Andrew J. Bacevich, West point graduate, retired Colonel, currently professor of international relations at Boston University has an opinion piece at the Washington Post today entitled "Endless War, a recipe for Fours star arrogance."

It's a good article repudiating the "persistent" or endless war mentality. His closing paragraph sums it up.

"The responsibility facing the American people is clear. They need to reclaim ownership of their army. They need to give their soldiers respite, by insisting that Washington abandon its de facto policy of perpetual war. Or, alternatively, the United States should become a nation truly "at" war, with all that implies in terms of civic obligation, fiscal policies and domestic priorities. Should the people choose neither course -- and thereby subject their troops to continuing abuse -- the damage to the army and to American democracy will be severe."

I could not agree more.  Look around you, are we a country at war?  I don't think so.  Our military is at war but nobody else is.

Labels: Common Sense, GWOT, Leadership

DOD Identifies Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Cpl. Joshua R. Dumaw, 23, of Spokane Valley, Wash., died June 22 while supporting combat operations in Nimruz province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, II Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C.

From the Spokesman Review

A 23-year-old Marine from Spokane Valley was killed this week while supporting combat operations in Afghanistan.

Cpl. Joshua R. Dumaw, assigned to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, II Marine Expeditionary Force, was killed Tuesday during operations in the Nimruz Province, the Department of Defense said in a news release.

Details of Dumaw’s death were not immediately available from the U.S. Marine Corps public affairs office, but according to his family, Dumaw was with his platoon securing an area in the Nimruz Province, in southwestern Afghanistan, when he stepped in an improvised explosive device.

Dumaw’s mother, Jennifer Gorman, of Spokane Valley, told family friends he will likely receive a Purple Heart, and that he will eventually be brought back to Fairchild Air Force Base, where he will be welcomed by the honor guard.

“He was always one of those kids that shined,” said Stacie McGarvey, who spoke on Gorman’s behalf.

Gorman, who was on her way to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware Thursday to greet Dumaw’s body as it arrived, declined to comment.

The family was overwhelmed and grateful for the condolences and thoughts pouring in from all over, McGarvey said.

Dumaw, who graduated from West Valley High School, was stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina. His wife of nearly one year, Kailyn, is pregnant with the couple’s first child, family friends confirmed.

Dumaw had completed previous tours of duty in Iraq, but this was his first tour in Afghanistan. He had planned to return home in a few months for the birth of his son, due in September. The couple had decided to name the boy Bode Alexzandyr Dumaw, so that his initials would be BAD.

“He wanted his son to be B-A-D,” McGarvey said.

McGarvey said Dumaw had enlisted in the Marine Corps right after high school.

“He was very proud of what he was doing, serving his country,” McGarvey said.

Ashley Byrd, a longtime family friend, said Dumaw was the guy known for helping everybody out.

“He was the nicest guy I ever met. He would always have a smile on his face,” Byrd said. “He’s going to be loved and missed by everybody.”

Plans for a memorial service in Spokane has not yet been finalized. The family is asking that anyone wishing to make memorial contributions to please contact the family through his wife’s Facebook page. They are planning on using contributions to send care packages to Dumaw’s platoon in Afghanistan.

I'll provide updates on CPL Dumaw's return as they become available.

Labels: Angels, Warriors

All I can say is why is Colonel Drinkwine still in command let alone still in the Army?  As a parent of a soldier in his unit I am very concerned and do not have faith in his ability to lead in combat.

I'll ask the nagging question.  Is this what actually led to LTC Frank Jenio's relief as Commander of the 2-508PIR?  I know the stated cause was the powerpoint slide but this is way to fishy.  I hope enough pressure is brought to bear to fix this problem.  If  LTC Jenio was relieved for a racial powerpoint slide COL Drinkwine should be discharged from the US Army for this.  He failed to prevent and it appears in-fact enabled intimidation and a poor command climate.  It sure does smack of someone trying to get even.  From what has been made available to the public it seems LTC Jenio was fired for far less.


Excerpts from FayObserver.com

Bragg Colonel's Wife Barred from 4th Brigade Functions
By John Ramsey, Staff writer

The commander of Fort Bragg has barred the wife of an 82nd Airborne Division colonel from nearly all interaction with her husband's brigade and the unit's families after an investigation found her influence "detrimental to the morale and well-being of both."

Sworn statements from the investigation, ordered in January by Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick, accuse Col. Brian Drinkwine's wife, Leslie Drinkwine, of using her husband's position as leverage to repeatedly harass and threaten soldiers and their families.

And

Sworn statements and timelines included in the investigative file show that problems in the 4th Brigade's Family Readiness Group can be traced as far back as Oct. 30, 2008.

That night, at the 82nd Airborne Division's annual silent auction, Dr. Drinkwine confronted the spouses of some of her husband's subordinates and accused them of disloyalty, the report shows.

The next day, she sent an e-mail to several FRG leaders - officers' wives and paid FRG staff members - characterizing her dispute with other women at the auction as "an ambush from hidden domestic insurgents."

The FRG never gained harmony after that, Spillman wrote in his report.

 Further

The report shows that one morning not long after the auction, Dr. Drinkwine visited Lt. Col. Mike Wawrzyniak's wife, Pam, while her husband was at work. Col. Drinkwine sat outside in his car, according to a sworn statement by Pam Wawrzyniak.

Dr. Drinkwine yelled at Mrs. Wawrzyniak for about half an hour, reducing her to tears, the report says.

Eventually, Mrs. Wawrzyniak said in the report, the colonel came into the house, tried unsuccessfully to calm his wife, and they left.

The investigation also shows that the top paid staff member for the FRG resigned in December 2008, citing a hostile work environment that made it impossible for her to do her job.

In sworn interviews or written statements submitted to Spillman, one former battalion commander, two currently serving battalion commanders and the brigade's rear commander said Dr. Drinkwine told them "that either their careers, or the careers of others, could be adversely impacted by her."

In other sworn statements, five Army officers said they have heard Col. Drinkwine say that when his wife speaks, she speaks for him.

Col. Drinkwine, in his sworn statement, said he meant that only in regard to FRG issues. His wife was the head of that organization, and he said he wanted to make sure people understood that she had authority in the FRG.

In March of last year, before the brigade deployed, all six battalion commanders serving under Col. Drinkwine's command went to his office together to talk to him about his wife.

At that meeting, according to their sworn statements, Col. Drinkwine dismissed their complaints and told them that the relationship between his wife and their wives was a senior-to-subordinate relationship. He reiterated that his wife speaks for him.

The BC's

Col. Drinkwine wrote in his sworn statement that he never let personal issues creep into his professional evaluations of soldiers.

But two battalion commanders - Lt. Col Frank Jenio and Lt. Col. David Oclander - told Spillman they believe disputes with Dr. Drinkwine were an unstated cause for professional retaliation.

Jenio, who was in charge of 800 troops operating just outside Kandahar, was relieved of command in Afghanistan along with his top enlisted adviser, Cmd. Sgt. Maj. Bert Puckett, on Jan. 13. They were sent home to Fort Bragg for "using poor judgment" that "fostered a command climate that was not consistent with our Army values," an 82nd Airborne Division spokesman said at the time.

The Observer later discovered that racially and sexually offensive Powerpoint slides shown during briefings led to their removal.

Jenio, who declined an interview request, paints a different picture in his sworn statement.

Dr. Drinkwine and Jenio's wife, Sherri, were often at odds, according to multiple statements

Frank Jenio said in his statement that during one heated phone conversation last year, Dr. Drinkwine threatened to have him fired.

Jenio said Col. Drinkwine failed to address the problems his wife was causing and stayed isolated from his subordinates. Dr. Drinkwine would often use the threat of "telling Brian" when she had a disagreement with a family member or soldier, he said, and Col. Drinkwine made matters worse by giving the impression that she had influence over him.

Jenio said in his statement that the need to deal with the FRG challenges nearly every other day took away valuable time he could have been using to focus on the war.

Labels: Common Sense, Leadership

‘You Will Not Fear…’
WSJ  Photo Journal
June 9, 2010, 11:04 AM ET

For those who are familiar with C/2-508 take a good look at his Memorial Bracelet.


RESCUE AND PROTECT: Staff Sgt. Edward Rosa reads the Bible and extends a cigarette to Pfc. Jorge Rostra Obando, who was stunned by an explosion in Afghanistan’s Arghanab Valley. One comrade was killed and two injured in the blast. Pfc. Rostran asked the sergeant to read Psalm 91, a favorite from his childhood. (Ricardo Garcia Vilanova for The Wall Street Journal)

Labels: Angels, Warriors