Live Free or Die

I'm biased in that I think everyone that's volunteered to wear the uniform of our nation's armed services has shown a measure of nobility. More than having worn the uniform myself, during my last assignment I looked across the podium at hundreds of young men and women that were looking to use their military military to give back and get ahead. I also had the opportunity to go to high school and college with a number of guys and gals who proudly wore the uniform and served in the aftermath of 9/11.

The New York Times did a nice piece on a guy from my neighborhood, Marine Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter, and a mural done in his honor beneath the 114 bridge in Sag Harbor (photos above, from the NYT, link here).

I've been thinking about Cpl. Haerter a bunch lately, especially after I read this piece on Tom Ricks' fantastic blog at FP:

Marine Maj. Gen. John Kelly on two Marines who were killed stopping a truck bomb heading for the front gate of their outpost in Ramadi: "No time to talk it over; no time to call the lieutenant; no time to think about their own lives or even the American and Iraqi lives they were protecting," Kelly said to Tony Perry of the Los Angeles Times. "More than enough time, however, to do their duty. They never hesitated or tried to escape." He said the two, Cpl. Jonathan Yale, 21, and Lance Cpl. Jordan Haerter, 19, will receive the Navy Cross posthumously next year. (Link to the LA Times story)

Before every oath I issued (more than 800), I always told the new soldier, sailor, airman, Marine or coastguardsman standing across the podium that they were making the best decision of their life--regardless of the outcome, a life of service takes things to the next level and makes America better. While it breaks my heart that Cpl. Haerter will never get to eat at Conca's or swim in the Bay again, these facts make it all the more important that we remember his sacrifice and example.

I know I like to write about so many things, but one of the goals of this blog is to act as a check (or maybe a release valve) that maximizes the democracy of the Internet for the benefit or our junior officers and enlisted. In the information age, knowlege is currency and I strive to add at least a miniscule amount of worthwhile information to the general body of knowledge.

That's why Maj. Gen. Kelly's quote above speaks to me on a number of levels. That is an example of a warrior honoring his fallen comrades. We need to see that. Too often, our military's institutional arms come into conflict with the military's warfighting arm and senior leaders are out of touch with realities on the ground. And because of the institutional framework--the politicization of promotions boards for starters-- here is little hope for those that want to see these things change.

Again, I refer to Ricks' blog, where he touts the bravery of Army Lt. Col. Paul Yingling, who as an active duty officer has worn his emotions on his sleeve while speaking truth to power about the failures of our general officer corps. Yingling once wrote "A private who loses a rifle suffers far greater consequences than a general who loses a war." Wow.

Among the hits from a recent Yingling talk to Marines at Quantico:

Our system of officer development remains essentially unchanged since the Cold War -- the same system that produced the officers who for the last generation refused to prepare for irregular warfare. Our organizational structures remain essentially unchanged since 9/11

Combat forces operate under a simple, brutal incentive system -- adapt or die. Forces in combat are not by virtue of their location intellectually or morally superior to their counterparts in the institutional military. Rather, their priorities are clearer -- when the failure to adapt carries a death sentence, every other consideration -- service and branch loyalties, core competencies, organizational cultures -- pales in comparison.

Our current system suppresses innovation, punishes moral courage and is a strategic liability to our country.

We've lost thousands of lives and spent hundreds of billions of dollars in the last seven years in efforts to bring stability to two medium sized countries; we can't afford to adapt this slowly in the future.

I'm sorry to admit that as an officer I didn't have this courage while I was in uniform, but at the same time I don't know what I would have done differently. For starters, I was blind to the realities of the system until it was too late and I made the decision to separate. Further, it's hard to buck the system for long, and there are far too few folks willing to test the waters (ed note- mixed metaphors).

Thank God there are men like Lt. Col. Yingling that are willing to step up because heroes like Cpl. Haerter deserve senior leadership like him. Anything less is below standard, and too often we find ourselves failing in this area of utmost importance.