On Thursday, August 26th, 13 U.S. service members were killed in action by a suicide bomber outside the gates of the Kabul Airport in Afghanistan.
In his farewell address, President Dwight Eisenhower warned Americans of the hazards of an expanding “military-industrial complex”. Today, our military still suffers the costs of the military-industrial complex. Additionally, Wokeism has corrupted senior military officers, politicians, and military contractors, leaving military personnel at risk. I lay responsibility for the bombing on ISIS-K and the Taliban, but the irresponsible actions of the president and senior military officers allowed it to occur. They are inept and hold undeserved positions of power. They are members of a ‘pseudo-elite’ oligarchy. They are not true leaders.
Today’s top military bosses focus on issues that are either dispensable, or destructive to the military. The death of 13 brave Marines is a clear confirmation of the incompetence and the arrogance of President Biden and the senior military.
In a discussion the day after the bombing, my follow members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) had two thoughts about President Biden, his generals, and the plainly foreseeable bombing that occurred. One was the wasteful sacrifice of lives, limbs, and fortune that was endured by them, their friends, and American taxpayers. Emotions ran high as these remarkable warriors related stories of the selfless sacrifice of their friends who were killed serving our country in past wars. Though difficult, I was able to get these modest and decent men to relate to me their own sacrifices they were asked to make for their country. I was profoundly touched. It made my own sacrifice of selling my business at a loss to join the active-duty military after 9/11, seem trivial. The second point they strongly made was to lay the blame collectively at the feet of the president and his top generals. Despite the president’s best efforts to place responsibility on everyone but himself, these men plainly attributed the tragedy on a lack of military and political leadership. They also ascribed blame to the Obama purge of senior military officers starting in 2013 where hundreds of great leaders were forced out of the ranks, leaving the military with the incompetent, but Woke generals we see today. They noted the current purge of “extremists” in all the ranks initiated by Secretary Austin. This was seen as an attempt to fully rid the ranks of those who would oppose anti-constitutional ideologies. They felt a rising generation of young patriots being well led and equipped could bring back the quality of the force we enjoyed for decades, that was lost under the dual derelictions of duty of Obama and Biden. Good troops with high morale are more important than expensive equipment and bloated budgets.
Our prospective adversaries don’t find themselves stuck in sterile, drain-spinning, deceitful public dialogs about identity politics and Wokeness. Our dialog should be about what is needed to have the best equipped, best trained, best led and toughest special operators, soldiers, marines, sailors, coastguardsmen, and airmen in the world. As we saw four days ago, “conversations” are not only a waste of time, but they can lead to needless destruction and death.
An average corporal could have planned and executed the withdrawal from Afghanistan better than Biden and his generals. Unfortunately, they were too preoccupied with policies that would reform the military in the image of timorous Woke ‘intellectuals’; instead of hardened, smart and ethical warriors. They were more concerned with optics, than an orderly and safe departure from Afghanistan. Just a few examples substantiate those points:
- The Chief of Navy Operations placed on his recommended reading list the book, “How to Be an Antiracist’ by the biased and bigoted ‘scholar’ Ibram X. Kendi. Kendi’s theories are antithetical to both American liberty and creating a cohesive team of diverse individuals critical to effective military operations.
- The president selected a withdrawal date predicated on political considerations and not the situation in the theater of operations. This led to a hasty chaotic withdrawal, the abandonment of hundreds of civilians, and the deaths of 13 cherished Marines.
- Instead of concentrating on the real enemies of American freedom and liberty, the senior military created new ‘enemies’. They targeted Tucker Carlson of Fox News, who dared question the fanatical focus on Woke issues, as opposed to concentrating on fielding a well-led, well-trained, and effective fighting force.
- They began a massive witch-hunt to find virtually non-existent white supremacists in the ranks.
- They failed to work with our allies. The American military, until now has never “cut and run”, leaving its friends to the mercy of real extremists and malevolent regimes. In an incident with the commander of the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division, British officers of the 2 Parachute Regiment and the Special Air Service were sending patrols outside the Kabul Airport perimeter to secure and safeguard British subjects, as well as refugees from allied countries. NOT in the tradition of elite paratroopers, the American commander “ordered” the Brits to cease operations. It made the U.S. president “look bad”. The British, who were not under his command, refused and continued their rescues anyway. Seeing the British, French, German, Dutch, Italian and Australian soldiers braving the Taliban, ISIS, and the hordes of people around the airport, American 82nd soldiers requested permission to conduct rescue patrols themselves in order to save U.S. citizens. They were denied permission by the command. The confrontation diminished UK and US relations, not to mention relationships with other countries that refused to leave their people behind like the American government did.
No doubt this withdrawal of troops will lead to future attacks on Americans and our allies. We will need real leadership to avert that. We should start by firing or relieving from command:
- Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin
- Joint Chiefs Chairman, General Mark Milley
- Central Command Commander, General Kenneth McKenzie
- 82nd Airborne Commander, Major General Christopher Donahue
These men should be replaced with principled and gallant general officers who are willing fight and protect American lives. I would look to some of the colonels and generals removed during the previous purges, and call them back to active duty. Real leaders are needed right now, not Woke incompetents.
Next, as a people we should only put real leaders in positions of elective power. Despite party affiliation; future leaders should be selfless, hardworking, intelligent, and honorable. They should serve others (not themselves) to the best of their abilities.
Biden had five draft deferments. As a young man, he was unwilling to stand with other Americans in desperate situations. Is there any wonder that he is willing to leave others behind now? Despite massive income (through questionable sources and means), he gives very little to charity. Do we wonder that he makes no sacrifices for the benefit of others? Finally, he lies…a lot. He leaves honorable men and women of the armed forces and the American public bewildered and bitter. Do we, as a people, want a selfish, incompetent, and dishonorable man to continue to lead us into disarray and destruction? None of my friends from the VFW do. I doubt the families of the recently fallen Marines do. Do you?
CHRISTOPHER S. LAURITZEN, DDS, Ph.D., MHSM, MAGD, ABGD