OBSERVATIONS

Speaking of my father, his advice over the years has not only proven to be thoughtful, but also prescient. I have previously alluded to his advice to request the Aviation Center as my initial assignment after dental school and the benefits reaped from that.

His knowledge of the military was and is limitless; his assignment to Columbia Military Academy and the consequential ability to gauge the various ROTC programs nationally guided my selection of UTC for my military training. UTC had a good academic reputation, but I was proud to know, per Dr. Jolly, that the only two universities ranked higher by the admission boards of UT's medical and dental schools were Austin Peay and Vandy.

Again, is my father a prescient?

I have had the privilege of knowing a number of my father's military colleagues. My father, quite the reticent warrior, never really expounded on his incredible feats as a jungle operations combat soldier. (I discovered his Silver Star, the nation's third highest award, by happenstance, putting socks in his drawer.) His fellow warriors, however, let me know what an exceptional infantryman he was during his military career, including two combat tours.

How blessed have I been? It was the fact my father was a Drill Instructor and MOS 11 Bravo that gave me the edge in my competition for an Army four year ROTC scholarship. How fortunate I have been as his advice and guidance have improved my life and the ability to be an effective soldier. I could not have asked for better parents as my mother kept everything in order while my father was serving our country in, seemingly, incessant deployments for so many years.

May God bless my patients and their families and the United States of America.

As Ronald Reagan, my CINC, pointed out, our freedom and democracy is but one generation removed from disappearing. I am concerned we are on the precipice at this point in time. Our children must be taught what made this country great, not which pronoun to use so as not offend someone. Further, the destruction of our military, dividing otherwise cohesive fighting units by skin color, gender and other parameters will prove to be very costly when China decides they can go head to head with the United States military.

The Second Infantry Division is ready.

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lhTE5bsoeI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9_PSFzi_ZU&t=28s

Tom Clancy wrote "Don't run from an Apache; you'll just die tired."

LTC Matthew Lohmeier is a stunning example of the consequences of any dissent to this destruction of our military. As a commander, his admonition of policies that destroy troop cohesiveness was rewarded by being discharged from the Space Force. One must wonder why LTC Lohmeier was relieved of his command.

Was it his rightful commitment to his mission or something much larger? The obvious influence China has on our defensive posture is painfully evident. The Chinese military is developing highly sophisticated ASAT weapons and the newest branch of our military, the Space Force, would hinder its stated goal of space dominance and laying claim to the moon.

We let spy balloons with incredible recon capabilities to leisurely float over our nuclear silos. What could possibly go wrong?

I was proud that my firstborn, Kris, presented me with LTC Lohmeier's book, Irresistible Revolution. I am even prouder Kris is the man he is, a patriot who never apologizes for loving his country.

Born at the Aviation Center, Fort Rucker, and surrounded by patriots there and both sides of the family, he had no choice. God bless his mother who provided a safe and wholesome environment for his growth as a young man. My deployments in Europe and the Republic of Korea presented challenges to this remarkable lady; she never complained.

Again, I highly recommend LTC Lohmeier's perspective on this clear and present danger.

Putin, undeterred by our profound lack of strength and commitment to security, has deployed tactical nuclear weapons on the Belarus border. He is conflating the use of U.S. antiarmor Sabot rounds, containing depleted uranium, on the battlefield with a violation of such a weapons ban (President George H. W. Bush) .

NATO has diminished since my CINC, President Ronald Reagan, who oversaw a substantial defense rebuilding after the Iranian debacle as well as a concomitant strengthening of NATO and AFE, left office.

Worshiping at the altar of climate change (I remember when it was global cooling that was the imminent danger...), Europe has more fear of farmers in the Netherlands using fertilizer rather than China, granted Most Favored Nation status by the WTO decades ago, about to establish a global hegemony.

The 90 % of the country who doesn't know or care about the Monroe Doctrine will, I am afraid, soon come to understand why it was enacted.

Again, may God bless our troops.

Yet another blow to our diminished military - an exemption to the long awaited overturning of "affirmative action" was made expressly for them. Immutable characteristics supplant meritocracy.

Again, with only 1% having served, our national defense is now being exploited by our formidable enemies, thanks to those who know nothing of deterrence through strength.

How did President Lincoln's Wide Awakes devolve into "being woke..."? (!)

Paramount Studios continues its decline, sadly dragging CMT with it. Stunning, although unsurprising, this is yet another reflection of the disdain for the values that guided my service in the Army.

Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, TN, featured in "Try That In A Small Town", brings up fond memories of Columbia Military Academy and my father's unprecedented success on the national stage as coach of the CMA Rifle Team.

My alma mater, Central High, is also in Columbia; Jason Aldean - love those lyrics.

2 August 2023 - A salute to the 100 year anniversary of the inauguration of one of the most influential presidents in history, Calvin Coolidge, AKA "Silent Cal".

A fiscal conservative, he carried through with President Harding's substantial tax cut endeavors. As with President Reagan's similar approach to the economic horrors he inherited, and in contrast to those who, using specious arguments, argued the zero sum dynamic predicted drastic loss of tax receipts, Silent Cal pursued substantial tax cuts. Consequently, government revenues increased dramatically with those Harding-Coolidge tax cuts, leading to the "roaring twenties".

His vice president, Charles G. Dawes (patronymic version of my surname), was co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, and his Treasury Department finally stopped Al Capone.

7 August 2023 - God bless the Gold Star families giving gut wrenching testimony today, having lost their sons and daughters solely due to lack of military leadership at the tactical level. Doubtless with divine intervention, my family was spared that tragedy during my father's two tours in Vietnam. I can still vividly recall combat footage and the graphic horrors of wounded soldiers being evacuated from the battlefield, praying my daddy wouldn't be wounded or killed.

Also, my incredible first born son Kris' birthday!

I recall being deployed in the field at Fort Rucker with the Medical Treatment Facility (MTF) and being suddenly jolted awake with "Captain Daw - your wife is in labor!".

My driver made haste in getting me to the delivery room at Lyster Army Hospital just in time to see Kris kicking those powerful legs, bursting into the world feet first!

We were so blessed with our first child; he is every bit the man one would hope for.

17 August 2023 - With big brother Kris leading the way, my beautiful daughter Kara entered this world in 1995.

Lisa, my bride of two years, presented me with a most precious birthday present - a baby girl!

Forty-one years old and God granted me with the opportunity to be a full time daddy.

No phone calls from the Pentagon, deploying me to a potential war zone; I would not be absent for two of her first three years of life.

A reflection of the stamina and character of a Southern woman:

Only the day before, on the 16th, my office on Northpoint Boulevard opened its doors. My extraordinary wife and office manager, Lisa, eschewed any thoughts of not immediately returning to the office. I recall being paged by the plumber who was putting final touches on our newly finished beautiful office while the mother of my child was dilating.

"Someone put paper towels in the toilet and it's clogged; perhaps I should place a clean out trap...".

Lisa knew the office needed her presence; she was back at the front desk on the 18th. She suffered no ill effects, as no spinal anesthesia was used. The nurse was astonished at my wife's calm demeanor, reflecting no outward signs of pain, with the occasional exception of a grimace. She replaced the contractions monitor, thinking it was defective.

"Are you sure you're OK?" she queried, as the new monitor confirmed the massive waves of uterine contractions.

I have trained with some of the most battle-hardened warriors on the planet: Navy SEALs at Fort Benning, Green Berets in Europe, special forces on the 38th parallel, RECONDO instructors at Fort Riley and Air Assault personnel at Fort Rucker.

Lisa doesn't take a back seat to any of them.

26 August 2023 - Two years since the sacrifice of our blood and treasure at Abbey Gate: testimony reveals an air strike request on the hotel room where ISIS-K was planning this slaughter was denied. As the State Department controlled the tactical response of Marines, funneled like cattle to slaughter, Marine Sergeant Tyler Vargas-Andrews was not given permission to engage the suicide bomber. Despite repeated requests to perform his overwatch mission, "I don't know..." were the responses from his chain of command. A blatant reflection of the current and continuing degradation of our military, where are the incriminations? My Army held each soldier accountable for his actions, from the E-1 private to the field officers. As I did witness in my years as a young captain, the concern for the welfare of the commanding officer's soldiers diminished after promotion to full Colonel (O-6). Colonel Belman Maddox and Colonel Nick Klonaris would be exceptions; they represented true leadership and were outstanding clinicians.

As political winds changed, the deterioration of our military ensued. Many of those officers, in pursuit of that coveted star, pleased their bosses to ensure good OER's, forcing an abandonment of their soldiers. My six years on active duty observations were, with the exception of Major General Henry Doctor, Major General Carl McNair, Major General Bobby Maddox and General William Livesay, it seemed general officers' prevailing concern was to please their bosses. It has never been more evident that it is now. By the way, where is the SIM card for the sniper rifle, showing clearly the terrorist? If only the military had controlled the situation, the Murfreesboro, TN, Barrett sniper rifle would have sent the bomber to Allah and spared the lives of our sons and daughters as well as scores of innocent Afghanis. For that matter, why would all of our heroes' SIM cards have been stolen? What is being hidden from the public?

Rest in peace, Bob Barker. Gonna miss you. Thank you for your service as a naval aviator; I salute you.

31 August 2023 - Who is not excited that SEC football premiers tonight? Last year, Florida was embarrassed at home by the Pac-12, eking out a slim victory over Utah. Florida was unable to shake that shadow for the entire season; they have the opportunity this evening to redeem themselves in a hostile environment.

Of course, the palpable surge of football fever, fueled by our great coach Josh Heupel and that long overdue defeat of Alabama last year, is going to explode Saturday with UT's opener against Virginia. A remarkable story surrounds their kicker, Matt Ganyard.

This 34 year old Marine Cobra helicopter pilot has retained his NCAA eligibility due to his military service and is going to make his debut before tens of thousands at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. I wonder if this elite marine, a soccer player all his life, will contain his epinephrine rush. I suspect it would be hard to top the first time he utilized the weapons on his Cobra, before the Apache, the most feared of all US aircraft by enemy ground forces (with the possible exception of the A-10 Warthog and AC-130).

As a dental officer with the US Army DENTAC, an annual field deployment was required a few kilometers outside of Fort Rucker. I recall, on one of those deployments, an aviator approaching me and asked if I wanted to go to Birmingham for lunch. I pointed out a 1600 hours class would require my presence; it was 1120 hours at the time. "No problem...", he replied. "... my Cobra will get us there and back with no traffic."

As the copilot seat is in front, a Cobra ride can be exhilarating or terrifying, depending on how much the pilot wants to demonstrate the impressive capabilities of the first true rotary wing gunship.

I previously alluded to my father's combat experience, many details largely unknown due to his reticence and unwillingness to expound on his incredible feats of bravery. I have had the good fortune, however, to have met some of my father's fellow warriors and they have described his actions that would have inspired any soldier.

Regarding the AH-1 Cobra, aka, The Snake, my father's first time seeing one "up close and personal" was after his repeated requests for air support following an ambush by the Viet Cong.

As stated previously in my bio, my father was selected for duty as an "advisor" during the Tet Offensive. Tet in January of 1968 resulted in the more than 4,000 deaths of our blood and treasure. Consequently, Tet became a turning point for the Vietnam conflict.

Pleasing the liberal press, President Johnson refused to refer to these "advisors" with a more appropriate term - combat soldiers - who lead the Republic of Vietnam troops in battle. As my father was a jungle warfare expert and the best trained of any "advisor" in his battalion, he and his platoon were selected to be the point for any battalion level mission. As any infantryman will tell you, point men don't have a long life expectancy, as they are the first to receive enemy fire and lots of it.

On this particular day, my father alerted his platoon of the day's mission. It was a battalion level seek and destroy mission: find the enemy and kill him.

My father had been slogging through rice fields for some while and recognized the slowly narrowing horizon as it related to the rice paddies. The banana trees, lining both left and right of the rice paddies, provided an ideal concealment for enemy ambush. As an infantryman, his concern for ambush increased as those banana trees were getting closer and closer.

Using the newly released AN/PRC-77 field radio (newest upgrade from the AN/PRC-25), with cryptographic capability, issued to special forces initially in 1967, SSG Daw made his battalion commander aware of his concern for potential enemy activity. Safely in the rear of the battalion formation, the Lieutenant Colonel battalion commander assured SSG Daw that it was OK to proceed.

Another 45 minutes or so elapsed. With the rapidly narrowing horizon, my father's Spidey Sense warned him to contact his boss who, once again, encouraged the further advance of SSG Daw's point platoon.

The details of what happened next are truly harrowing; I can still visualize the faces of several of the heroes at one of my father's whole hog North Carolina style barbecues in Jackson, MS., as they recounted the ambush by Chinese, NVA and Viet Cong forces large enough to engage in a battalion level ambush.

My father recalls visually inspecting the banana tree boundaries and, as he was scanning with his binoculars, a large swathe of leaves dropped to the ground, accompanied by the sounds of the machine gun fire arriving a second or two later, laying waste to many of the point platoon .

Casualties were taken immediately, with many gravely wounded or worse. SSG Daw started requests for air support, as the whole battalion was pinned down.

There was no response.

Over an hour passed with no evidence of any support on its way. My father includes this ambush as yet another example of God's grace, as the sound of an approaching helicopter gave hope to the soldiers, many of whom were praying. According to one of the warriors describing this long ambush ordeal, the Cobra pilot tasked SSG Daw to smoke the position of the machine gun emplacement.

SSG Daw, expecting a Huey gunship, saw this narrow and formidable appearing beast appear. Still in awe of what he was seeing, he stood straight up and tossed a smoke grenade as far as he could and just stood there, upright and fully exposed to enemy fire, watching two missiles launched that passed just over his head on their way to the destruction of the enemy position.

CSM Daw still has a special place in his heart for Cobra pilots, so he will, doubtless, support any of this marine's kicks ...

An anecdote and further evidence of God's sparing us the Gold Family designation, my father had earned some well deserved R and R and took the opportunity to have a beer with other GI's at a bar in Saigon. Now what are the odds of running into the Green Beret captain who had intercepted those desperate requests for air support and dispatched that Cobra? That is exactly what happened; my father bought him a beer. Go Vols!

5 September 2023 - There wasn't a dry eye in the White House at today's presentation of the Medal of Honor to Chattanooga's own Captain Larry Taylor. I was well familiar with the unprecedented and heroic actions of then First Lieutenant Taylor, an Army Cobra pilot with the First Infantry Division (The Big Red One), saving the lives of four LRRP (long range reconnaissance patrol) soldiers trapped by over one hundred Viet Cong. Even so, as the narrative of his actions that dark and rainy night was read today, the hair on the back of my neck stood up. The only other time in my life where a similar hair raising occurred was when I discovered my father's Silver Star, the nation's third highest award, tucked away in his sock drawer, almost two years since its presentation. I remember reading and reading again the narrative given for this award for gallantry in action. As my father is, again, the reticent warrior, the details of the firefight that ensued after lead elements of Chinese, NVA and Viet Cong soldiers breached my father's perimeter defenses while deployed on the FEBA (forward edge of the battle area) at the onset of the Tet Offensive, were revealed. Over the years, on those occasions when my father was captive in my dental chair, I would try to ferret more information out of him; precious few details were given to me. The narrative provided with the Silver Star indicated that 245 of the enemy were killed or captured. That was not with an M16. Trying a different angle, I suspected the weapon used in defending his position was my favorite as a young cadet at UTC - the M60 machine gun; as a senior cadet, I conducted classes on this workhorse. With a cyclic rate of fire more than 500 rounds per minute, 7.62 mm ammo, what's not to like? More to the point, that weapon was available at the squad level. At that rate of fire, however, it would need a new barrel every minute; bursts of fire are required. That is why the M60, although capable of one man use, is technically a crew-served weapon requiring an ammo bearer assistant. The gunner carries the weapon and a couple of thousand rounds of ammo; the assistant an extra barrel (with asbestos gloves) and ammo boxes. Additionally, an ammo bearer provides more ammo and, if available, a tripod. I point-blank asked my father if that was, in fact, the weapon he used. He simply nodded his head in the affirmative with no details to follow.

1LT Taylor was initially awarded the Silver Star for his incredible actions that are, truly, legendary in the Army. It was upgraded today. I remember as a young cadet at UTC and hearing this incredible story; surely, this was somewhat exaggerated. How does a Cobra attack helicopter, a two seater, extract four soldiers in the middle of voluminous hostile fire, out of ammunition, his wingman gone, heavy rain and complete darkness? This amazing act of heroism is recounted to Army soldiers from basic training to Airborne School, to Ranger School, to RECONDO School, to Pathfinder School, to Air Assault School, and especially for pilots. I can recall young wide-eyed flight students in my dental clinic at Fort Rucker sharing with other patients the same details as described to me almost a decade earlier.

https://www.army.mil/article/269630/former_army_capt_larry_taylor_to_receive_medal_of_honor

I was assigned to the home of the First Infantry Division, Fort Reilly, KS, as a UTC ROTC cadet (Captain Taylor was commissioned Second Lieutenant via UTK's ROTC program) and supported their deployment to Fulda Gap with the Second Combat Support Hospital, Fort Benning, GA, as part of REFORGER exercises seven years later. The Big Red One insignia is proudly worn, the color a reflection of the bloody battles involving this Division in World War I and World War II, including Normandy and the battle for France. A combined arms division, the First Infantry Division is deployed first in hostile theaters, accompanied with 82d Airborne support. 1LT Taylor was there because he was the best of the best. A Signal Mountain stud, CPT Taylor reflects the Volunteer spirit and a patriotism that is fading away from our country. Only one percent of our nation has served and seventy percent come from south of the Mason Dixon Line. Just saying. A salute to Captain Larry Taylor and God bless!

11 September 2023 - We must never forget that day, the worst attack on US soil in history. Some folks, however, seem not to hold the same reverence for this assault on our Judeo-Christian values by Islamic terrorists, resulting in the deaths of thousands of civilians and first responders. Our president was trail blazing today by being the first commander-in-chief not to hold 9/11 ceremonies at any of the three sites or even the White House. With the obvious backlash generated, his press secretary pointed out that no president visited Pearl Harbor 22 years after the fact. The amazingly callous idiots that surround the president continue to defy explanation. Pearl Harbor was a military attack, not one on civilians; Hawaii was not US soil. I sure miss Kayleigh McEnany. Instead, he used our military as a prop for his announcement to the citizens of Alaska they would no longer be receiving the royalties from fossil fuel production in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The "two birds and one stone" applied here, as he needed to refuel on the way back from a most embarrassing display by a US president on foreign soil, he did so at a military base. That would satisfy his critics.

Regarding his war on American energy, the fact that the impact on this huge tract of land, analogous to placing a postage stamp on a football field, is ignored because of the Democrat party's obsession with worshiping at the altar of climate change. This lack of energy availability will soon cause a collapse of catastrophic proportion. Sparing hyperbole, our Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) is a critical component of our national defense and security. Despite this importance, the Biden administration has purposely drained this invaluable asset for purely political reasons to such a point that our reserve is at the lowest levels since 1984. Exacerbating the situation, we use 20 % more oil now than then. President Trump increased the reserve capacity to appropriate levels commensurate with the threat level. He did so with much less expensive crude, compared to today's cost to do so. Biden flooded the oil market temporarily to lower gas prices purely for political expediency in order to help his midterms. The cost to consumers meant nothing; it pales in comparison to the destruction of Planet Earth by fossil fuels. How does China, Russia, India and Venezuela feel about carbon dioxide production? There is serious consideration, driven by the Saudis who were our friends before the infamous fist bump Biden foisted upon the Saudi crown prince, being given to the the petrodollar currency being replaced by other currencies. More dangerously, OPEC plus, a 10 country consortium including Russia, dictate the price of oil. Under President Trump, we were energy independent for the first time in history; day one of Biden's presidency relinquished that independence to our enemies. Russia is raking in billions to fund their slaughter of the Christians in Ukraine and China is watching, ready to move on Taiwan. Why would our president do this to us? The Manchurian Candidate, again. In furtherance of aiding our enemies, Biden has now paid 6 billion dollars to Iran for the release of 5 hostages. Pretty pricey. Who could forget Obama's prisoner swap of 5 senior Taliban animals for a traitor, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl? This deserter, who should have been stationed permanently at Fort Leavenworth, was given a Rose Garden ceremony. So why wouldn't we pay a billion dollars each for American hostages? Now, how many billions of dollars is that, not forgetting Obama's contribution for a "nuclear deal" with Iran. As an American, I am glad I no longer travel abroad. Biden's begging of Iran to slow down their stated goal of the destruction of Israel and, yesterday, reassuring the Chinese the US did not want to contain them gives aid and comfort to the enemy . Why so cozy with the Chinese?

More anguish today on this somber occasion was through the revelation that United States Marines, after the slaughter of 13 of their comrades, were forced to clean human feces at Abbey Gate for the Taliban. Who ordered our marines to be humiliated in this manner? Again, our military leadership is AWOL, to the point of criminality. Where are the courts-martial? This had to have been at least at the battalion level, as the battalion Sergeant Major was participating in the clean up. Who is the Lieutenant Colonel that ordered his troops to serve the Taliban? Every soldier, sailor, airman or marine knows they can disobey an unlawful order. Again, the State Department was behind this, with the commander-in-chief's approval. God help us.

Another lowlight came today, however, as I listened to former TN Representative Harold Ford, Jr., recounting his 9/11 experience today on The Five. Representing the voice from the left, he presents his arguments, specious as they may be, in a respectful and articulate manner. I lost a lot of respect for him today as the cancer of willful bold-faced lying that is epidemic on the left seems to have infected this otherwise fine man. Mr. Ford, in Washington the morning of 9/11 having breakfast, is warned via telephone by his father that a private plane had crashed into the WTC. He phoned Rep. Ford a few minutes later, indicating there was a second plane and to return to his office. There was no knowledge at the time that a third plane was heading for the Pentagon. Nevertheless, the congressman sprang into action and grabbed one of his staffers, a "Southeast Asian looking" fellow, and secured his rescue as Rep. Ford was afraid someone might mistake him for a terrorist. Again, no one knew who the perpetrators were, yet Harold Ford felt he was saving a young man from danger. Oh my. As an Army vet, few things anger me more than stolen valor. Senator Richard Blumenthal is another example of his party's collection of stolen valor liars. Surprisingly, Rep. Ford said little of the first responders who were, truly, heroic. What is wrong with these people?

I learned years ago when I see someone with that "here's your piece of invisible paper..." gesture, lies are spewing out of their mouths. But it's rare to see the double barrel approach.

19 September 2023 - Chattanooga is mourning the loss of Kevin West, a distinguished naval officer and long time WGOW personality. My observation over the years saw Kevin as a steadying influence, balancing overzealous personalities. As an anecdote, the only time I contacted WGOW was to complain about the questionable act of alienating your fans by denigrating Big Orange. I recall "hideous" being used by Jeff Styles as he reflected on the shade of Big Orange. We Vol fans were excited about the upcoming special day at Neyland: checkered out. My son, Kris, ensured his white shirt was the one to wear that day. He and his friends, as well as my patients, were looking forward to a Saturday at Neyland. At first, I thought Styles was kidding, but he continued his diatribe. After anesthetizing my first patient that day, I excused myself for a quick phone call to WGOW. I explained to the receptionist why I was calling; she referred me to Kevin West. Kevin was a fellow veteran who was active in veteran's affairs, reaching the rank of captain (Navy O-6 vs Army captain O-3),and was an impressive man. I had been a fan of his for some time. Five minutes on the phone with him increased the respect I had for this man. Friendly, articulate and respectful, he smoothed my ruffled feathers. He stated simply "Jeff is Jeff...". Reflecting on what Kevin said, it did seem Styles liked controversy and I accepted his on air stupidity as a function of that. By the way, I recall his stating that Taylor Swift "couldn't carry a tune in a bucket" and should not be invited to the Riverbend Festival. Further, did he not violate a southern axiom: "Don't take a hatchet to a gunfight."? All was good; my patient was 'comfortably numb' as the Pink Floyd song goes and I had no chagrin against WGOW. Given his talents, Kevin would have been a valuable asset to the Chattanooga Police Department as PIO. Given the rash of crime in our streets (note Red Bank police chase of thugs just yesterday...) and the decidedly aggressive war on cops, starting with Obama and continuing today, Kevin's voice would have been invaluable in maintaining a good relationship with the public. I pray for his wife and children. Married for 66 years now, his parents have Kevin's legacy in their grandchildren. They are justifiably proud of the man they raised.

Kevin was part of a military that is no longer. Before equity displaced meritocracy, our fighting forces were unchallenged in the world. Individual responsibility was paramount as a soldier or sailor and an absolute requirement for functional and cohesive fighting units. Young trainees in basic training are constantly reminded of this underpinning of our military . I remember, as a captain on the DMZ, being constantly aware of the need for securing my equipment. The threat of infiltrators on field deployments was omnipresent. Korean thieves in the night would steal various items from deployed troops. These weren't North Korean soldiers, but South Korean civilians who could sell these on the black market for considerable sums. The black market was a strong temptation for young soldiers arriving in Korea. Private Jones could buy a bottle of Bacardi 151 at the Class Six store and sell it for five times or more his cost. As a consequence, there was a 707 flight monthly full of BCD's (bad conduct discharges) leaving Korea, court-martialled because of such activity. Literally hundreds of soldiers' lives have been negatively impacted by the lure of easy money. The silver lining was that, as a commissioned officer, I could be designated an Escort Officer and hitch a free ride to the States, duty permitting. At any rate, addressing the responsibility issue, as a deployed soldier I and I alone was in charge of my issued equipment. In a standard deployment, concertina wire was adequate protection against thievery, but some occasions presented themselves finding me sleeping outside the perimeter. As Motor Officer, I was responsible for uninterrupted power generation. This required refueling the 15 KW generator every four hours. I tasked my junior enlisted to ensure refueling occurred; the quid pro quo was access to one of the two hot water surgical scrub sinks for their morning shave. The number of volunteers ready to refuel the generator doubled during the winter months; I wonder why... With the electricity flowing, I was able to escape the noise and activity generated by the nonstop function of the field medical operations by sleeping outside the perimeter. This necessitated some measures to ensure against the loss of any equipment. Most important was securing my protective mask, the black market's most favored military procurement item. Again, reflecting the risk posed by the enemy only a few clicks away, my mask was the only defense against neurotoxins. Atropine was in my pocket, but I preferred not to have to employ its use. My SOP for field deployments including packing a few empty cans secured as suspensions on a fishing line. This 'perimeter trigger' was placed in such a manner as to jangle with the slightest movement of the fishing line. Nevertheless, I tethered my protective mask to my ankle, just in case. Although I secured my weapon, its risk of theft was minimal. ROK law required the death penalty if convicted of stealing weapons.

In sharp contrast to the military under President Reagan, today's military holds no one responsible for anything. Consider the billions in weapons given to the Taliban (who took more hostages today, as they recognize when the Manchurian Candidate rewarded the world's largest sponsor of terrorism with six billion dollars, they needed in on the action) in the Afghanistan debacle. The slaughter of thirteen heroes has also gone unpunished. Who cares if we lose equipment? Currently, one must ask: how did we lose an eighty million dollar F-35, requiring the Air Force to post a neighborhood watch posting for anyone who finds it? Oh my. Further, why did the pilot punch out? Why was the transponder turned off? Has China now hacked us thoroughly? Assurances were given, however, by John Kirby stating there would be a 'transparent' explanation. We will see.

Commitment to protecting your equipment has been instilled in me since my early days. I watched my father perform many tasks, always ensuring he had the proper tools before starting. They were always secured after his project. Always. As a drill instructor and father, I was advised many times to "put it back where it came from...". I am so blessed and thankful my father was the example I could emulate and who guided my life decisions. May God help the children without two parents in the home. They end up being chased by Red Bank police while wearing hoodies and masks and always armed. I give thanks for my wonderful parents every day.

https://chattanoogaradiotv.com/general/remembering-kevin-west-1961-2023/

Speaking of my father...

Yet another reflection of my wife's toughness...