Procrustes Stretched
"intuition and imagination and intelligence"
What can I do or say about this? I choose not to make it a partisan political attack or defense. I searched each of the 6 letters to see if any of these people would. I don't see that here. I do see some criticisms that go to what we know candidates and partisans have said. All six letters seem to have avoided what we mostly see here @ usmb and in the media in general.
I salute the patriotism, decency, virtue, and honor these six individuals display here.
But is about the election and campaigns.
Opinion - Letters to the Editor - August 18, 2024
Six veterans on Tim Walz’s and JD Vance’s military service
What do ‘stolen valor’ and ‘at war’ really mean? And what do veterans owe each other?
First of six:
As a military veteran, I find it both disheartening and deeply disturbing to see the disparaging comments made by one set of fellow veterans aimed at others who served honorably, claiming that difficult personal decisions constitute “stolen valor” or even traitorous behavior.
I served as a commissioned officer for 42 years, almost 34 of which I spent on active duty. I did not serve in direct combat nor formally deploy, though I did take assignments in 13 locations — two of them overseas — and numerous trips to combat zones in the Balkans, Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan. My career was punctuated by many choices I had to make to balance my service with personal demands.
My colleagues and I served alongside countless National Guard members and reservists, without whom we could not have delivered lifesaving and rehabilitative care during numerous wars and humanitarian crises. I remain in awe of these soldier-citizens who balanced jobs and family and community responsibilities with the demands of national service. The injuries, illnesses and wounds they suffered — most of which were the result of training or strenuous military jobs and not direct combat — often changed their lives forever. Many lost their lives.
For any of us fellow veterans to find fault with personal decisions made by these dedicated public servants about how and when they served is beyond unfortunate.
I did not have the opportunity to work with the Republican vice-presidential candidate, despite helping to care for many of his fellow Marines. I am grateful for his service. I accompanied then-Rep. Tim Walz and members of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee to visit Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. Mr. Walz’s work ethic, communication skills and grasp of the tactical to the strategic were remarkable. As a retired Army National Guard senior noncommissioned officer, he understood the military and military families.
The military branches have clear guidance about the characterization of service in uniform, regardless of the length of time served or the component in which one served. “Honorable” best describes what all of us aspire to achieve and ought to be the sole descriptor for those who do so.
Eric B. Schoomaker, Silver Spring
The writer is a retired lieutenant general who served as Army surgeon general and the commanding general for the U.S. Army Medical Command.
I salute the patriotism, decency, virtue, and honor these six individuals display here.
But is about the election and campaigns.
Opinion - Letters to the Editor - August 18, 2024
Six veterans on Tim Walz’s and JD Vance’s military service
What do ‘stolen valor’ and ‘at war’ really mean? And what do veterans owe each other?
First of six:
As a military veteran, I find it both disheartening and deeply disturbing to see the disparaging comments made by one set of fellow veterans aimed at others who served honorably, claiming that difficult personal decisions constitute “stolen valor” or even traitorous behavior.
I served as a commissioned officer for 42 years, almost 34 of which I spent on active duty. I did not serve in direct combat nor formally deploy, though I did take assignments in 13 locations — two of them overseas — and numerous trips to combat zones in the Balkans, Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan. My career was punctuated by many choices I had to make to balance my service with personal demands.
My colleagues and I served alongside countless National Guard members and reservists, without whom we could not have delivered lifesaving and rehabilitative care during numerous wars and humanitarian crises. I remain in awe of these soldier-citizens who balanced jobs and family and community responsibilities with the demands of national service. The injuries, illnesses and wounds they suffered — most of which were the result of training or strenuous military jobs and not direct combat — often changed their lives forever. Many lost their lives.
For any of us fellow veterans to find fault with personal decisions made by these dedicated public servants about how and when they served is beyond unfortunate.
I did not have the opportunity to work with the Republican vice-presidential candidate, despite helping to care for many of his fellow Marines. I am grateful for his service. I accompanied then-Rep. Tim Walz and members of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee to visit Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. Mr. Walz’s work ethic, communication skills and grasp of the tactical to the strategic were remarkable. As a retired Army National Guard senior noncommissioned officer, he understood the military and military families.
The military branches have clear guidance about the characterization of service in uniform, regardless of the length of time served or the component in which one served. “Honorable” best describes what all of us aspire to achieve and ought to be the sole descriptor for those who do so.
Eric B. Schoomaker, Silver Spring
The writer is a retired lieutenant general who served as Army surgeon general and the commanding general for the U.S. Army Medical Command.
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