September in the Carolinas

I attended a talk in North Carolina right before I headed out to school in September. It was by a IVAW member who had written a book. He was a good speaker, and the questioning was lively after he finished his talk. One of the members of the audience asked him about where was the leadership from the officers (his talk and experience mainly centered on the Abu Ghraib area/issue). Apparently he had had some bad experiences with the officer corps and his reply was pretty negative in terms of the leadership during his time in. His answer upset the man who had asked the question. I could tell by the look on his face. I would bet the gentleman who asked the question was either a retired officer or the father of one. You can often tell by the bearing, dress, and for some reason I have yet to see one that has been willing to give up the haircut after retirement.

Anyway, I was in a rush to get to the weekly sign holding outside of the court house, and because I am a big fat chicken I didn't take the opportunity to bring up some of the many examples I have known of through the years of our officer corps doing their best to lead in some really complex situations.

The funniest one I ever saw was a news report of a Air Force major(wrong was a Lt.Col.), if I remember right, who was caught defacing Bush stickers in the base parking lot. Apparently he was inking them out at lunch or something. That one was a long time ago. Then there is the ongoing struggle of Lt. Watada, and I know I remember the first torture legislation was first initiated because an Army officer came forward and said the policies he was being asked to carry out violated not only Army policies but his Christian values as well. I have seen many, many examples in news articles over the years.

This quote I pulled from another book I was reading, and I think it is a good illustration of another type of story that I hear often as well, about those who chose to go and are doing their best to create something positive out of chaotic situations. This came from an NPR report (All Things Considered) 2003:

"During the early days of the second American invasion of Iraq, a group of soldiers set out for a local mosque to contact the town's chief cleric. Their goal was to ask his help in organizing the distribution of relief supplies. But a mob gathered , fearing the soldiers were coming to arrest their spiritual leader or destroy the mosque, a holy shrine.
Hundreds of devout Muslims surrounded the soldiers, waving their hands in the air and shouting, as they pressed in toward the heavily armed platoon. The commanding officer, Lt.Col. Christopher Hughes, thought fast.
Picking up a loudspeaker, he told his soldiers to "take a knee", meaning to kneel on one knee. Next he told ordered them to point their rifles toward the ground.
Then his order was: "Smile."
At this, the crowd's mood morphed. A few people were still yelling, but most were now smiling in return. A few patted the soldiers on the back, as Hughes ordered them to walk slowly away, backward-still smiling."

I know that 2003 was a long time ago, and I pulled the quote from a book that was trying to make an unrelated point. The point I am trying to make here is that I have heard/read of incidents that without the leadership making the choice to take the higher road, the death toll would likely be even higher.

I wish I had spoken up and said that to the older gentleman. To the young man from IVAW, I am sorry his experience was so bad.

UPDATE: Found it at GI Special Archives
Aug 10 Reuters & Associated Press

A U.S. Air Force colonel has been charged with painting obscenities on parked cars bearing pro-President Bush bumper stickers, police said on Wednesday.

Lt. Col. Alexis Fecteau, who supervises 41 full-time and part-time reservists at the National Security Space Institute in Colorado Springs, Colo., is suspected of vandalizing 12 cars at Denver International Airport over a six-month period, Denver police spokesman Sonny Jackson said.

Fecteau is suspected of blacking out the Bush bumper stickers and then spray painting an expletive and the president's name on the vehicles.

"Lieutenant Colonel Fecteau has been charged with one count of felony mischief and six misdemeanor counts related to the vandalism," Jackson said.

Fecteau, who could not be reached for comment, is scheduled to be arraigned later this month.

Police said they received numerous complaints dating back to December 2004 from people with cars bearing Bush or Bush-Cheney campaign bumper stickers that their vehicles had been vandalized.

Police set up a bait car with a pro-Bush bumper sticker, parked it at the airport with a surveillance camera, and waited. On July 1, the camera recorded a man spray-painting over the bumper sticker with an expletive.

Investigators traced the license plate of the suspected vandal to Fecteau, 42, who turned himself into police last week and was released after posting a $5,000 bond.

Jackson would not comment on a possible motive for the vandalism, but said one victim had to spend $2,000 on repairs after it was spray-painted, which led to the felony charge.

Maj. Tina Barber-Matthew, spokeswoman for the U.S. Air Force Space Command, said the case was under investigation, but that it would be "premature" to discuss what discipline Fecteau would face if convicted.

"Until we can validate or invalidate the charges, he is still on full-duty status," she said.

Barber-Matthew said Fecteau has been in charge at the post since October 2004. The institute provides ongoing training to Air Force personnel to keep them current on space technology and its applications, she said.