
Why isn't Michelle Obama held to the same standard as Ge. Ward?
Reply ·
· 15 hours ago

[Albany Rifles]

JAD, we are damn near color blind these days in DOD. Race has no role in this.

If something does turn up I would be stunned.

[JAD_333]

JAD, we are damn near color blind these days in DOD. Race has no role in this.

If something does turn up I would be stunned.

Hey, I know that. I spent 10 years on the E-ring.

It's the perception of outsiders looking in that interest me, especially that of blacks. I not taking them to task for it, given the racial disparities of the past, but I look to their reaction as a measure of how much farther we have to go before suspicion between the races fades away.

[Double Edge]

DE,

India can take a lesson from this. If a country as rich (perception) as the US has such strict controls on public funds, no reason why the Indian administrators and officers and play footloose with the same public funds. I abhor the amount of perks showered on everyone from junior officers such as BDOs and SDOs right up to secretaries and ministers. Same with military officers - why do they need sahayaks at this day and age?

Gauging AR's & S2's comments, after ten years at war, there is a growing perception that the soldiers are taking liberties. They've split much blood during this time. A sense of entitlement perhaps inevitably sets in.

Also, its not just the money, its the principle that that money belongs to the taxpayers.

The cynical view is that in India we pay taxes without the expectation of services. This is slowly changing with more transparency and RTI.

[Mihais]

Gauging AR's & S2's comments, after ten years at war, there is a growing perception that the soldiers are taking liberties. They've split much blood during this time. A sense of entitlement perhaps inevitably sets in.


The cynical view is that in India we pay taxes without the expectation of services. This is slowly changing with more transparency and RTI.

If said officers indeed perceive they're entitled,what about those that fought WW1&2 or other similarly harsh wars of the past?What we fought is nothing but policing on a more large scale and the casulaties suffered,although tragic, are nothing compared to historic standards.Granted,a king can knight his deserving officers or a Republic may offer various bonuses,but there is difference between taking said privileges and being offered by a grateful country.Officers and men taking such steps are nothing in essence but mercenaries that fight for pay and loot.If they even fight.Way too many of the bastards and good job for US to punish the man.

One does not become wealthy by wasting money,but by taking good care of them.He may not have wasted a lot compared to others,but he was still an Officer,not a bloody merchant.

Until JAD said,I had no idea he's black,but the reaction says a lot about the sense of entitlement and tribalism that affects this community.To bad for your country.