The Dark Shadow of Agent orange

Back in 1961, President Kennedy, since World War II, had seen China fall to Communism and Cuba, in the USA's own backyard, fall to Communism while listening to the Soviet Union's Premier, Nikita Khrushchev, preach that, "Your grandchildren will live under Communism." Now confronted with the threat of a Communist takeover in Southeast Asia, Kennedy wanted to fight a "high tech" war using chemicals, helicopters and psychological operations. Part of that new technology was the use of herbicides to force the enemy out into the open, destroy his food source and compel the population to move to the coastal cities where it was easier to protect them.

Those of us who fought in Vietnam, especially in the heavily sprayed areas, now have to live with the legacy of that decision ... and we still do. Keeping the topic relevant, this was published in yesterday's New York Times.

Times are changing

While Russian troops were invading Ukraine, homosexual American soldiers were dancing on stage in drag. A little different from the army we knew.

Army sent to attack its own veterans

Would the U.S. government use regular Army troops against its own people ... its own veterans? It happened after World War I and MacArthur, Eisenhower and Patton were involved (sent in by Darrell Gutsche)...



"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." -- John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Feinstein: "All vets are mentally ill"

Quote of the day by Dianne Feinstein..........

Dianne Feinstein: "All vets are mentally ill in some way and government should prevent them from owning firearms."
Yep, - she really said it on Thursday in a meeting in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee...
and the quote below from the LA Times is priceless. Sometimes even the L.A. Times gets it right.

Kurt Nimmo: "Senator Feinstein insults all U.S. Veterans as she flays about in a vain attempt to save her anti-firearms bill."

Quote of the Day from the Los Angeles Times:

"Frankly, I don't know what it is about California , but we seem to have a strange urge to elect really obnoxious women to high office.
I'm not bragging, you understand, but no other state, including Maine , even comes close.
When it comes to sending left-wing dingbats to Washington , we're Number One.
There's no getting around the fact that the last time anyone saw the likes of Barbara Boxer, Dianne Feinstein, Maxine Waters, and Nancy Pelosi, they were stirring a cauldron when the curtain went up on 'Macbeth'.

The four of them are like jackasses who happen to possess the gift of blab.
You don't know if you should condemn them for their stupidity or simply marvel at their ability to form words."

Columnist Burt Prelutsky,
Los Angeles Times

Be sure to forward this to all of the “mentally ill” vets you know.

By the way, the Left-leaning apologists at Snopes are already trying to rationalize that she really didn't mean it that way.

Artillery Strong

Happy Veterans' Day to all my field artillery brothers and thanks for the well-wishes of those who sent messages. Of all the combat arms (infantry, armor and artillery), I always felt lucky that I got into the artillery - the "king of battle." When I graduated from OCS, I requested on my "dream sheet" to be a gunnery instructor at Fort Sill in the artillery school but, in reality, we all knew that the real reason they made us 2nd lieutenants was to go fight for freedom against the Communists in Vietnam.

I was an artillery fire direction officer for a year in the I Corps combat zone where. along with Andy Tenis, Jim Lary and a hundred other original members of "C" Battery, I received calls for fire, supervised the calculation of precise firing data and gave the command to fire over 38,000 rounds of heavy artillery from the world's longest-range (20 miles) cannons. We shot continuously at targets all over the Vietnam DMZ during 1966-67 in support of 3rd Marine Division ground operations. We quickly became the target of enemy gunners, as well. It was a scary and yet exciting time. We did a lot of damage. You definitely did not want us shooting at you!

Here is an Army video showing the "shock and awe" of artillery firepower with some good "fire for effect" impact zone footage at the end.



"Artillery lends dignity to what would otherwise be a vulgar brawl." -- Frederick the Great

"A battery of field artillery is worth a thousand muskets." -- William Tecumseh Sherman

"Ultima ratio regum. (The final argument of kings.) -- Inscription on french cannons, on order of Louis XIV

Veterans' Day is Monday, 11 November

"I am a warrior and this is my song ..."



"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." -- George Orwell

"The most persistent sound which reverberates through men's history is the beating of war drums." -- Arthur Koestler

"History teaches that war begins when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap." -- Ronald Reagan

Disabled War Vet? -- You're On Your Own

The Federal government's slim down, shut down or whatever you want to call it affects about 15 percent of federal operations deemed to be "non-essential." Guess what: if you're a disabled military veteran, you are, apparently, non-essential or expendable or something. If the millionaire politicians in Washington cannot find a way to compromise by October 17th, VA disability checks will not go out. Welfare checks will go out. Foreign aid will go out. But if you were disabled fighting for your country, you are SOL.

In Congress, the House of Representatives (with a Republican majority) sent legislation to the Senate (with a Democrat majority) that would keep the VA open and meet the government's "obligations" to military veterans - particularly, disabled veterans. The Senate will not vote on the measure. So we know who voted against veterans in the House but we will have no record of what Senators would vote against it. The President (a Democrat) has said he would veto such legislation anyway because he wants the debt ceiling raised or nothing and he will not negotiate or compromise on that.

The central argument is over the (un)Affordable Healthcare Act frequently referred to as Obamacare. It has been pointed out that the country went through similar objections to Medicare and Social Security. That should be a warning. Medicare is dying; it is replete with fraud and doctors continue to drop out of the program. (AARP, however, continues to get rich selling additional insurance that is supplemental to Medicare.) Social Security is a ponzi scheme that we older citizens are benefiting from but is going broke and will not work for our children and grandchildren because there will not be enough productive people left to pay into it. The simplest description of Obamacare is this: it gives free insurance to about 30 million poor people who previously could not afford it (and also to people with pre-existing afflictions) and raises premiums on the Middle Class to pay for it. Big corporations, big unions, politicians and government employees have mostly been given waivers and are exempt from paying high Obamacare premiums and, in some cases, are even getting government subsidies to pay for healthcare. The whole thing is being run by the IRS and if the IRS doesn't think you paid enough, they can take it out of your tax refund or even your bank account.

To quote General Patton, "... so now you sons-of-bitches, you know where you stand!"

Read more: VA Chief says Shutdown could hit millions of veterans

Vietnam Vets Turned Away at The Wall in DC

Our dysfunctional government's partial shutdown stemming from political differences between Republicans and Democrats has included attempts to close memorials to military veterans including the Vietnam "Wall" in Washington, DC. Barricading the war monuments and placing staff to try to force visitors out of open air war memorials has motivated elderly veterans to tear down and go around newly placed barricades as they defy the government's efforts to deny them their right to visit and show respect to fallen comrades. At The Wall, Vietnam veterans climbed over the barricades as shown in this video.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Inc. (VVMF) raised nearly $9,000,000 entirely through private contributions from corporations, foundations, unions, veterans and civic organizations and more than 275,000 individual Americans. No Federal funds were needed.



"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty." -- President John F. Kennedy

Grandson, Kevin, Takes Army ROTC Oath

My Grandson, Kevin Smith, signed a Army ROTC contract yesterday which includes a national scholarship. Last year, at Northern Illinois University, Kevin was their top freshman cadet. His scholarship covers tuition, housing and books for the next three years and also includes a monthly cash stipend. In addition, he has an opportunity for a paid Army internship overseas next summer at a country of his choice. When he graduates with his bachelor's degree (his major is accounting), he will be commissioned by the President and Congress as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Reserves (most likely in the Finance Corps). He is their top athlete (runs the mile around 4:30) and has a 3.71 GPA. Here is a video clip of the swearing in ceremony administered by Colonel Dosier, professor of Military Science at NIU. The oath will be repeated at the 50 yard line of Huskie Stadium during half-time of the NIU football game on November 13th which is Military Appreciation Day on campus. Kevin is the taller cadet, fifth from the right ...

The VA, Guns and PTSD

Is the government trying to disarm veterans by encouraging them to admit to PTSD?

If you go to VA hospitals, you have probably noticed many posters and interview questions expressing concern about veterans who could be suffering from PTSD. You may be able to collect more disability payments if you admit to depression and PTSD but it may also result in a judgment of mental illness/disability against you by the federal government.

The author of this article suggests that there are "horrendous and ongoing efforts by the Veterans Administration to disarm American military veterans by declaring them incompetent to handle their financial affairs due to physical or mental disabilities. Once declared incompetent the veterans are arbitrarily stripped of their Second Amendment right to purchase, own, or possess a firearm."

Link to the article: Psychiatry as a Weapon of Tyranny

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"I have a very strict gun control policy: if there's a gun around, I want to be in control of it." -- Clint Eastwood

"He that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one." -- Luke 22:36

"Remember: the average response time to a 911 call is over 4 minutes. The average response time of a 357 magnum is 1400 FPS." -- Anonymous

Monsoons and Mud

Greg Smith standing in the mud somewhere just south of the DMZ. This is probably at Camp Carroll or maybe Dong Ha in late 1966. I remember trying to keep my feet somewhat dry by wearing galoshes over my combat boots but, as we all know, there was no way to stay dry or even warm sometimes.

Send me your Vietnam photo with a description that you'd like to share where your face is clearly visible and I'll post it. email Greg Smith

Stand Your ground

This thief messed with the wrong girl.

You say you don't want females in your artillery unit because you don't think they can fight? I think I'd take this one. She's not exactly a "tomboy" either because she's wearing a skirt and looks about 5'2". This subway security cam footage reveals that no one else came to the aid of a lady in distress. Turns out she didn't need it. I hope her phone is OK.


(You might need to wait a minute for this GIF to fully load.)

More Stolen Valor

Check out the ribbon rack on Sanford, FL police officer Doris Singleton at the recently televised Zimmerman-Martin murder trial in Sanford, Florida. Apparently, some police departments like Sanford's allow their personnel to wear military ribbons on their police uniforms -- if they earned them. However, no one seems to be overly concerned about whether the wearer has earned them or not.



Officer Singleton, in the above photo, is wearing several medals that are actually from World War II. For example, the ribbon on the lower right above her right breast pocket is the World War II Army of Occupation Medal; what the hell is she doing wearing that award? When asked about it, the Sanford Police Department said that since they didn’t have their own awards system, they went to the Army-Navy store around the corner and picked out Defense Department military ribbons to fit their own format. WWII was selected, a spokesman said, because they knew there weren’t many veterans from that period alive so they didn’t think people would notice.

If they want to steal ribbons from people who earned them, maybe they should wear stolen Girl Scout badges -- like the ones for selling cookies.

New Stolen Valor Act

President Obama on Monday signed into law the latest version of the Stolen Valor Act, which makes it a federal crime for people to pass themselves off as war heroes by wearing medals they didn't rightfully earn. The legislation passed both houses of Congress with overwhelming majorities. An earlier version, passed in 2005, was struck down in June 2012 when the Supreme Court ruled that lying about military heroics was constitutionally protected speech unless there was intent to gain some benefit or something of value by fraud. The law signed Monday at the White House includes such a provision, making it illegal to make the claims with the intent to obtain money, property or other tangible benefits.

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/06/03/obama-signs-new-stolen-valor-act.html

"True valor lies between cowardice and rashness." -- Miguel de Cervantes

National Anthem - Chicago Blackhawks

The most stirring and uplifting version of the Star Spangled Banner anthem must surely be the experience in Chicago before the beginning of each Blackhawks hockey game. With the Stanley Cup Playoffs in full swing and the Blackhawks with the best record in the National Hockey League, the crowd at the United Center on west Madison Street in Chicago is louder than ever. It has been a tradition in Chicago for over 25 years to start cheering, applauding, screaming and whistling from the first note of the anthem in crescendo through the last note. Nowhere is the U.S. National Anthem performed with a louder, more enthusiastic, inspiring and patriotic effort.

Many who have experienced it will say it sends chills down the spine. The noise from 22,000 fans is almost painfully deafening. If you have never been to a Blackhawks game in Chicago, perhaps this short video clip will give some idea of what it's like during the anthem at the "Mad House on Madison." This particular one contains many signs and flags honoring U.S. troops who were viewing via a live broadcast to the Middle East.

Remembering Lawton

Artillerymen from all over the globe have trained at Fort Sill and most have vivid memories (good and bad) of adjacent Lawton south of the post. Lawton was once Oklahoma's third largest city behind Oklahoma City and Tulsa; but now it is fifth - surpassed by Norman and Broken Arrow. In the 1960s when our 2nd Battalion 94th Artillery was re-formed and trained at Fort Sill for service in Vietnam, Lawton was a $1 cab ride from anywhere on Fort Sill. Here are a few iconic symbols of Lawton from the 1960s ...

Bianco's Demolished - End of an Era
Dinner options in 1960s Lawton were mostly limited to Bianco's Italian Restaurant on 2nd Street or Wright's Steakhouse on Cache Road. Rose Bianco, herself, was a Lawton institution. She died a few years ago and worked at the family restaurant well into her 90s. When Kaye and I were married at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in 1966, our reception moved from the church to Bianco's and then to the Officers' Club on post. There were failed attempts to preserve Bianco's as an Oklahoma historic landmark. Rose's family was unable (or unwilling) to keep it going. The sign was auctioned off and there is an attempt to sell jars of spaghetti sauce from her recipe online. Here's a photo of the wreckers taking it down.


Holy City of the Wichitas
In the 1930s, the federal WPA financed various construction projects around Lawton including the road to the top of Mt. Scott and a replica of old Jerusalem on land north of Fort Sill's west range in the National Wildlife Refuge. (Good luck trying to get the federal government to finance a Holy City these days.) Structures and scenes for each of the 14 Stations of the Cross were erected using locally quarried stone. The Passion was portrayed over several hours starting around 3 a.m. and ending with the Resurrection at sunrise on Easter morning. Its popularity peaked in the 1940s with over 150,000 visitors in observance on the surrounding hills and thousands of radio stations from all over the country broadcasting the services. During the mid-60s when we were there, it still attracted over 40,000 worshipers.


Drive-Ins
Muscle cars and drive-ins were ubiquitous in the 1960s and an army town like Lawton had more than its fair share of each.


Old Downtown Lawton
Downtown Lawton - especially at night - was a wild, tempestuous place. Known as the "impact zone" to artillerymen, C and D streets were loud and often unruly with bars, pawn shops and brothels. But the good old days were gone forever when the city completely leveled the old impact zone and replaced it with an indoor mall. Here is a view in the 1960s before the mall.

Meers
Last - but not least - is the old restaurant and store in the abandoned mining town of Meers in the mountains west of Mount Scott. Home of the "Meersburger," this shack is still an attraction and many generations of artillerymen have walked those those doors just so they could go home at talk about it.

“An era can be said to end when its basic illusions are exhausted” -- Arthur Miller

Jane Fonda Apologizes Again

Jane Fonda tells Oprah Winfrey "that thing" she did in North Vietnam was an “unforgivable mistake” and talks about what she learned when she apologized to a group of Vietnam Veterans in an episode of Oprah’s Master Class.

If she is apologizing for giving aid and comfort to the enemy (which is, obviously, what she was doing), then she should apologize for that. She seems to be saying that she was tired at the time and that they tricked her. I still don't understand what her "apology" is actually for. Do you? Is this a genuine apology or is she just being an actress?


"Apology is only egotism wrong side out." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

U.S. Removes Last Tank from Germany

Jay Wilmeth saw this story: there are no more U.S. tanks on German soil. Auf wiederSehen!

US Army's last tanks depart from Germany By John Vandiver | Stars and Stripes | Published: April 4, 2013
"STUTTGART, Germany — The U.S. Army’s 69-year history of basing main battle tanks on German soil quietly ended last month when 22 Abrams tanks, a main feature of armored combat units throughout the Cold War, embarked for the U.S.
From World War II on through the Cold War, tanker units were a heavy presence in Germany. At its peak, Germany was home to 20 NATO armored divisions, or about 6,000 tanks, according to the 21st TSC."
More.

Women in Artillery Units

Here is a story about women in artillery units dated Apr 01, 2013 published in Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer by Drew Brooks ...

Women Break Ground in Combat Roles
"The question of whether women can serve in Army roles previously restricted to men is being answered on Fort Bragg, where the male-only world of artillery has opened to female soldiers. Last summer, the 18th Fires Brigade began a pilot program aimed at introducing female officers to what were once all-male units.
The program began even before then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced the repeal of rules against women serving in male-only positions.
Nearly a year later, the brigade is preparing to break ground again when it receives the first female-enlisted soldiers in an artillery unit in May."
More.

Here is what former 2/94 FA battalion commander and retired Lieutenant General Richard Trefry had to say when asked Friday, 25 Jan 2013 by NewMax's Paul Scicchitano about Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's announcement in January to allow women to serve in combat units ...

Ex-Lt. Gen. Trefry: Women Not Fit for Combat Infantry
"Retired Lt. Gen. Richard G. Trefry, for whom the Army’s Lifetime of Service Award is named, tells Newsmax that he believes Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is making a “mistake” in lifting the Pentagon’s long-standing ban on women serving in combat.
“I’ve served in combat. I’m a male and I just have often thought that I would not want my wife, my sister, my mother to experience some of the things that I experienced and what I saw,” explained Trefry in an exclusive interview on Wednesday. 'It’s just that simple.'
Trefry spent 33 years on active duty service in the Army and saw combat in Vietnam and Laos before going on to serve as Inspector General of the Army for his last six years under three chiefs of staff and secretaries of the Army."
More.

Meanwhile ...

Female Marines Fail Infantry Officer Course
"The only two women to participate in the Marine Corps Infantry Officer Course (IOC) failed ongoing tests to determine which infantry positions should be available to women, according to the Marine Corps Times:
The women failed the introductory Combat Endurance Test, a punishing test of physical strength and endurance, officials at Marine Corps headquarters said Tuesday. The latest class began March 28 at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., with 110 lieutenants participating. Ninety-six men passed the initial endurance test. Twelve men and two women — the only female Marines taking part — failed.
The two women both volunteered to participate in the IOC. Two other women had previously volunteered in September but also failed.
More.

Leave a comment if you have one.

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"I do not believe in using women in combat, because females are too fierce." -- Margaret Mead

"I think women are too valuable to be in combat." -- Caspar W. Weinberger

Whistleblower: VA Hiding Veteran Health Data

Is the VA up to their old tricks? This article was published in military.com Mar 14, 2013 by Bryant Jordan

2/94 FA Reunion, 2004 - Part 2 (Remarks by General Gray)

I have extracted the complete speech by Al Gray, USMC from the recording made by Darrell Gutsche at the 2004 Reunion and compressed it as a streaming YouTube video. We are fortunate that Darrell took it upon himself to act as the battalion videographer and saved the memories of that reunion in a video record. Part 1 included my introduction of General Gray. This is Part 2, after-dinner remarks by General Gray. Part 3 should be ready in another week and will summarize the evening with highlights from Gray's remarks and his signing of memorabilia later auctioned to raise funds for the battalion. General Gray is best known to the 2nd/94th as the 12th Marines S-3 who controlled artillery fire direction operations in the DMZ and also as the commander of the precarious combat base at Gio Linh where 2/94 firing batteries fought for about a month each with elements of the 12th Marines during the spring and summer of 1967 while enduring a daily barrage of incoming enemy rockets, mortars and artillery.



"A veteran is someone who, at some point in his/her life, wrote a blank check payable to 'The United States of America' for an amount 'up to and including my life.'" -- Unknown

Medals for Drone Pilots?

Our Nobel Peace Prize-winning President, who apologized to the world for Bush's water-boarding of three terrorists caught on the battlefield (none of whom were killed), has now, at his own discretion, killed almost 5,000 people (including some very bad guys) using predator drones. Drones are controlled by "cyber pilots" sitting in an office behind a computer screen using a joy stick.

Now, there is a new service medal for these drone pilots and other cyber warriors. Soon after its announcement on Feb. 13, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Military Order of the Purple Heart both slammed the decision to rank the award higher than the Bronze Star with Valor device and the Purple Heart - both medals earned in physical combat or through direct enemy action. Is this yet another example of the Army brass and the Joint Chiefs allowing their civilian masters to water down the U.S. military? What's next, drone pilots filing for PTSD? Anyway, here's the story ...

DoD Stands Behind Controversial Drone, Cyber Medal

Obviously, it's a much safer way to fight; but, does it warrant a high precedence combat medal? Here's is a clip of our very efficient cyber warriors in action executing a drone strike ...



"Two words for you: predator drones. You will never see it coming.” -- Barack Obama

2/94 FA Reunion, 2004 - Part 1

Captain Greg Smith introducing General Alfred M. Gray, 29th Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps as the dinner speaker at the 2004 Reunion of the 2nd Battion (175mm Guns) 94th Artillery, U.S. Army at Washington, DC September, 2004. General Gray's remarks to follow as Part 2.

General Gray who, as biographer Scott Laidig's recently titled book suggests, preferred to be known as Al Gray, Marine, was a Major and the S-3 of the 12th Marine Regiment on the DMZ in 1966 when he wrote the request to General Westmoreland that the Army's 2nd battalion, 94th Artillery be re-routed as we sailed across the Pacific on the USS Eltinge. As a result, our battalion of 175mm guns landed at Da Nang and instead of Saigon and headed north where we were operationally attached to and fought with the 3rd Marine Division. The Marines were being out-gunned on the DMZ by Russian-made artillery with a longer range than anything the Marines had and our 175 guns, with the longest range (20 miles) of any artillery weapons in the world, changed all that.

Al Gray went from private to four-star general and was one of those legendary American military heroes who would lead from in front: a pure warrior. All of us were changed forever for having fought with him.



"There are higher things in life than the soft and easy enjoyment of material comfort. It is through strife, or the readiness for strife, that a nation must win greatness.. .A rich nation which is slothful, timid, or unwieldy is an easy prey for any people which still retain those most valuable of qualities, the martial virtues." -- Theodore Roosevelt

"Anyone who has ever looked into the glazed eyes of a soldier dying on the battlefield will think hard before starting a war." -- Otto von Bismarck

Scott Laidig's book about General Gray

I received an email today from Scott Laidig who is one of General Al Gray's biographers.

Part One of Al Gray, Marine has just been published. The hard copy version can be purchased from the publisher for $50 here ... http://www.potomacinstitute.org/index.php/publications/books/algray

I just bought the Kindle version on Amazon for $10.

Our 2nd Battalion 94th Artillery connection goes back to 1966-67 when Gray was a Major and ran the 12th Marine Regimental Artillery Fire Direction Center that had operational control over our Army battalion of 175mm Guns. After we were first attached and found ourselves fighting with the Marines, I remember having heard sarcastic comments from some Marines like "we're safe now the Army's here." But we earned their respect and the Marines - particularly Major Al Gray - came to depend on our massive, long-range firepower. Some of us got to know Gray very well while serving with him when he was the commander at the Gio Linh combat base - where we were attacked constantly and suffered our greatest casualties. During quieter times, he would stop by occasionally and participate in a softball games with us at Camp Carroll and Dong Ha. He was a good friend of the battalion and a valuable connection to the 3rd Marine Division.

When I organized the 2004 reunion in Washington, DC, our own GEN Trefry helped me get Gray as the speaker at our reunion dinner. After Vietnam, he went on to become a four-star General and the 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps. He was a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during Desert Storm in 1991. GEN Gray was always rather informal. Every time I talked with him on the phone, he always identified himself as Al Gray; so, I guess it's not surprising that Scott titled the book, Al Gray, Marine. Scott interviewed some of us who are honored to be included in the book.



"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem." -- Ronald Reagan, President of the United States; 1985

"The Marines I have seen around the world have the cleanest bodies, the filthiest minds, the highest morale, and the lowest morals of any group of animals I have ever seen. Thank God for the United States Marine Corps!" -- Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady of the United States, 1945

"Take me to the Brig. I want to see the 'real Marines'." -- Major General Chesty Puller, USMC - while on a Battalion inspection.

Band of Brothers ... and sisters, too?

Senior defense officials say Obama's Pentagon chief Leon Panetta is removing the military's ban on women serving in combat, opening hundreds of thousands of front-line positions and potentially elite commando jobs to females ...

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57565479/panetta-lifts-ban-on-women-in-combat/



The world's first politically correct war machine - how nice. Will our women have to fight in the trenches and duck incoming up through the second trimester before getting maternity leave? Will the misogynist Muslims do more to them that just cut off their heads when they are captured? Will all the girls have to register for the draft now when they are 18? Will they need steroids to lift those 50 caliber machine guns and 200 pound artillery projos? When the Drill Instructors refer to recruits as "ladies," I guess it won't be considered a pejorative term anymore.