Posted by
flagwaver on Tuesday, October 24, 2006 9:37:27 AM
Today at AOL news, I saw an article that was written by Kevin Tillman, the younger brother of slain Army Ranger Pat Tillman. Everyone knows the story of Pat and Kevin Tillman, how they rushed to join the Army after 9/11 and how they volunteered for, and made the grade as Rangers. We also know how Pat Tillman was KIA by friendlies on a mission in Afghanistan, and the subsequent attempts by the Army to cover up the true circumstances of Pat's death and create the image of a fallen hero, killed by enemy fire.
The article, based on a posting that Kevin Tillman has at some blog or other, is very critical of the Bush administration, and among other things asserts that the Iraq war is an illegal war. For more of Tillman's views, or rantings if you like, I suggest that you check out the AOL news site as I won't be repeating it here. But the article has inspired me to write something here that we all probably feel, but many are unwilling to say...so I'll say it for you.
To all former military personnel, no matter how ancient or current, please shut up! Your views about the war and how it is waged are no more valid than anyone else's simply because you have served in the military!
Serving in the military does not give you any special cache to critique war policy that others don't have. Just because you served does not make you an expert in military tactics, military law, nor international law. It just means that you chose, in most cases, to serve in the military. That's it, nothing more!
I am sick to death of former military personnel popping up all over the place trying to tell the current leadership how to do their jobs. Some PFC from the Vietnam era is in no place to tell Donald Rumsfeld how to be SecDef or George Bush how to be CinC!
And former service does not exempt you from criticism! John Kerry, John McCain, Jack Murtha, John Warner, and Max Cleeland, among many others, are all given some special consideration and deference for their former military service. My question is simply this: Why? Just because they served honorably, in most cases, does not mean that they cannot be criticized for the positions they hold today; likewise their former service does not mean that they are in a special position to make military decisions. Think of it this way: How does getting yourself out of Vietnam in four months...four months!!!...with a bunch of flesh wounds make you an expert on military tactics?
Now, I am not saying that I do not appreciate those that choose, and have chosen, to serve in the military. On the contrary, I understand, somewhat, the dedication and sacrifice that it takes. I have a brother that served in the active Army and is now a reservist, I have cousins, friends, and former classmates that served. I'm just saying that just because they served does not mean that they have a special say in how the military and its operations should be run.
All of which brings me back to Kevin Tillman. Having recently lost a brother, I can understand the pain and sense of loss that he is going through. I can only imagine the feelings of betrayal and bewilderment that Mr. Tillman must feel concerning the actions of the Army in trying to deny his family the unvarnished truth. But that does not mean that Mr. Tillman should be given carte blanche to spout unsupported opinions as fact. Mr. Tillman may think that the war is/was illegal, but that does not make it so. And, as harsh as it may sound, when you volunteer for the Army, then you willingly join the Rangers you don't get to choose the wars you may have to fight. What you do is fulfill your duty, do the job you chose to do to the best of your ability, and when your service is over continue to support your brothers in arms. It is not an act of support to contend that your brothers in arms are committing an international crime every day that they are in theater, fighting for the safety and security of the Iraqi people and for those of us stateside.
In cases like those of McCain, Murtha, Kerry, and now Mr. Tillman military service is no longer a cover for them. And there is no military exemption from honest criticism.