Tag Archives: military

Stop Veteran Suicide Now: VAGrok – The AI Lifeline Veterans Deserve

Posted on by mjgranger

By Major Montgomery J. Granger, US Army, Retired (Medical Service) 

Vietnam Veterans Memorial: Three Veterans Statue, National Mall, Washington, D.C.

Seventeen veterans kill themselves every day—6,407 in 2022, over 130,000 since 9/11. That is a desecration of heroes, and the Veterans Administration (VA) has failed them.

I’m a former Combat Medic and then Medical Service officer (retired) who served 22 years, including a tour in Iraq, and I’ve seen the VA’s dissonance firsthand—low quality maintenance, unfinished facility projects, blank stares, “Last name? Last four?” It’s a meat grinder of lost MRIs, 90-day claim delays, and bean counters slicing us into percentages.

Vets hurt: helpless + hapless + hopeless = suicidal depression, and the system shrugs. Enough. VAGrok, an AI with the soul of Ray Bradbury’s “Electric Grandma,” can stop this now. It knows us, remembers us, guides us—beta-test it at Northport VA this spring, scale it by July, and aim for zero suicides. This is how we make American veterans great again (MAVGA).

A System That Forgets

Walk into Northport VA on Long Island—my home turf, servicing 112,000 vets—and it’s a time capsule of neglect. Nearly 100 years old, it’s got failing roofs, gaping construction holes, and a “temporary” HVAC unit for the homeless facility that’s been “temporary” since before 2018. A $21 million repair project announced that year drags on, with front entrance and valet parking torn up for years—it looks as if the contractors simply walked off the job. Inside, stained ceiling tiles, grimy corners, urine scent in the bathroom greet you. I spent half my 36-year education career managing school facilities; a job like that parking lot takes 6-8 weeks, not 6-8 years. This isn’t mismanagement—it is apathy. 

Northport (Long Island, NY) VA; January 2025; project approved 2018.

Military personnel are trained to notice details—“FRONT TOWARD ENEMY” on a Claymore mine, the difference between “SAFE” and “SEMI” on a weapon. In Basic Training, we scrubbed floors with toothbrushes; drill sergeants measured our underwear folds with rulers. In combat, triage was life or death: this one’s expectant, that one’s savable. Details saved lives. So, when I see potholes and crumbling asphalt, abysmal parking, weeds instead of grass, unsmiling greeters, and the same “Last name? Last four?” every visit—no eye contact, no memory—it screams neglect. Vets notice. We’re wired for it. And it cuts deeper when the care is as fractured as the building. Perceptions precede and predict reality.

The Cost of Disconnection

The VA is a connect-the-dots puzzle with missing and misconnected dots. Continuity’s gone—many visits are a reset. Specialists don’t talk, MRIs vanish, and intake forms ask, “How many blasts? How severe?” as if we kept a tally in the chaos. I gave 100% in Iraq—24/7/365—not 20% for tinnitus, 10% for PTSD. Lincoln’s promise—“to care for him who shall have borne the battle”—didn’t mean to carve us up. Yet civilians, often with no combat scars, decide our fate, slicing us into percentages. We didn’t question our orders to go to war; why are we questioned about what it did to us? 

Last year, the VA spent $571 million on suicide prevention. Results? Still 17 a day. Posters scream, “Veterans in crisis, call 988, press 1.” In uniform we weren’t built or trained to have a “crisis,” we were trained to stay cool under fire, no matter the circumstance – we hurt. “Hurting? Call 988,” would hit closer. Or even: “Thinking of hurting yourself? Call 988.” On the battlefield, we yell, “Medic!” or “Corpsman!” Walking into a VA is the same as that – it’s a call for help. But the system is hard-of-hearing. It doesn’t know us. Trust is on life support—the proof is in the body count. Young vets (18-35) kill themselves at triple the civilian rate; female vets, 2.5 times higher. Older vet suicides are climbing, too. If 17 Tesla customers died daily over car frustration, Elon Musk would stop the line, fix it, and then roll out a solution – immediately. Why hasn’t the VA done that? 

Vietnam Women’s Memorial, National Mall, Washington, D.C.

VAGrok: The Electric Grandma We Need

Imagine this: I walk into Northport VA. An app—a greeter or a large message screen—lights up: “Welcome Major Granger, your neurology appointment is in the basement. Need a map?” A map-app opens in my or a loaner device I carry with me wherever I go there. Biometrics, like facial recognition, spot me, pull my record—tours, TBI, meds, burn pit exposure, every specialist’s note. If I say “coffee,” it guides me to the kiosk, then nudges me to my appointment with a 15-minute heads-up. The doctor’s ready—no lost files, no guesswork—just a plan built from every detail of my care. VAGrok remembers me. It won’t forget. It cares, just like . . . .

Ray Bradbury’s “Electric Grandma,” from I Sing the Body Electric, who was an AI marvel—a tireless companion, healing a grieving family with memory, intuition and love. VAGrok would be that for vets. It would be an AI Medic/Corpsman with a soul, triaging suicide risk in real time—reading my face for pain or anguish. It’s not cold tech; it’s a wingman. The know-how exists—xAI could build it, hooking into VA systems with a linear, cumulative memory. No more silos, no more “prove it.” It sees us whole, restoring trust one vet at a time. And trust is a key to breaking at least one of the three H’s of suicidal depression (helpless, hapless, hopeless).

Eliminate the Waste and Abuse of the Disability Compensation Verification Process

Vast amounts of time, money and veteran lives to suicide are tied up in the process of verifying “service related” injuries and illnesses. I’m surprised they bury us whole.

If a veteran’s status is verified with a DD-214, then CARE for him/her. No one said, “Hey, Sarge, I only want to give 20% on this mission, OK?” We gave 100%, every time, 24/7/365. We didn’t question our orders to go to war, so why are we being questioned about what it did to us? The good parts are connected to the injured parts.

We made an ALL-IN bet for everything up to and including our lives. Those who lost that bet are in the ground. The rest of us are still fighting, still struggling, and 17 PER DAY are still DYING.

Continuity of care with VAGrok can prevent that – stop it cold.

Why VAGrok Works—And Who Can Make It Happen

This isn’t just about care—it’s survival. Helplessness fades when VAGrok knows your fight; haplessness lifts when it greets you with respect; hopelessness dies when it shows a path. The VA has Disney-5 star-level hospitality potential—treat us like guests, not numbers. Assume eligibility: verify my DD-214 and then care for me, no hoops, speed bumps or red tape. Upgrade facilities into welcoming hubs—fitness centers, support groups, green lawns (I don’t even care if it’s artificial turf as long as it’s clean and green), a community—not a venue of despair. Use military Guard and Reserve medics, specialists, nurses and docs who get us to fill or supplement civilian VA staff. Shift the narrative: seeking help isn’t weakness; it’s strength. 

Combat Medic Memorial, US Army Medical Department and School, Ft. Sam Houston, TX.

Donald Trump could champion this—bold, fast, “Make American Veterans Great Again.” JD Vance (Marine) brings Semper Fi trust; Pete Hegseth (Army) nails mission-first details; Doug Collins (Navy) demands efficiency. Elon Musk and xAI? Disruptive, scalable tech—this is a trip to the moon! My congressman, Rep. Nick LaLota (NY-1), sees VA Northport’s challenges. Beta-test VAGrok there—112,000 vets, ground zero. Launch April 2025, scale by July. Cost? Pennies next to 17 lives daily. Result? Zero suicides, a VA we trust and a promise kept. 

Restore trust in the VA and myriad benefits emerge: low or no suicides, improved retention, positive recruiting point (we will care for you if and when you need us).

A Cry From the Battlefield

I retired in 2008 after 22 years—three deployments, Iraq in ‘04-’05. Now I’ve got hearing loss, tinnitus, sleep apnea, heart attack in 2013, PTSD, TBI(?) and a burn pit registry entry. My first claim’s in, but why should I have to prove it? A third of my life was service; I had none of this before. The VA’s budget can’t flex—new claims, deaths, suicides shift yearly, beyond a 10-20% buffer. Assume my hurt’s from service, just like the justice system assumes I am innocent, stop treating me like I’m guilty before a trial, my trial was combat—treat me whole, not parts. Honor Lincoln’s words, not bureaucratic labyrinths.

17 vets PER DAY can’t wait. Power brief now—Northport VA, Trump Tower, Pentagon, D.C., Mar-a-Lago, let’s go!

VAGrok is the Medic/Corpsman we’d call in combat. Deploy it now. Stop the dying. 

NOTE: Major Granger is a three-times mobilized, retired US Army officer, trained and served as a Combat Medic/Medical Specialist for five years, and then 17 years as a Medical Service officer (70B), who, on deployments to Gitmo and Iraq with Military Police Enemy Prisoner of War units, was responsible for coordinating medical, preventive medical and environmental services for detention operations. On the civilian side, he earned a BS Ed. From the University of Alabama in Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, an MA degree in Curriculum and Teaching from Teachers College – Columbia University, and School District Administrator certification through the State University of New York at Stony Brook. While at Columbia University, he taught “Sport” at the Buckley School for Boys on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, where “Donnie” Trump, Jr. was one of his students. He taught health and physical education, was a coach and Dean of Students in the New York City public high schools for 8 ½ years, moved to Long Island and then began a career as a school district administrator. Interrupted on 9/11/2001, he served on three subsequent deployments that saw him separated from three young boys, his wife and career for 2 ½ out of the next five years. When he returned, he had two more children, and worked in Suffolk County public school districts, serving as district administrator for Health, Physical Education, Athletics, Health Services, Security and Facilities. He and his wife of 31 years retired in 2022, when he began to manifest multiple health issues and started exploring the VA and its services. PS – In the 1990’s he was a staff officer with the 4220th US Army Hospital Reserve Unit that performed weekend drills at the Northport VA. PPS – He was a Disneyland (California) Davey Crockett (war) Canoe Host in 1986-87, and attended Disney University (orientation), and knows the Disney business model and hospitality secrets. PPPS – Major Granger is author of “Saving Grace at Guantanamo Bay: A Memoir of a Citizen Warrior,” about his time as the ranking US Army Medical Department officer with the Joint Detainee Operations Group, Joint Task Force 160, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, from FEB-JUN 2002, and narrator of the YouTube short documentary film, “Heroes of GITMO,” based on his book.

Maj. Granger and family, Flag Day, 2008.

What the Veterans Administration Should Be: An Open Letter to Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, Pete Hegseth, and Rep. Nick LaLota (NY-1)

Posted on by mjgranger

Gentlemen,

Our justice system operates on the principle that one is innocent until proven guilty. Why, then, does the Veterans Administration (VA) seem to operate under the opposite assumption when it comes to veterans’ care and disability ratings?

Upon verifying service through documents like the DD-214 and issuing an ID card, the VA should immediately assume veterans are entitled to care as promised by the very ethos of our military service: “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan.” This statement by Abraham Lincoln in his second inaugural address at the end of the Civil War, carries no qualifiers; it’s a promise to care for all veterans, regardless of where they served or what they endured.

However, the current system is fundamentally flawed. Veterans are forced to spend considerable time and effort proving their ailments are service-related, which contradicts the unconditional service and sacrifices we’ve made. Veterans took an oath without caveats; we committed to follow orders, defend the Constitution, and potentially give our lives. In return, we should receive care without the burden of proof.

The administration of the VA by civilians lacking military or combat experience has been problematic. With Pete Hegseth potentially becoming the new Secretary of Defense, there’s hope for change. This matter should also resonate with President Trump, and I believe the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), under the influence of Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, could address these inefficiencies with common sense and innovation.

A New Philosophy for the VA:

Prioritization: The veteran should be the priority. Upon entering a VA facility, instead of the impersonal request for “Last Name and Last Four,” why not use modern technology like facial recognition and/or other biometrics for both security and personalized greetings? This would not only enhance security but also personalize and streamline the care process.

Efficiency and Technology: Implement integrated, high-tech systems to improve efficiency. Veterans should feel welcomed and valued, much like guests at a Disney resort where the business model is simple: treat every customer as a cherished guest.

Perception and Recruitment: The negative perception of the VA could deter potential recruits. If the VA were seen as a place where veterans are genuinely cared for, it might attract and keep more individuals to military service.

Facility Management and Care:

At Northport VA on Long Island, NY, the ongoing disrepair and delays in basic maintenance projects like HVAC systems or parking areas reflect a deeper issue of neglect. A 3-year, $21 million project, started in 2018, is still unfinished. These conditions not only degrade the quality of care but also demoralize veterans who must navigate an environment that seems to have forgotten them. Part of my 36-year career in education and education leadership involved public school facilities management. Some of the jobs in the capital projects plan for the Northport VA could have been completed in 6-8 weeks, rather than the current 6-8 years!

My personal health experience, after 22 years of military service including combat deployments, involves dealing with issues like hearing loss, tinnitus, sleep apnea, and PTSD, yet the process to receive care or compensation feels like an additional battle.

Rethinking VA Budgeting and Care:

The VA’s budgeting must be adaptive to the fluctuating needs of veterans, not constrained by typical government fiscal policies. The number of new claimants cannot be accurately predicted from year-to-year. It’s been over 16 years since I retired, and I am only now applying for a disability rating for the first time. Imagine the savings and improved care if we assumed veterans’ health issues were service-related unless proven otherwise? This shift could redefine the VA from an adversarial entity to one that truly supports and heals those who served.

I understand the current disability application system results in compensation, but what if I don’t need the money, just the care? Because the process is so arduous, complex and full of bureaucratic red tape, it could take months for approval, disapproval, appeals and other delays. Many veterans needlessly pay others to help them through the application process.

Conclusion:

I urge you to consider these changes, to let loose the capabilities of DOGE and the leadership of Pete Hegseth on this broken system. We should treat the whole person, not just the ailments deemed service-connected. A wholistic approach to healthcare is the most effective. Veterans have given much; it’s time the VA reflects this nation’s gratitude and commitment to our well-being by honoring Lincoln’s compassionate vision for veteran care.

Kamala Harris in the eyes of a military combat veteran

Posted on by mjgranger

The current Vice President, a CIVILIAN, has assumed the role of President of the United States, or, the Commander in Chief. In a way, this is STOLEN VALOR.

She is consciously saluting military personnel, as if she were in their chain of command. She is not. Civilians do not salute unless they are veterans and it is during an appropriate ceremony or event where saluting the flag or National Anthem are pro forma.

The goal is to promote the illusion that Ms. Harris is already Madame President. She is not. In fact, if Ms. Harris were in the military she would have been fired long ago, if not just from her appointed roles, i.e. Border Czar, then from the position of Vice President.

Recently, while describing gifts she plans to give people if she becomes the next President, she said, “I’m gonna give,” (blank amount) to the people. “I’m gonna give?” As if the money were coming from her personal bank account.

In the military, which used to be a meritocracy, if you don’t perform, you’re fired from your position. Or, you get demoted, or you get kicked out, or you go to jail. Ms. Harris would be in the running for all of these if her record were totally scrutinized by authorities over her (where are the CHECKS and BALANCES I learned about in high school government class?).

As one progresses in one’s military career there are opportunities for promotion, which are mostly based on the quality of one’s periodic professional evaluations. Good evaluations and positive results in one’s endeavors and responsibilities could lead to promotion. Performance and achievement are usually rewarded in the military.

In the case of Ms. Harris, who can tell us what her OER support form would look like? This Officer Evaluation Report support form is completed by the officer seeking promotion, for the superior officer who has the authority to grant or recommend promotion. In it, the promotion candidate details accomplishments and achievements.

Isn’t she up for a public referendum (election) on her performance? After all, she is asking to be promoted, and not just from second lieutenant to first lieutenant, but from the second highest office in the land to the very tip top position – where leadership equals influence and setting the example is paramount. She is asking We the People for this promotion. We are the promoting authority. We need to see the OER support form.

On her support form, we need to see examples of her demonstrated leadership skills, evidence of her professional competence, effective communication skills, demonstrated personal integrity and ethics; examples of teamwork and collaboration; proof of her ability to problem solve, of her adaptability, resilience and resolve; we need to see evidence of her commitment to serve as loyal commander in chief. We need to know whether or not she has been a mentor and is able to develop others. We need to understand the facts pertaining to her ability to form and maintain positive relationships and demonstrated networking skills. And, finally, we need evidence of her accomplishments and performance.

Military officers must show and demonstrate and be able to document their claims, or guess what? No promotion.

If you were to write Ms. Harris’s OER support form, what positive things could you put in it?

The bottom line is that if one wishes to be promoted in a professional environment, military or civilian, one must show demonstrated skill, competence and acumen for the job they are seeking. Kamala Harris has not shown any shred of competence in her current job. Any CEO, HR professional or shop keeper would immediately put her resume in the circular file.

She is not exceptional.

Exceptionalism is the driving force behind achievement, behind progress, behind leadership.

If we elect someone who is not exceptional, we are cheating ourselves out of a brighter future, and we are letting down those who depend on us for good decision making for their future – our children and grandchildren, who, if Ms. Harris is elected, would certainly suffer a far worse future than if another candidate were chosen.

Montgomery Granger is a retired educator and veteran, and can be found in social media under the @mjgranger1 tag.

The Medic

Posted on by mjgranger

Combat Medic

The Medic doesn’t heal you,

The Medic doesn’t stay with you.

He is like a comma or a semicolon

In the middle of a sentence;

He’s there just long enough to give you pause.

Down the road is healing, and he may take you there

By road or stream or air,

He won’t stay with you,

But not because he doesn’t care,

He just doesn’t have TIME.

On the ground he looks at you,

Processes you,

Sees your wound, your blood, your guts,

As you.

And then he either kisses you with life,

Or leaves you there to Death.

Only long after does he cry or laugh

Having seen you die or live.

The Medic sees you cry, but can’t afford to care then –

Beyond just another wound or cut.

He’s on to the next one, and the next one,

And the next.

Until Peace comes to save him,

He’s all-in!

Never quit!

Never die!

Stick a needle in his eye!

 

 

Retreat

Posted on by mjgranger

Retreat

Retreat is the hardest sound a soldier hears.

The bugle calls and pierces a warrior’s heart.

Forward, ever forward! His courage calls!

Moving back is antithetical to everything he knows.

When he is called, however, he goes,

Because a good soldier always does what he’s told,

Regardless of how his heart feels.

“Live to fight another day,” the shrill sound beckons.

“But this was my day to die,” the warrior thinks.

“This was a good day to die.”

– m.j.granger ©2018

Walmart’s Military Showcase Offers Officially Licensed Military Products

Posted on by mjgranger

Last month Walmart launched a vetted showcase where customers can shop to salute the nation’s military, veterans and their families. Walmart.com/usmilitary features an assortment of officially licensed products across all five branches of the U.S. Armed Forces — U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Coast Guard. The showcase launched with an initial assortment of nearly 3,000 products offered across a variety of categories.

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“As a 31-year U.S. Army veteran I’m proud to wear my Army gear, and I’m thrilled that Walmart is providing a way for all of us to shop for officially licensed military merchandise with confidence and convenience,” said retired Brigadier General Gary Profit, Walmart’s senior director of military programs. “It’s a privilege to be part of such important efforts to remember our service members, veterans and their families every day.”

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Since Memorial Day 2013, Walmart has hired more than 188,000 veterans and promoted more than 26,000 to roles of greater responsibility. The company is well on its way to reach its hiring goal of 250,000 veterans by 2020. Interested veterans can contact their local Walmart store or visit https://corporate.walmart.com/global-responsibility/opportunity/veterans-and-military-families for details.

“The trademark licensing program leverages the importance of pride, performance and personal development to build brand awareness and create multiple touch points for Americans to show support to the U.S. Army,” says Paul Jensen, director of U.S. Army trademark licensing.

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Each military branch independently determines which quality products and vetted suppliers are deserving of their respective licenses. These official licensees may then apply to be included in Walmart’s Online Military Showcase.  As more suppliers join this program offered through Walmart Marketplace, a broader range of assortment will provide shoppers even more choices.

Military Showcase.5

When asked what the inspiration was for the showcase, BG (Ret.) Gary Profit said, “The Walmart.com Marketplace team, which includes a few veterans, one an Army captain and one a PO2, saw an opportunity to provide an online destination where our customers could shop with confidence and convenience for officially-licensed products.”

The curated products for sale through the Walmart.com showcase are sold by individual sellers authorized by each U.S. military branch. Walmart worked directly with representatives from each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces to gather input on top categories and popular products that our customers shop for and purchase to include in this showcase.

The online Military Showcase is specifically designed as a single destination for customers eager to show their support for the U.S. Armed Forces through products that represent each branch, and even specific units. These products are officially licensed so that customers hoping to purchase items benefitting the military can do so with ease. Walmart.com/usmilitary is filled with officially licensed merchandise with the goal to continuously expand the assortment to meet customer demand, and be a place where customers come to discover those hard to find items.

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While many of these licensed products are for sale in Walmart stores, they are organized and shelved differently due to Walmart’s effort to have stores reflect the needs of the community. On Walmart.com/usmilitary Walmart is able to offer a much larger assortment of officially licensed military merchandise. While Walmart stores near U.S. military installations tend to have more military-specific products, the curated digital space for officially-licensed merchandise is an online concept at this time.

Many of the suppliers of products in the Military Showcase are veterans or have a personal connection to the military community through a family member. Walmart is eager to support service members, veterans and military families during all stages of their service journey, including through potential supplier partnerships.

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In fact, Walmart recently hosted and sponsored VetSource, a first-of-its-kind event created by the Coalition for Veteran Owned Business (CVOB) supporting the success of veteran and military spouse-owned businesses by connecting them to Fortune 500 procurement opportunities.

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Walmart’s Military Showcase is special for other reasons as well. The military branches are authorized to expend the excess of the licensing fees after expenses to morale, welfare and recreation (MWR) activities. The MWR program provides military members and their families quality of life programs and services aimed to boost morale and resiliency, with benefits such as fitness centers, libraries, parks and picnic areas, restaurants, family child care and youth and school-aged services.

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BG (Ret.) Gary Profit shared, “In 31 years of military service, my family and I have personally experienced the value MWR programs bring to military communities, enriching the lives of all they touch. I believe that MWR programs are essential to the long term viability of the all-volunteer force.  That’s why I am excited that Walmart is able to provide a way for all of us to shop for officially-licensed military merchandise with confidence and convenience.”

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And talk about commitment!  To help address challenges many veterans face when returning to everyday life, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have pledged a total of $40 million for veteran reintegration programs through 2019. The funding supports job training, education and innovative public/private community-based initiatives.

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In addition to supporting veterans, Walmart assists active service members and their families through collaborations with organizations dedicated to providing support and services in times of need. Recently, the Walmart Foundation granted $500,000 to Operation Homefront’s Critical Financial Assistance program to help meet the unique and urgent needs of military families affected by the 2017 hurricane season. The funding supported financial needs for military family members struggling to make ends meet in areas impacted by disaster, including hotel costs for those displaced from their homes, car repairs, utility bills, housing costs and groceries. The grant will also help those service members who deployed to help with recovery efforts that may have a shortfall in income due to their time away from work.

During Memorial Day 2017, Walmart announced major changes to its military leave of absence policy. The enhanced policy now offers differential pay to associates for ANY military assignment, including basic training, allowing associates who are considering enlisting in the armed forces to do so without fear of losing wages.

Lastly, Profit says, “Through our Military Family Promise, Walmart guarantees a job at a nearby store or club for all military personnel and military spouses employed by the company who move to a different part of the country because they or their spouse have been transferred by the U.S. military.”

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Please visit Walmart.com Help Center at https://help.walmart.com/

For assortment recommendations: USMilitaryProducts@Walmart.com

To apply as a Marketplace Seller: marketplace.walmart.com

Bergdahl and Honor

Posted on by mjgranger

The US Army Values are Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal Courage.

Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl apparently forgot these when, on June 30, 2009, he deserted his unit in Afghanistan, where he wanted to, in his words, “make the world a better place.”

SGT Bergdahl also forgot that he was wearing the uniform of the United States Army, and that armies fight wars. He signed up. No one forced him into service, and no one forced him to continue service if at any point he decided he had had enough.

In the Army there are legitimate avenues of redress of grievances, and now more than ever before. Your chain of command, the Chaplain, a JAG (Judge Advocate General) officer, or even the highest commander above where you think your problem lies.

SGT Bergdahl had whipped himself into an almost psychotic state of isolation, from his unit, from his battle-buddies and even from himself. In the end, the enemy seemed more desirable than the mess he had made in his foxhole.

The circumstances under which SGT Bergdahl was released, the trade of five Taliban leaders, notwithstanding, there is a reckoning on the way. That trade has its own implications of treason, but for another time.

As we enter into the penalty phase of military legal proceedings to determine not whether or not he is guilty of the crimes of desertion and  misbehavior before the enemy, for he plead guilty to those charges, but what punishment he will receive.

Some say SGT Bergdahl has suffered enough.

Some say he is not fit to live, let alone wear the uniform.

Several witnesses have testified about their war injuries and losses they claim happened because of Bergdahl’s desertion.

There were rumors but no evidence that SGT Bergdahl had given the enemy critical information about the unit and its operations and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). This would allow the enemy to anticipate the unit’s movements and tendencies, deadly information.

Some say while searching for SGT Bergdahl they were hit and men died. One man, a former Navy SEAL, claimed tearfully that his service dog was killed on one such mission.

In my opinion, all this testimony is over-engineering. It’s all good, but shouldn’t be necessary to complete the project. He deserted in time of war.

How do you maintain good order and discipline if you allow folks to just walk away?

There is no claim of insanity. There is no plea bargain. There is no excuse.

The punishment for desertion can be death.

The reason for this goes back to the beginning of human conflict. If you run in the face of the enemy you have abdicated your responsibility as a member of the group to help keep the group safe.

In our own Revolutionary War and subsequent conflicts, such as the Civil War, it wasn’t so much power and punch that won the day as which side would run first.

Name a war or conflict, and what wins the day more times than not is the will to win or survive. Fight or flight.

This is why the American Army is so effective; we are trained that in war the mission comes first. We are trained to never leave a soldier behind. We are trained be good teammates. We are trained to care for each other, help each other and protect each other. And in the foxhole, when the bullets are flying, it’s about you and your battle-buddy, fighting for your lives.

The bigger picture is that you are defending the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, part of the oath of enlistment that SGT Bergdahl breached.

But if you allow soldiers to run and then suffer no consequences, what are you telling everyone else who swore that same oath. What then does it mean?

In our politically correct, social media, “If it feels good, do it” society, oaths and promises seem blasé and passé. In fact, they are our life’s blood. If we let one instance of obvious and blatant desertion slip through the cracks, what then do we do with the next one, or the next?

Kneeling for the national anthem and the absence of even one American flag on the opening night of a national political convention are not simply warning signs, they are signs of the apocalypse that feed the idea that SGT Bergdahl did nothing wrong. That he is innocent of desertion because he was oppressed and that somehow his actions were free speech.

It’s not about any of that. It’s about loyalty. The number one most important Army value, and value in life.

The acronym constructed out of the Army Values is LDRSHIP (Leadership). The Army aspires to train every soldier to be a leader, because in the American Army, even E-Private Zero, Snuffy Smith is expected to carry out the mission if all the leaders above him are incapacitated, in the spirit of Audie Murphy, the highly decorated farm boy turned hero from WWII who was battlefield promoted from sergeant to second lieutenant and saved many lives with his heroism, over, and over again, all at 5’4” and 112 pounds.We owe it to the memory of all those who gave their lives in defense of this great nation. We owe it to those who were injured and may have died while searching for Bowe Bergdahl, and we owe it to the future of this nation that Bowe Bergdahl’s punishment fit the crime.

The only question that remains is whether or not the military court hearing the evidence against Bowe Bergdahl will see it that way.

Pearl Harbor and Our Survival

Posted on by mjgranger

On this, the 75th anniversary of the attack by Imperial Japanese on the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, we need to see the big picture. Learning from our past is challenge enough without compartmentalizing events rather than see the patterns.

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We learned from WWII that appeasement doesn’t work. We learned from Vietnam that unless our political goals match our military goals we cannot win. We learned from Desert Storm that although it felt good to complete the mission, the mission wasn’t broad enough.

We’ll get to the Global War on Terror (a.k.a. Overseas Contingency Operations) in a minute.

We learned from the Marshall Plan that in order to make the world safe for democracy one must make an investment in peace. We learned that in order to keep the peace, by projecting power and influence, we needed to stay in Germany, Japan and Italy, for example.

We learned there is a difference between using violence for conquest and using violence for liberation. We remain in countries we defeated over 70 years ago not as occupiers, but as liberators and friends. These friendships have survived because we share a belief in the principals of democracy.

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It should be easier to see now therefore, those who would lie, cheat, steal, kill and maim to achieve their goals. It should be easy to see the tragedy of the commons and the evil of Islamization.

We share values (beliefs, feelings and actions which are important to us; the most important of which are actions) with our friends, and share nothing with our enemies; not even the value of life. Our enemies gladly die to take us with them.

So what is it about the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor that can instruct us in our conflicts of today; less about the attack and more about how we defeated our enemy and where we went from there.

Simply, we pooled our resources, and then pulled our total effort into winning the war. We went so far as to intern Japanese Americans, not least because the spy for Imperial Japan for the attack on Pearl Harbor posed as a Japanese tourist.

There were no significant internal attacks on the U.S. by Japanese during WWII. Was it because we interred Japanese in America? Perhaps. Hind sight is 20/20, but in war, in order to survive, right and wrong sometimes take a back seat to what is necessary for survival.

Imperial Japanese Admiral Yamamoto’s statement while the attack took place reminds us of the futility of war: “I fear all we have done is wake a sleeping giant and then fill him with a terrible resolve.”

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Fear is a powerful motivator, but not for our current enemies. They fear only not accomplishing their mission. They welcome death.

Our Imperial Japanese enemies also did not fear death and used kamikaze aircraft to fly into U.S. targets, killing the pilots. Imperial Japanese would rarely surrender, officers choosing instead to commit hari-kari or soldiers hopelessly charging into enemy fire.

We defeated the Imperial Japanese only when we used the most fearsome weapon imaginable. Being the first and only country to use atomic weapons is no badge of honor, but the lives saved cannot be counted adequately. One estimate is that over half a million American lives were saved by avoiding an invasion of Japan.

That’s good enough for me.

The Global War on Terror is a different beast than WWII, or any other conflict we have faced. Our political and military goals could not be more dissimilar, like Vietnam, but worse.

Our wishy-washy foreign policy that claims 1) The Global War on Terror is over; 2) There are no boots on the ground, and 3) We have made progress in terror fight, only pose to confuse the reality that our enemy is in fact winning.

Americans HATE to lose. We cannot ever accept defeat. We will resist to our last breath.

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Our way forward is not as simple as island hopping in the Pacific, or crushing the enemy after the Battle of the Bulge. We cannot simply nuke the bad guys into submission.

We must go back to the philosophy of December 8, 1941, the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.  We must pool our resources, including those that did not exist in 1941, such as cyber and technological weapons.

We must see the enemy for who he is, lying (taqiyya), ruthless (murder all prisoners), immoral (OK to kill women, children and other innocents), and determined (willing to kill themselves for gain).

Until all Islamists are dead or no longer have the means or will to kill us we must defend ourselves.

Our full effort in this defense must include taking and then holding ground, like in WWII. It must include a Middle East Marshall Plan to help rebuild and then defend strategic areas. It must include establishing and then maintaining bases as power projection platforms from which we can defend our allies and interests, and influence our enemies.

The anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor is a day to remember those killed, wounded and who sacrificed for our liberty and freedom, but it is also a time to gain motivation and resolve that this and all our sacrifices shall not be made in vain.

Obama vs. Bwazir the Gitmo Detainee Who Wouldn’t Leave

Posted on by mjgranger

So, Mohammed Ali Abdullah Bwazir, 35- or 36- year old detainee at the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a “committed” and a “trained al Qaeda fighter,” with a  four page Department of Defense docket, wants to stay in President Barack Obama’s gulag. Really?

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I can see the Saturday Night Live skit now. Obama travels to Gitmo to try and convince Bwazir to leave. He tells Bwazir that if he stays he will cause terrorist organizations all over the world to increase their recruiting. “It’s not who we are,” Obama would plead. “It’s an embarrassment,” he’ll kvetch.

“Are you kidding?” Bwazir would counter (to the theme of “Green Acres”). “Club Gitmo is the place to be. Island living is the life for me! Land and sea spreading out so far and wide, forget Yemen, give me this Caribbean paradise!”

Obama: “Bu, bu, but, Bwazir, my brother, you can go back to your squalid, dirty, disgusting life! You know, the one that led you to seek jihadi training at the Khaldan Training Facility, in Afghanistan?!”

Bwazir: “Barack, my brother, here, I get prayer beads, prayer rug, a free Koran, your military Muslim chaplains to help me pray (and smuggle uncensored messages to my peeps), and a green arrow painted on the floor of my cell pointing the way to Mecca. Plus, I get halal meals, and lamb and baklava on holy days.”

Gitmo Quran

Obama: “Forget about that! What about your mama’s home cooking? Sugar konafa, goat milk curds and honey-glazed beetles!”

Bwazir: “You don’t understand, Barack, my brother. This ocean air is good for my formerly sand infested lungs. I love to watch the black Cuban rock iguanas sunning on the beach rocks. The banana rats are hilarious when they fight for the food scraps we save to feed them with at night. Besides, they don’t have Harry Potter books in Yemen!”

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Obama: “OK, OK, so the flora and fauna at Gitmo are more entertaining than in your home town. I get that. But I’ve really got to close this place. I promised to do it over seven years ago and people are beginning to think I can’t keep my promises. Can’t a brother get some love here?”

Bwazir: “I feel you, my brother, but do you realize I have had better treatment here in 14 years than I could ever hope for back home or in some third world country of your choosing? Free check-ups, dental and vision care, and Ensure when I’m not feeling like eating for myself. And have you seen the candy they give in the MRE’s?

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Obama: “Bwazir, I’m going to have to insist that you leave.”

Bwazir: “OK, I will leave on one condition. I get to come and stay at your house. I hear you have two lovely daughters!”

Obama: “Whoa, there padnah! Let’s not get carried away! I said I gotta close the place, but coming to the United States is out of the question.”

Bwazir: “But I thought you had to prove to people you were not a liar. If you don’t close this place you will lose your legacy of effective foreign policy.”

Obama: “No, no, no. You don’t understand. If I let you come to the United States and let you loose people will say I don’t care about the safety of the American people.”

Bwazir: “Fine, but I don’t want to go back to Yemen. I want to go live with my sister and brother-in-law Saudi Arabia, or with my uncle in the UAE.”

Obama: “Uh, I’d like to do that, but we don’t have enough money to bribe them with, and they won’t take credit.”

Bwazir: “Then I am staying here. That turf soccer pitch is my field of dreams. I could never leave it, or this great free Muslim resort you have here. Thank you, my brother, but no. It’s the White House or Gitmo.”

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Obama: “Final offer?”

Bwazir: “Final offer.”

Obama: “OK, you can come to Washington, D.C., but you’ll have to accept a job with CAIR. Nobody who’s a brother of mine is going to live on welfare.”

Curtain.

On Obama’s Bloody Hands: Six Air Force Dead

Posted on by mjgranger

Almost unnoticed or only given a passing glance was the recent murder of six United States Air Force members, killed while on a security foot patrol around an air base in Afghanistan. The pain and frustration over these deaths will linger for a long time, especially with their families, loved ones, and among those with whom they served, but also with those of us who understand the significance of the circumstances under which they were killed.

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The dead include the female commander of the security patrol, Maj. Adrianna Vorderbruggen, 36.  Tech. Sgt. Joseph Lemm, 45, a veteran of two prior deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq , and a New York City police sergeant.  Sgt. Michael Cinco, 28, of Mercedes, Texas. Sgt. Peter Taub, 30, of Philadelphia. Sgt. Chester McBride, 30, of Statesboro, Georgia.  And SSgt. Louis Bonacasa, 31, of Coram, New York.

Coram is a few minutes from my home on Long Island. I was a school district administrator where SSgt. Bonacasa went to school. And although we did not know each other, any time a neighbor is killed it brings home the serious nature of the Global War on Terror.

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Bonacasa was a husband, and a father of a young daughter. I know the anguish he must have felt in leaving his family to do our nation’s most dangerous work, for I left a two day old son to serve at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, just months after the attacks of September 11, 2001. Later, I served on two more deployments, including one to Iraq in 2004-2005 which saw me away from home and family for 14 months. Whether or not I was ever coming home was in the back of my mind every day in-country.

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Bonacasa loved his daughter so intensely that he wrote a poem about her and then had it tattooed on his left rib cage:

 

Daddy’s little girl,

The most precious person in my life

I can’t wait until that first night

Holding you in my hands

Now it’s time to be a man

From your first breath to my last

I’ll be there for you any way I can

Your pretty smile will melt my heart

And your sad cries will always tear me apart

Daddy will be there to wipe away your tears

And there to protect you from all your fears

Your sweet little laugh will be music to my ears

A beautiful gift from God to watch you grow through the years

There will be times when daddy is not around

He will be somewhere with his boots on the ground

There so at home everyone is safe and sound

When daddy is gone baby please don’t cry

Because for your freedom my baby girl

Daddy will die

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This heartbreaking promise from a father to his child is evidence still that we are in a bloody War on Terror, not simply some struggle against “thugs and killers,” as President Barak Obama would have us believe. This enemy is multifaceted and insidious.

Why then does our President pretend we are engaged with “lone wolf terror” and “crazy people” with guns? Every attack is connected in obvious ways, by philosophy, culture and yes, religion.

If this is not true, then why do we operate the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, like a Muslim resort: prayer beads and rugs, Korans, halal and special Muslim holiday meals that include lamb and baklava, signs in Arabic on guard towers and green arrows painted on cell floors pointing the way to Mecca, white detainee garb for the well behaved, and counsel from U.S. military Muslim chaplains?

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Obama’s denials that we are engaged in a war against Islamists fuels a misperception that has led to an inoperably thin effort that puts our troops in unnecessary peril. Too many missions, including the one that claimed these six lives, are under served with armor and overwatch – protections that should have been employed on such a dangerous mission.

I grew up as a soldier in the Army with the mechanized infantry as a combat medic, being told by my Vietnam veteran medical platoon sergeant and by the G.I.’s I served with that “you are an 11B (military occupational specialty nomenclature for infantryman) until somebody gets hurt.” They put the “combat” into “combat medic.”

Combat Medic

I learned every weapon system except for mortars, and trained to fire them. I understood the tactical and technical requirements of mechanized infantry missions. Later, as an officer, my first command was as a leg infantry medical platoon leader, responsible for support of line companies, scouts, evacuation and aid station operations. Inherent in all of this was the number one most essential element to any military mission: security.

The last nine years of my military career I spent as a medical service officer with enemy prisoner of war military police units, small liaison detachments responsible for operational oversight of detainee operations, both in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and later in Iraq. Again, the number one most important concern was security.

Four of the Air Force personnel killed, including Maj. Vorderbruggen, were members of the Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations; think the Air Force version of NCIS, the criminal investigation folks. This leads one to think there is something more going on here than a routine security patrol around an air base. It leads one to believe there was an intelligence gathering mission going on. Why were the Air Force police on foot patrol? Why so many non-commissioned officers? Were there armored weapons platforms on overwatch or in reserve? Was there sniper cover? Helicopters? Drones? If not, why not?

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Was this patrol, like the thin defenses for our personnel and ambassador in Benghazi, politically motivated? Was the major being allowed to punch her combat ticket (gender and sexual orientation aside) for promotion?  Was she trained and experienced in such patrols or intelligence gathering? Was she a linguistics expert?

In my experience, it is highly unusual for a military major to be leading a foot patrol. Majors are field grade officers, and generally assigned to staff positions in headquarters units, not front line commanders leading troops into battle or on security patrols. Usually, the highest rank for an operational combat unit is captain, one rank below major.

Why were so many killed with one motorcycle improvised explosive? Were they grouped together too tightly? Were they following protocols? Who sent them on the mission and why?

We must perform all military operations with overwhelming force and with vigilant force protection. This idea from civilians at the Pentagon and in the White House that we can perpetrate a war with a tiny footprint and only Special Forces, bombs and drones is naive at best and deadly at worst.

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If our political and military goals are not the same, we will fail, and there will be more blood spilled needlessly.

As a former combat medic I know how difficult blood stains can be to remove, and it may take Obama a lifetime to get this blood off of his hands.