Two Biographies: Why America is in Deep Trouble?

[righteousdude2]

After reviewing the two biographies below, one can't help but wonder why America is in trouble when it comes to military decisions?

General McChrystal Biography:

Commander, International Security Assistance Force/
Commander, United States Forces Afghanistan
United States Army
SOURCE OF COMMISSIONED SERVICE: USMA EDUCATIONAL DEGREES
United States Military Academy - BS - No Major
United States Naval War College - MA - National Security and Strategic Studies
Salve Regina University - MS -
International Relations
MILITARY SCHOOLS ATTENDED:
Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses
United States Naval Command and Staff College
Senior Service College Fellowship Harvard University
FOREIGN LANGUAGES:
Spanish
PROMOTIONS DATE OF APPOINTMENT:
2LT 2 Jun 76
1LT 2 Jun 78
CPT 1 Aug 80
MAJ 1 Jul 87
LTC 1 Sep 92
COL 1 Sep 96
BG 1 Jan 01
MG 1 May 04
LTG 16 Feb 06
GEN 11 Jun 09
FROM TO ASSIGNMENT:
Nov 76 Feb 78 Weapons Platoon Leader, C Company, 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82d Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Feb 78 Jul 78 Rifle Platoon Leader, C Company, 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry
Regiment, 82d Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Jul 78 Nov 78 Executive Officer, C Company, 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82d Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Nov 78 Apr 79 Student, Special Forces Officer Course, Special Forces School , Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Apr 79 Jun 80 Commander, Detachment A, A Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Jun 80 Feb 81 Student, Infantry
Officer Advanced Course, United States Army Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia
Feb 81 Mar 82 S2/S3 (Intelligence/Operations), United Nations Command Support Group Joint Security Area, Korea
Mar 82 Nov 82 Training Officer, Directorate of Plans and Training, A Company, Headquarters Command, Fort Stewart, Georgia
Nov 82 Sep 84 Commander, A Company, 3d Battalion, 19th Infantry, 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Stewart, Georgia
Sep 84 Sep 85 S3 (Operations), 3d Battalion, 19th Infantry, 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Stewart, Georgia
Sep 85 Jan 86 Liaison Officer, 3d
Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Georgia
Jan 86 May 87 Commander, A Company, 3d Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Georgia
May 87 Apr 88 Liaison Officer, 3d Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Georgia
Apr 88 Jun 89 S3 (Operations), 3d Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Georgia
Jun 89 Jun 90 Student, Command and Staff Course, United States Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island < BR>Jun 90 Apr 93 Army Special Operations Action Officer, J3, Joint Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina and OPERATIONS DESERT SHIELD/STORM, Saudi Arabia
Apr 93 Nov 94 Commander, 2d Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82d Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Nov 94 Jun 96 Commander, 2d Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Lewis, Washington
Jun 96 Jun 97 Senior Service College Fellowship, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Jun 97 Aug 99 Commander, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Georgia
Aug 99 Jun 00 Military Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, New York, New York
Jun 00 Jun 01 Assistant Division Commander (Operations), 82d Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North
Carolina to include duty as Commander, Combined Joint Task Force Kuwait, Camp Doha, Kuwait
Jun 01 Jul 02 Chief of Staff, XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg, Fort Bragg, North Carolina to include duty as Chief of Staff, Combined Joint Task Force180, OPERATION ENDURING
FREEDOM, Afghanistan
Jul 02 Sep 03 Vice Director for Operations, J3, The Joint Staff, Washington, DC
Sep 03 Feb 06 Commanding General, Joint Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Feb 06 Jun 08 Commander, Joint Special Operations Command/Commander, Joint Special Operations Command Forward, United States Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North
Carolina
Aug 08 Jun 09 Director, The Joint Staff, Washington, DC
Jun 09 Present Commander, International Security Assistance Force/Commander, United States Forces Afghanistan, OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, Afghanistan
SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS:
S2/S3 (Intelligence/Operations), United Nations Command Support Group Joint Security Area, Korea (Feb 81-Mar 82, Captain)
Army Special Operations Action Officer, J3, Joint Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg,
North Carolina and OPERATIONS DESERT SHIELD/STORM, Saudi Arabia Jun 90-Apr 93 Major/Lieutenant Colonel)
Chief of Staff, XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg, Fort Bragg, North Carolina to include duty as Chief of Staff, Combined Joint Task Force180, OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, Afghanistan (Jun 01-Jul 02, Brigadier General)
Vice Director for Operations, J3, The Joint Staff, Washington, DC (Jul 02-Sep 03, Brigadier General)
Commanding General, Joint Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina (Sep 03-Feb 06, Brigadier General/Major General)
Commander,
Joint Special Operations Command/Commander, Joint Special Operations
Command Forward, United States Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina (Feb 06-Jun 08, Major General/Lieutenant General)
Director, The Joint Staff, Washington, DC (Aug 08-Jun 09, Lieutenant General)
Commander, International Security Assistance Force/Commander, United States Forces Afghanistan, OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, Afghanistan (Jun 09-Present, General)
SUMMARY OF OPERATIONS ASSIGNMENTS DATE GRADE
Army Special Operations Action Officer, J3, Joint Special Operations Command, OPERATIONS DESERT SHIELD/STORM, Saudi Arabia (Jun 90-Mar 91, Major)
Commander, Combined Joint Task Force Kuwait, Camp Doha, Kuwait (Apr 01-Jun 01, Brigadier General)
Chief of Staff, Combined Joint Task Force180, OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, Afghanistan (May 02-Jul 02, Brigadier General)
Commander, International Security Assistance Force/Commander, United States Forces Afghanistan, OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, Afghanistan (Jun 09- Present, General)
US DECORATIONS AND BADGES:
Defense Distinguished Service Medal

Defense Superior Service Medal (with Oak Leaf Cluster)
Legion of Merit (with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters)
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters)
Army Commendation Medal
Army Achievement Medal
Expert Infantryman Badge
Master Parachutist Badge
Ranger Tab
Special Forces Tab
Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge
_______________________________________

President Obama Biography:

Education: Columbia University, Harvard Law School. Records never produced, attendance remains questionable.
Military Career: None
Business Career: None
Political Career: community organizer, Chicago, 1983-86; civil rights attorney, Chicago, 1991-96; University of Chicago, assistant lecturer, early 1990s-2004; State Senator, 1996-2005; U.S. Senator, 2005-2008; President 2008-.

He may be CIC, but he continues to ignore and circumvent the advice of his top advisors. A good leader knows when to lean on those he surrounds himself with! Our Community Organizer in Chief has lost sight of leaning on expereince!

What would you do if you were the POTUS and faced the problems overseas that Obama is facing? That is all I want to know. Would you trust the likes of men with a bio like this one General or would you force him to resign and find a general that would be a rubber-stamp everything you do, especially regarding foreign policy???

 

[Use of Time]

What exactly do you have a problem with overseas right now? Can you be a little more sepecific please.

 

[Crabtownboy]

The General fell ill to the general disease, becoming so used to everyone saying yes that he lost his ability to make a balanced judgement and it got him into lots of trouble.

No, I would not trust him making foreign affairs decision. Generals know war, but not a whole lot beyond that in their thinking. We need people in leadership who can see the big picture and balance various options. It was the narrow thinking of politicians and military generals that led to World War I, which was unnecessary, and we are still paying and living with the problems created back in 1914.

 

[Use of Time]

The General fell ill to the general disease, becoming so used to everyone saying yes that he lost his ability to make a balanced judgement and it got him into lots of trouble.

No, I would not trust him making foreign affairs decision. Generals know war, but not a whole lot beyond that in their thinking. We need people in leadership who can see the big picture and balance various options. It was the narrow thinking of politicians and military generals that led to World War I, which was unnecessary, and we are still paying and living with the problems created back in 1914.

Well the flipside is Colin Powell trying to convince Bush that moving into Iraq was ill advised. Even Bush Sr. advised against it. Dubya was a particularly stubborn fellow though.

 

[Bro. Curtis]

We wouldn't have gone in in the first place if it wasn't for Colin Powell's speech at the U.N..

 

[InTheLight]

No, I would not trust him making foreign affairs decision. Generals know war, but not a whole lot beyond that in their thinking. We need people in leadership who can see the big picture and balance various options.

RD2 said he wondered "why America is in trouble when it comes to military decisions?" not, "We need military leaders to run our foreign policy." So, your point is misdirected.

 

[Crabtownboy]

RD2 said he wondered "why America is in trouble when it comes to military decisions?" not, "We need military leaders to run our foreign policy." So, your point is misdirected.

OK, let me clarify. I would trust him with strategic and tactical elements of a war in progress. I would not trust him to make balanced decisions on events that might lead to war or peace. If I knew him better I might think differently. It could be that as he has seen war he might well be more reluctant to charge into violence than politicians who have not seen war.

Bottom line, wish I knew him better so I could make a more informed decision on him personally.

 

[InTheLight]

We wouldn't have gone in in the first place if it wasn't for Colin Powell's speech at the U.N..

Agreed. I remember watching much of that when it was televised. His testimony sealed the deal. If it were anyone else, I don't think it would have as much of an impact as Colin Powell.

 

[carpro]

After Obama became president, he took longer than it should have taken any CiC to decide on the number of troops to send to afghanistan. Military indecisiveness is one of the main faults of the rookie in the White House.

He eventually OKed less than half what was asked for, guaranteeing that the mission there would be a failure.

Then he placed such restrictive ROEs on the troops that they literally died to be sure he got his way.

Mission failure.

Obama was poorly qualified for the job, hated the military and wouldn't listen to the general staff.

It is not a general's job to run foreign affairs. Their job is war fighting.

Obama was supposed to run foreign affairs. What a dismal failure he has been and continues to be.

 

[Magnetic Poles]

We wouldn't have gone in in the first place if it wasn't for Colin Powell's speech at the U.N..

Very true. Powell sullied a stellar reputation with that one.
Also, if JFK had listened to his advisers during the Cuban Missile Crisis, none of us would probably be here discussing anything.

 

[Crabtownboy]

Very true. Powell sullied a stellar reputation with that one.
Also, if JFK had listened to his advisers during the Cuban Missile Crisis, none of us would probably be here discussing anything.

Scary and very true.

Also we were saved because a Soviet commander would not bow to pressure and fire nuclear tipped missiles.

Watch:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/the-man-who-saved-the-world-watch-the-full-episode/905/

 

[Bro. Curtis]

Agreed. I remember watching much of that when it was televised. His testimony sealed the deal. If it were anyone else, I don't think it would have as much of an impact as Colin Powell.

We have Clinton, Gore, Kerry, Kennedy, Kofi Annan, all looking at the same reports, all making the same decision. His was the last in a long line of them, but it was his speech that sealed it.