Farewell from Tampa Bay, Florida

The Tampa Tribune's year-end farewell to prominent local residents included servicemembers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Thank you.

At Year's End, the New York Times Remembers Steve Gilliard

We thank Our Founder, Jesus' General, for his comments on the New York Times piece on Steve Gilliard in its Magazine's final issue of the year. It means a lot to everyone who knew (or knew of) Steve. Don't sweat the small stuff.

The best explanation of Operation Yellow Elephant is Steve Gilliard's June 22, 2005, piece, "An Honest Conversation":

This will be brief.

We need to be honest here: Iraq is not worth one more dead American.

People on the right and left want some deus ex machina to save Iraq, but we have, collectively, come to a simple conclusion:

Iraq is not worth dying for. Not for the warmongers on the right or the liberal hawks on the left.

It's bad the soldiers are trapped there, but we have made it their problem. No one is willingly going to join them, and 5,000 have deserted so far.

When you ask liberal hawks to enlist, they are offended by the question.

When you ask conservatives to enlist, they are offended by the question.

And America's parents are NOT sending their kids to die in Iraq if they can, at all, help it. No one blows up IED's at Wal Mart.

We have a volunteer army with fewer and fewer volunteers, and people reenlisting only to save their friends. There is a time limit to their ability to be in combat. They cannot serve forever. They will have to be replaced. And fewer and fewer are willing to replace them.

What I want people to do is be honest.

If you will not serve in Iraq, and no one you know will serve, stop expecting someone else to do what you will not.

Therefore, it is time to stop calling for more troops, or the US to make Iraq safe. We cannot do this and even Americans are refusing to join the fight. It is time to look at your actions and realize, that despite your ideals, you oppose continuing this war. In practical terms, you have decided that this war is not worth your life or anyone you know. And million of Americans have joined you in this decision.

So, with this fact evident, it is time to call for US troops to withdraw from Iraq. Not save it, not add more boots on the ground. You have already voted by your actions. It is time that you match it with your words.

We asked Steve if we could use his material on this site, and he said Yes, of course. We thank him for his generosity and spirit and honor his memory.

How the LA Times Supports Our Troops!

Your Scene in the LA Times has a great photo gallery, War Stories, where real people can submit photos honoring our troops serving in harm's way. Readers may post their own comments.

There are far, far too many for one person to thank everyone depicted for their service to our nation. [This includes Iraq and Afghanistan veterans participating in the great American tradition of robust, uninhibited debate.]

Please go ahead and thank at least some of them individually. Click on War Stories. Thank you.

Duty: Does America Expect Anything?

In "Duty" as a New Year's Resolution, W. Thomas Smith Jr. [right] cites Admiral Nelson's message at Trafalgar:

England expects that every man will do his duty.

Addressing contemporary Americans, Smith cites four duties for the New Year, which we summarize as follows:

First, Elect a competent President.

Second, Learn as much as possible of the nature of our enemy.

Third, Winning the war requires pursuing truth, solid information, good intelligence and a commitment to fight.

Fourth, Never give in, never surrender, never quit the fight.

However, even W. Thomas Smith Jr. seems to have forgotten something: Our military recruits from the very same civilian population it serves. Not everyone is eligible [healthy heterosexuals 41-or-under], of course, but lots of people not personally eligible to serve probably know somebody who is.

If W. Thomas Smith Jr. were really serious about helping America in its time of need, he would have called upon all of his readers to encourage their eligible relatives and friends, their circles of influence, at least to consider volunteering for military service.
He would also have urged his eligible readers to Be A Man! Enlist! directly.

OYE Comment:

England may have expected Every Man to Do His Duty, but does America expect anyone to do anything?

If even W. Thomas Smith Jr. cannot encourage those who agree with him to help boost military recruiting, how can he possibly expect America to succeed?

News from the House Armed Services Committee

There's always a first time: from "Vows" in the New York Times:

Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly

“FRANK CAPRA would have had a field day with the life of Gabrielle Giffords,” Robert B. Reich mused as guests began to gather for the wedding on Nov. 10 of Representative Gabrielle Giffords [D-AZ] and Cmdr. Mark E. Kelly,[U.S. Navy].

Mr. Reich, the former Labor secretary, saw parallels in the breezy down-home sincerity of the films Capra directed and the lives of Ms. Giffords, 38, a Democratic congresswoman from her home state of Arizona, and Mr. Kelly, 43, a NASA astronaut and Navy pilot from New Jersey.

Only days before the wedding, Ms. Giffords, a member of the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees, was in Iraq with a delegation. Mr. Kelly, meanwhile, is in training to be mission commander for the shuttle flight to the International Space Station in April, so the honeymoon will have to wait.

“The longest amount of time we’ve spent together is probably a couple of weeks at a stretch,” Mr. Kelly said. “We won’t always live this way, but this is how we started. It’s what we’ve always done. It teaches you not to sweat the small stuff.”

OYE Comment: Wow.

We've always pushed the idea that it would be better for America if our national leaders, in and out of government, personally knew enlisted servicemembers and junior officers, who are most at risk in combat. Although Commander Kelly is a field-grade officer [O-5], the point is the same. We trust that, in representing her constituents in Congress, Rep. Giffords will keep herself fully informed of the impact of her, and America's, decisions on those who will carry them out.

We salute the happy couple for doing their part for civil-military relations and wish them all the best.

Jonah Goldberg Wimps Out at UMass

Here's what actually happened at UMass December 12: Nothing.

Jonah Goldberg, in his column, made much of his need for extra security. The student newspaper did not mention any pitch to his audience at least to consider volunteering for military service. We've also independently confirmed that the subject didn't come up.

'So much for credible leadership from Jonah Goldberg.

The Beef Jerks

Recently, OYE did a post on the Iowa Federation of College Republicans', Benjamin Johnson, and his 'supporting' The Troops by sending beef jerky to Our Servicemen overseas. Being a loyal friend, Greg Baker (IFCR secretary), apparently wanted to take some of the negative focus off of his comrade's back by making the same ridiculous appeal to fly America's finest spicy, salty dried meat to Iraq.

“We have already purchased the items soldiers have requested such as; razors, toothbrushes and toothpaste, along with beef jerky, Little Debbie snack cakes, pre-paid phone cards, DVDs, and digital photo frames.”

OYE Comment: It's disturbingly comical how sealed bags of beef jerky will be in greater harms way than the eligible-but-unwilling-to-serve young men from the IFCR. Collecting goods that can be purchased at 7-Eleven for The Troops doesn't even grant one entry into the parking lot of the ballgame, much less the cheap seats. If 'men' like Greg and Ben are asked later in life by children they can conceivably bear "Dad, did you serve in The War you 'supported'?" will they answer with "No, but I was sure to send the brave men who did bags of Pemmican and Jack Links".

Hang in there LT Nixon, help from the IFCR is on the way.


Hat tip to Iowa Politics.

Ukraine Joins Operation Yellow Elephant!

Hat tip to Andrew Sullivan.

Lawyers Step Up to Help Veterans Gratis

by Laura Parker, USA Today:

Volunteers hope expertise will speed disability claims, improve outcome

WASHINGTON — The scene resembled Hollywood's version of how a multibillion-dollar legal deal might be negotiated. Big-name corporate law firm. Posh conference room, with a conference table so large 70 attorneys fit easily around it. Video technicians, hovering nearby, beam the meeting to other big law firms from Boston to Seattle.

Yet there was no deal to cut. Instead, the high-powered lawyers were getting a tutorial in the arcane vagaries of veterans law.

"This could be the VA's worst nightmare," Bart Stichman [above], one of the organizers, enthused from the podium. "Hundreds of attorneys from around the country providing legal service to veterans for free."

The recent gathering at Sidley Austin, a firm with 1,700 lawyers around the globe, is part of a growing effort to provide free legal help to thousands of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who are trying to win disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

"There are 100,000 veterans seeking benefits, and too many of them are waiting too long to get them," says Ron Abrams, who, with Stichman, directs the National Veterans Legal Services Program, a non-profit group in Washington spearheading the effort. "These lawyers are going to treat these veterans the way they would treat their corporate clients." [ . . . ]

OYE Comment:

Operation Yellow Elephant salutes the National Veterans Legal Services Program and its veteran clients for their service and dedication to our country AND its veterans and wishes them all the best.

Have we asked these lawyers whether any of them are personally eligible to serve in our military [healthy heterosexuals 41-or-under]? No, we have not. Here's one reason why not.

What they have volunteered to do is of great importance not only to veterans directly assisted, but, even more so, to our nation, namely: holding our national civilian political leadership accountable for their accomplishments.

Hat tip also to TalkingPointsMemo.

At 61, Father Joins Navy to Honor Son who Died in Iraq

By Ted Roelofs, Newhouse News Service, from the Houston Chronicle:

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. — Bill Krissoff [above, right] never figured to be in a position to look President Bush in the eye and ask a favor.

But there he was, sitting in a room in Reno, Nev., with Bush and several other families who had lost soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan.

His son, Marine Lt. Nathan Krissoff, 25, [above, second from right] had been killed in a December 2006 roadside bomb explosion in Iraq.

Months later, Krissoff came to a carefully considered decision: He would honor his son by leaving a flourishing orthopedic practice, a comfortable life, to join the Navy as a combat surgeon.

But his application for an age waiver was mired in paperwork.

So, on that August day in Reno, when Bush went around the room and asked if there was anything he could do, Krissoff spoke up.

A request for help

"I said, 'Yeah, there is one thing. I want to join the Navy medical corps and I gotta get some help here,' " recalled Krissoff, 61, who lives in California, near Reno.

Three days after that meeting, the Navy called.

His waiver had been granted.

Krissoff was commissioned as a lieutenant commander Nov. 18, and he expects to attend officer development school in January. Attached to the 4th Medical Battalion, he plans to join a combat surgical team and hopes to serve in Iraq.

It is a story of loss and sacrifice being told on national media outlets. But Krissoff considers himself anything but a hero. He reserves words like that for people such as his son.

"The loss of a son puts a certain perspective on things.

"It's my turn to serve. I'm honored and privileged that the Navy will have me in the medical corps," Krissoff said. [ . . . ]

more from Tony Perry of the Los Angeles Times: [ . . . ]

Krissoff concedes a kind of role-reversal is at play. "Usually it's the father who tries to lead the sons by example," he said. "In this case, my sons led me."

And what would his son Nathan think of his desire to enlist and deploy to a war zone?

"He'd just say, 'Way to go, Pops,' " said Krissoff, a slight quaver edging into his voice.

OYE Comment: Wow.

Operation Yellow Elephant salutes the entire Krissoff family, including son Austin [above, left], also a Marine officer, Mrs. Christine Krissoff [above, second from left], LCDR Krissoff's wife and the mother of both, and his mother, Mrs. Sylvia Krissoff. We thank them for their dedication and service to our nation and wish them all the best.

November 2007 Recruiting Stats: On target

The Pentagon released the recruiting and retention statistics for November 2007, with all services meeting their monthly goals. These are seasonally adjusted.

Greenwald on Jonah Goldberg

As we've made mention to on Friday, conservative 'intellectual', Jonah Goldberg, will be speaking at the University of Massachusetts at a lecture titled "All I am Saying is Give War a Chance".

Glenn Greenwald has some thoughts on the hosts and guest of the event:

Several days ago, I noted that grizzled warrior and war expert Jonah Goldberg was to appear as the featured speaker at an event hosted by the University of Massachusetts College Republicans, entitled "Give War a Chance," at which the conquering warrior-hero Goldberg would expound on the "benefits of war," while a group of super-tough, prime-fighting-age, combat-avoiding College Republicans would sit around in awe, with vicarious sensations of Epic Churchillian Toughness and Greatest Generation nostalgia pulsating through their resolute bodies, as Jonah Goldberg -- this Jonah Goldberg -- regaled them with Tales of Glory from
the Bunker.

. . .our Amherst-based College Republican Civilization Warriors received some "angry emails" about the war-celebrating event; they called for "more security"; Jonah was told to expect some opposition at the event, and now he's begging "friendlies" to attend and help him. Why, it's almost like Jonah is about to go on a mission to defend Fallujah and he's strapping on a helmet and calling in his comrades to come provide back-up. Give War a Chance indeed.

Glenn's article goes beyond what we have posted and it is well worth the read.

Ask Chelsea Clinton The Question

For the first time ever, Ms. Chelsea Clinton [above, center], an adult American citizen apparently eligible to serve in our military, campaigned for her mother, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and candidate for the Democratic Nomination for President, December 8 in Iowa.

We respect her privacy, so we have only sought to contact her through her mother's campaign and Senate office. [We leave her alone at home and work.] Hillary never responds to real Americans so of course we have heard nothing.

But by campaigning for her mother in Iowa, Chelsea Clinton has become a public figure, so it's now time for real Americans to
Ask Chelsea Clinton The Question.

After all, Mitt Romney's sons have answered it. Even Ms. Jenna Bush has answered it. Why is it Chelsea Clinton's turn?

Her mother is running for President and will not end the war. That much is clear. Senator Clinton also fully supports women in the military, including in combat. The media, and many Americans, have Asked The Question of Jenna Bush, and she has answered it.

Here's The Question:

Assuming you are eligible to serve in our military, have you considered volunteering for military service?

If not, why not?

If so, what resulted from your deliberations?

Duty. Honor. Country. Family.

In November of 2006 Spc. Alejandro Albarran lost part of his right leg to a bomb in Iraq. With the likelihood of being assigned a desk job, the infantryman has yet to decide if he will remain with The Army. "Right now, I'm leaning against it," he said.

Whatever he decides, he won't be leaving Army life behind - because his wife has enlisted to take his place in uniform.

"After everything he's gone through - and he loves the Army - he kind of inspired me," said Janay Albarran. "I made him a promise that I would finish what he started."

While he underwent five-day-a-week rehabilitation to recover his balance and strength on a prosthetic leg at an Army rehabilitation facility in San Antonio, she was in boot camp at Fort Jackson, S.C., learning to shoot a rifle and stand in formation.

Janay Albarran graduated from basic training on Friday, gaining the rank of private. The couple's 2-year-old daughter is staying with a grandmother in Arizona.

OYE Comment: Janay's courage and dedication are beyond what any civilian can know. She knew the cost of war up close and personally and she chose to enlist anyhow. We wish this young family the best as they make another life transition. It is impossible to imagine their daughter finding stronger role models than her parents.

Hat Tips: Ace of Spades HQ & the Times Daily

Senator McConnell shows what his party thinks of soldiers

Who could fail to be appalled at this statement by Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky)?

Nobody is happy about losing lives but remember these are not draftees, these are full-time professional soldiers.

Would Sen McConnell be so glib about these brave men and women if he knew any of them? But given the way young Republicans have ignored the need for more leadership in the war on whatever it is this week, it seems unlikely he would. It's all noblesse, no oblige. Whatever happened to "To whom much is given, much is expected?"

Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Horne has responded to McConnell’s repugnant comment:

“I would say that Mitch McConnell owes every member of our service and the families of the fallen an apology, but no apology from him can take back the venom he has spewed at our troops, this time. For anyone to believe that casualties of war are somehow more acceptable because they were not draftees is disgusting. For the Republican leader in the United States Senate to say that is beyond repugnant.” [From Ditch Mitch KY | Ditch Mitch McConnell ]

If this is how the Republican leadership views the men and women they have sent into harm's way, it's no surprise their own able-bodied men and women have declined the nation's call to serve. Why would you volunteer to risk your life if your mentors and role models consider it so contemptible? I'm sure the families of these 63 soldiers wish they had known that the leader of the Senate Republicans thinks that volunteering is for chumps.

[hat tip Political Cortex: Military Families Turn On Bush Republicans]

Quotation of the Day

Senator Mitch McConnell [R] campaigned for re-election in Grayson County, Kentucky. Here's the entire paragraph:

“I won't tell you everything is great in Iraq; it is not. But we want to keep a steady flow of funds so that we don't disrupt the military,” said McConnell. “Unfortunately, most of our friends on the other [a]isle are having a hard time admitting things are getting better; some days I almost think the critics of this war don't want us to win. Nobody is happy about losing lives but remember these are not draftees, these are full-time professional soldiers."

Hat tip to Talking Points Memo.

Military Recruiting Opportunity: Jonah Goldberg in Amherst, Massachusetts

National Review's Jonah Goldberg appears at UMass Amherst Wednesday, December 12, 7:30 p.m., in the Student Union Ballroom, as a guest of the UMass [College] Republicans.

Back in 2005, Jonah Goldberg Answered the Question. Why don't you ask him about Henry Hager who wants the Noblesse without the Oblige?

Senator Barack Obama on Military Recruiting

Democratic Presidential Candidate Senator Barack Obama (IL) says this about National Service on his website:

Strengthen the Military: Our country's greatest military asset is the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States. Barack Obama will work to solve the military's recruitment and retention crisis by asking Americans to serve in the military, increasing the size of the Army by 65,000 troops and the Marines by 27,000 troops, and properly training and equipping our troops to face the battles of the 21st Century. [ . . . ]

OYE Comment:

That says it all. We welcome submissions from all candidates on how they plan to address our military recruiting crisis. In fact, there's nothing preventing any candidate, including Senator Obama, from asking Americans to serve in our military right now.

OYE Salutes a Real American

From Jerry Large's November 29 column in The Seattle Times:

New Marine Deserves Our Salute

Steve Hellwig is a lanky teenager full of wide-eyed enthusiasm. [...] He graduated from Decatur High School in Federal Way last June and decided to join the Marines.

The choice ran counter to his family's view of the war in Iraq.

"A lot of my family, including myself, doesn't necessarily agree with the reason we went to Iraq," he said.

But he wanted to support the troops who have to do the fighting, and to help this country keep the commitment it made to the people of Iraq.

"How can I argue with a guy who's thinking like that?" his father, Ray Hellwig, asked. "I'm darned proud of him."

OYE Comment:

So are we. And we wish him, and his family, all the best.

Let's be honest: Colin Powell was right: We broke it; we own it. It's time for our country to look - and move - forward.

Those, such as Steve Hellwig, who lead from the front, will be recognized by the American people as true leaders who merit our support.

If the future leaders of our current governing party no longer care about America because our country will inaugurate a new President in 412 days, well, it's time for them to stop pretending - now - that the country cares about them.

No wonder Jenna Bush doesn't want a White House wedding.

The Israeli 'elite' don't need OYE

Israeli, Shahar Peer, has won over 1.5 million dollars in prize money since becoming a professional tennis player in 2004 and is currently ranked 17th in the world. A year ago she joined Israel's Military as a 19 year old.

"There is no question," Ms. Peer said. "I want to do my part."

Shahar is one of the world's busiest athletes, spending her mornings as a military administrative secretary and the afternoons practicing tennis. "It's obvious that Shahar Peer is not going to be sent off to protect the state's borders," Maj. Shirley Shapira, Peer's direct commander said. "But service in the army is a mission in Israel, and everyone gives as much as they can."

Ok, Henry Hager and Benjamin Johnson, isn't it time that you Be A Man! Enlist!

H/T to USA Today

How TSA at SeaTac Supports Our Troops

Slightly OT, but we hope you'll forgive us.

From KOMOTV's Ken Schram: Someone Should Be Fired.

I don't think things can get more screwed up with airport security.

This isn't about how investigators were able to smuggle liquid explosives and detonators past TSA screeners earlier this year.

It's about the atrocious treatment endured by some Fort Lewis soldiers who were escorting the remains of a colleague home to Virginia earlier this month.

Brief background: On the tarmac, an honor guard had been formed by Port of Seattle Police, airport fire and rescue and military personnel as the soldier's body was placed on the plane.

A police officer then took the escort soldiers up to security.

The TSA screener checked everyone's ID, including the police officer, and then had the soldiers go through the metal detectors.

Their combat ribbons and medals set off the alarms.

So what does the TSA screener do?

He has the soldiers strip off their uniforms - in front of everyone - down to their tee shirts, pants and socks.

Will someone please tell me what the hell is wrong with these people?

How does some inept, insensitive idiot with the IQ of room temperature even get a TSA job?

That TSA screener should have his ass fired.

And those soldiers deserve at least an apology.

Hat tip to News of the Weird.

The View from the Ground

from the Washington Post: For Decorated GI, Grief, Recovery and Redeployment

At a Pentagon ceremony this month, 1st Lt. Walter Bryan Jackson became one of a handful of soldiers since 2001 to receive the Distinguished Service Cross, the military's second-highest medal, for saving another soldier's life while himself wounded and under heavy fire in Iraq.

Jackson's award was overshadowed a week later, though, when he learned that his closest friend and West Point roommate, 1st Lt. Matthew C. Ferrara, had been killed in a mountain ambush in Afghanistan. Last weekend, Jackson was on stage in Los Angeles for his friend's eulogy. And on Friday, after a quiet Thanksgiving with his parents in Fairfax [Virginia], Jackson packed his bag for another yearlong deployment, this time to lead a rocket platoon along South Korea's demilitarized zone.

"It's kind of hard to explain" how it feels to be part of a small segment of the U.S. population that is "bearing the brunt of the responsibilities" from today's conflicts, Jackson said as he waited for his flight at Dulles International Airport. "It doesn't affect society at large in the slightest. Life just goes on, and a lot of people . . . are more concerned about the price of gas than about soldiers fighting and dying," said Jackson, who has lost several comrades in the wars.

Proportionally, Army lieutenants suffer the highest casualty rate of any rank in the service because they tend to lead combat patrols, and lieutenants and other soldiers in combat units can now expect to deploy to a war zone at least every other year. Indeed, the personal impact of the past few years on Jackson and his Army peers has been profound. "We are a lot more serious," said the fresh-faced artillery officer, who turns 25 today, "because we know how short life is."

Amid rising attrition among graduates of some West Point classes, Jackson said he and most of his peers from the class of 2005 are "on the fence" about whether to make the military a career. "We're expecting to see at least a third of our class get out" at the first opportunity, he said. "Everyone has their breaking point."

OYE Comment:

We thank 1st Lt. Walter Bryan Jackson and his buddies for their service and sacrifice to our nation. We cannot help but wonder whether our nation's current and future political leadership, both in and out of government, really understands. As long as they don't personally know anyone like Lt. Jackson, they won't care, because they don't have to.

Exhibit A: Henry Hager.

Photo tip to the Seattle Times.