Those Who Have Borne the Battle (50 page)
Read Those Who Have Borne the Battle Online
Authors: James Wright
28
The President's Commission on the All-Volunteer Armed Force,
The Report of the President's Commission on an All- Volunteer Armed Force
, 14.
The President's Commission on the All-Volunteer Armed Force,
The Report of the President's Commission on an All- Volunteer Armed Force
, 14.
29
Richard Kohn, “The Danger of Militarization in an Endless âWar' on Terrorism,” 189.
Richard Kohn, “The Danger of Militarization in an Endless âWar' on Terrorism,” 189.
30
Eliot Cohen, “Twilight of the Citizen Soldier,” 23.
Eliot Cohen, “Twilight of the Citizen Soldier,” 23.
32
Robert K. Griffith,
The U.S. Army's Transition to the All-Volunteer Force, 1968â1974
, 17, 210â214.
Robert K. Griffith,
The U.S. Army's Transition to the All-Volunteer Force, 1968â1974
, 17, 210â214.
33
Martin Holland, “Forging a âNew' Army,” 36.
Martin Holland, “Forging a âNew' Army,” 36.
40
Ibid., 280â281.
Ibid., 280â281.
44
Ron Suskind, “Without a Doubt,” 51.
Ron Suskind, “Without a Doubt,” 51.
48
Ibid., 427.
Ibid., 427.
51
Ibid., 221â222.
Ibid., 221â222.
52
“In Cheney's Words: The Administration Case for Removing Saddam Hussein,”
New York Times
, August 27, 2002.
“In Cheney's Words: The Administration Case for Removing Saddam Hussein,”
New York Times
, August 27, 2002.
55
Summers,
On Strategy
, 1; Walter Ulmer, conversation with author, May 17, 2011; Seth G. Jones,
In the Graveyard of Empires: America's War in Afghanistan
, 325.
Summers,
On Strategy
, 1; Walter Ulmer, conversation with author, May 17, 2011; Seth G. Jones,
In the Graveyard of Empires: America's War in Afghanistan
, 325.
60
Amy Waldman, “General Says âWe're Still at War' in Iraq as Attacks Continue,”
New York Times
, July 3, 2003.
Amy Waldman, “General Says âWe're Still at War' in Iraq as Attacks Continue,”
New York Times
, July 3, 2003.
61
General Tony Zinni and Tony Koltz,
Leading the Charge: Leadership Lessons from the Battlefield to the Boardroom
, 32.
General Tony Zinni and Tony Koltz,
Leading the Charge: Leadership Lessons from the Battlefield to the Boardroom
, 32.
62
Department of Defense casualty reports are at
http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/oif-deaths-total.pdf
.
Department of Defense casualty reports are at
http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/oif-deaths-total.pdf
.
63
Thomas E. Ricks,
Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq
, 311â320. See also James Michaels,
A Chance in Hell: The Men Who Triumphed over Iraq's Deadliest City and Turned the Tide of War
.
Thomas E. Ricks,
Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq
, 311â320. See also James Michaels,
A Chance in Hell: The Men Who Triumphed over Iraq's Deadliest City and Turned the Tide of War
.
65
Cohen, “Twilight of the Citizen Soldier.” Interestingly, recent research challenges the assumption that a fully representative military would restrain impulses to war. Benjamin Valentino and Nicholas Valentino point out that total-force “tripwire” involving a mobilization of reservists and Guard personnel as a check on war does not hold up. They argue that “those Americans with the weakest connections to the military are already more sensitive to casualties and less supportive of military interventions abroad than those with closer ties to the armed services.” See Valentino and Valentino, “An Army of the People? National Guard and Reserve Casualties and Public Support for War.”
Cohen, “Twilight of the Citizen Soldier.” Interestingly, recent research challenges the assumption that a fully representative military would restrain impulses to war. Benjamin Valentino and Nicholas Valentino point out that total-force “tripwire” involving a mobilization of reservists and Guard personnel as a check on war does not hold up. They argue that “those Americans with the weakest connections to the military are already more sensitive to casualties and less supportive of military interventions abroad than those with closer ties to the armed services.” See Valentino and Valentino, “An Army of the People? National Guard and Reserve Casualties and Public Support for War.”
66
Edwin Dorn, Howard D. Graves, and Walter F. Ulmer,
American Military Culture in the Twenty-First Century: A Report of the CSIS International Security Program
, xvâxvi.
Edwin Dorn, Howard D. Graves, and Walter F. Ulmer,
American Military Culture in the Twenty-First Century: A Report of the CSIS International Security Program
, xvâxvi.
67
Ibid., xix.
Ibid., xix.
68
Bailey,
America's Army
, 233â234. A good source of data is Lawrence Kapp,
Recruiting and Retention in the Active Component Military: Are There Problems?
Bailey,
America's Army
, 233â234. A good source of data is Lawrence Kapp,
Recruiting and Retention in the Active Component Military: Are There Problems?
69
Charles C. Moskos, “What Ails the All-Volunteer Force: An Institutional Perspective.”
Charles C. Moskos, “What Ails the All-Volunteer Force: An Institutional Perspective.”
71
Bernard Rostker,
I Want You! The Evolution of the AllâVolunteer Force
, 756. In fact, as a congressman in 1967 Rumsfeld had proposed studying the all-volunteer army, and he was a member of the “Wednesday group” of moderate Republicans, who had in that year recommended ending the draft. Griffith,
U.S. Army's Transition
, 12; Bailey,
America's Army
, 21.
Bernard Rostker,
I Want You! The Evolution of the AllâVolunteer Force
, 756. In fact, as a congressman in 1967 Rumsfeld had proposed studying the all-volunteer army, and he was a member of the “Wednesday group” of moderate Republicans, who had in that year recommended ending the draft. Griffith,
U.S. Army's Transition
, 12; Bailey,
America's Army
, 21.
72
Bailey,
America's Army
, 258â259. See also Tim Kane, “Who Bears the Burden? Demographic Characteristics of Military Recruits Before and After 9/11.”
Bailey,
America's Army
, 258â259. See also Tim Kane, “Who Bears the Burden? Demographic Characteristics of Military Recruits Before and After 9/11.”
73
Rod Nordland, “For Soldiers, Death Sees No Gender Lines,”
New York Times,
June 21, 2011. A good recent scholarly summary of women in the army is Bailey,
America's Army
, esp. Chapter 5. For a recent comprehensive survey of today's military, see Pew Research Center, Social and Demographic Trends, “The Military-Civilian Gap: War and Sacrifice in the Post-9/11 Era.”
Rod Nordland, “For Soldiers, Death Sees No Gender Lines,”
New York Times,
June 21, 2011. A good recent scholarly summary of women in the army is Bailey,
America's Army
, esp. Chapter 5. For a recent comprehensive survey of today's military, see Pew Research Center, Social and Demographic Trends, “The Military-Civilian Gap: War and Sacrifice in the Post-9/11 Era.”
74
Gallup poll in
USA Today
, March 13, 2008; see graphic table at
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-03-12-warpoll_N.htm
.
Gallup poll in
USA Today
, March 13, 2008; see graphic table at
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-03-12-warpoll_N.htm
.
75
Remarks of May 1, 2004, reprinted in Paul Rieckhoff,
Chasing Ghosts: Failures and Facades in Iraq: A Soldier's Perspective
, 290. Comment on extended tours on p. 163.
Remarks of May 1, 2004, reprinted in Paul Rieckhoff,
Chasing Ghosts: Failures and Facades in Iraq: A Soldier's Perspective
, 290. Comment on extended tours on p. 163.
76
John Nagl to author, e-mail, July 12, 2011. Nagl observed, “We're getting better at minimizing that loss, but it's still significant.”
John Nagl to author, e-mail, July 12, 2011. Nagl observed, “We're getting better at minimizing that loss, but it's still significant.”
77
“Operation Enduring Freedom” and “Operation Iraqi Freedom,” Defense Manpower Data Center Reports,
http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/castop.htm
.
“Operation Enduring Freedom” and “Operation Iraqi Freedom,” Defense Manpower Data Center Reports,
http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/CASUALTY/castop.htm
.
78
C. J. Chivers, “In Wider War in Afghanistan, Survival Rate of Wounded Rises,”
New York Times
, January 7, 2011.
C. J. Chivers, “In Wider War in Afghanistan, Survival Rate of Wounded Rises,”
New York Times
, January 7, 2011.
79
Hannah Fischer,
U.S. Military Casualty Statistics: Operation New Dawn, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom
.
Hannah Fischer,
U.S. Military Casualty Statistics: Operation New Dawn, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom
.
80
Charles Maynard, “The Association of State Per Capita Income and Military Service Deaths in the Vietnam and Iraq Wars,” 7:1. In the fall of 2011 the
Boston Globe
reported that Plymouth, Massachusetts, with a population of sixty thousand, had lost six service members in Iraq and Afghanistan. Boston, with a population in excess of six hundred thousand, has lost seven. Jenna Russell, “Plymouth Pays High Price for Foreign Wars,”
Boston Globe
, October 15, 2011.
Charles Maynard, “The Association of State Per Capita Income and Military Service Deaths in the Vietnam and Iraq Wars,” 7:1. In the fall of 2011 the
Boston Globe
reported that Plymouth, Massachusetts, with a population of sixty thousand, had lost six service members in Iraq and Afghanistan. Boston, with a population in excess of six hundred thousand, has lost seven. Jenna Russell, “Plymouth Pays High Price for Foreign Wars,”
Boston Globe
, October 15, 2011.
81
Douglas Kriner and Francis Shen, “America's Casualty Gap,”
Los Angeles Times
, May 28, 2010. See also Kriner and Shen,
Casualty Gap
, 29. Data compiled through August 2009 are revealing. Of those US military personnel killed in Afghanistan, 20 percent were younger than twenty-two years of age; in Iraq 29 percent were under twenty-two (47 percent of the marines killed in Iraq were under age twenty-two). In Afghanistan, 4.5 percent of those killed were members of reserve units, and 15 percent were members of the National Guard. In Iraq the figures were 7.3 percent for reservists and 11.5 percent from the Guard.
Douglas Kriner and Francis Shen, “America's Casualty Gap,”
Los Angeles Times
, May 28, 2010. See also Kriner and Shen,
Casualty Gap
, 29. Data compiled through August 2009 are revealing. Of those US military personnel killed in Afghanistan, 20 percent were younger than twenty-two years of age; in Iraq 29 percent were under twenty-two (47 percent of the marines killed in Iraq were under age twenty-two). In Afghanistan, 4.5 percent of those killed were members of reserve units, and 15 percent were members of the National Guard. In Iraq the figures were 7.3 percent for reservists and 11.5 percent from the Guard.
82
An analysis of Pentagon data as of the spring of 2011 reveals that 55 percent of those killed in Afghanistan died from explosive devices and 25 percent from gunshot wounds. In Iraq the data were 63 percent and 19 percent. (For comparison, an estimated 32 percent of the servicemen killed in Vietnam died from gunfire.) Of the wounded in action, 60 percent of those in Afghanistan were injured by explosive devices and 16 percent by gunshot wounds; in Iraq the figures were 68 percent and 8 percent.
An analysis of Pentagon data as of the spring of 2011 reveals that 55 percent of those killed in Afghanistan died from explosive devices and 25 percent from gunshot wounds. In Iraq the data were 63 percent and 19 percent. (For comparison, an estimated 32 percent of the servicemen killed in Vietnam died from gunfire.) Of the wounded in action, 60 percent of those in Afghanistan were injured by explosive devices and 16 percent by gunshot wounds; in Iraq the figures were 68 percent and 8 percent.
85
Bethany Vaccaro, “Shock Waves,” 24.
Bethany Vaccaro, “Shock Waves,” 24.
87
A recent paper summarizes the range and consequences of these injuries: James Geiling, Joseph Rosen, and Ryan Edwards, “Medical Costs of War in 2035: Long-Term Care Challenges for Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.”
A recent paper summarizes the range and consequences of these injuries: James Geiling, Joseph Rosen, and Ryan Edwards, “Medical Costs of War in 2035: Long-Term Care Challenges for Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.”
88
Rich Morin,
For Many Injured Veterans, a Lifetime of Consequences
; Steve Vogel, “Military Health-Care Reform Leaves Wounded Warriors Entangled in More Red Tape,”
Washington Post
, November 18, 2011.
Rich Morin,
For Many Injured Veterans, a Lifetime of Consequences
; Steve Vogel, “Military Health-Care Reform Leaves Wounded Warriors Entangled in More Red Tape,”
Washington Post
, November 18, 2011.
91
Deborah D. Avant and Renée de Nevers, “Military Contractors and the American Way of War.”
Deborah D. Avant and Renée de Nevers, “Military Contractors and the American Way of War.”
93
Transcript of Christiane Amanpour, CNN interview with General David Petraeus, January 10, 2010, about the expanding conflict in Yemen,
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1001/10/ampr.01.html
.
Transcript of Christiane Amanpour, CNN interview with General David Petraeus, January 10, 2010, about the expanding conflict in Yemen,
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1001/10/ampr.01.html
.
94
See a discussion of this in Greg Jaffe, “Why No Living Medal of Honor Recipients in Iraq?”
Washington Post
, August 15, 2011.
See a discussion of this in Greg Jaffe, “Why No Living Medal of Honor Recipients in Iraq?”
Washington Post
, August 15, 2011.
95
Luke Mogelson, “A Beast in the Heart.” Thomas E. Ricks argues that the incident of marines shooting twenty-four civilians at Haditha was the “logical” result of the nature of the early US engagement in Iraq: “Protect yourself at all costs, focus on attacking the enemy, and treat the Iraqi civilians as the playing field on which the contest occurs.” Ricks,
The Gamble: General Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq
, 5. All of the evidence suggests that this attitude changed early on, and certainly the “counterinsurgency” approach found this unacceptable.
CHAPTER 7Luke Mogelson, “A Beast in the Heart.” Thomas E. Ricks argues that the incident of marines shooting twenty-four civilians at Haditha was the “logical” result of the nature of the early US engagement in Iraq: “Protect yourself at all costs, focus on attacking the enemy, and treat the Iraqi civilians as the playing field on which the contest occurs.” Ricks,
The Gamble: General Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq
, 5. All of the evidence suggests that this attitude changed early on, and certainly the “counterinsurgency” approach found this unacceptable.
1
Blight,
Race and Reunion
, 71. See also David W. Blight, “Forgetting Why We Remember,”
New York Times
, May 30, 2011.
Blight,
Race and Reunion
, 71. See also David W. Blight, “Forgetting Why We Remember,”
New York Times
, May 30, 2011.
2
Admiral John C. Harvey Jr., “New York City Fleet Week Memorial Day Speech,” May 30, 2011,
http://www.public.navy.mil/usff/Documents/memorial_day_speech_2011.pdf
.
Admiral John C. Harvey Jr., “New York City Fleet Week Memorial Day Speech,” May 30, 2011,
http://www.public.navy.mil/usff/Documents/memorial_day_speech_2011.pdf
.
3
Disabled American Veterans statement for Memorial Day 2011, “We Will Remember Them,”
http://www.dav.org/news/documents/speeches/MemorialDay2011.pdf
.
Disabled American Veterans statement for Memorial Day 2011, “We Will Remember Them,”
http://www.dav.org/news/documents/speeches/MemorialDay2011.pdf
.
4
Washington Post
, May 30, 2011;
New York Post
, May 30, 2011; Kay James, “Memorial Day Traditions Continue with Parade,” May 31, 2011,
http://www.wiscnews.com/wisconsindellsevents/news/local/article_c4ba6244-8bd5-11e0-892e-001cc4c002e0.html?print=1
.
Washington Post
, May 30, 2011;
New York Post
, May 30, 2011; Kay James, “Memorial Day Traditions Continue with Parade,” May 31, 2011,
http://www.wiscnews.com/wisconsindellsevents/news/local/article_c4ba6244-8bd5-11e0-892e-001cc4c002e0.html?print=1
.
6
Barack Obama, “Remarks at a Memorial Day Ceremony in Arlington, Virginia, May 30, 2011,” in
Compilation of Presidential Documents
,
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/collection.action?collectionCode=CPD
.
Barack Obama, “Remarks at a Memorial Day Ceremony in Arlington, Virginia, May 30, 2011,” in
Compilation of Presidential Documents
,
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/collection.action?collectionCode=CPD
.
7
Musadeq Sadeq, “U.S. Troops Mark Memorial Day,”
USA Today
, May 30, 2011; Rye Barcott, “All Americans Have a Duty to Honor Memorial Day,”
Washington Post
, May 29, 2011.
Musadeq Sadeq, “U.S. Troops Mark Memorial Day,”
USA Today
, May 30, 2011; Rye Barcott, “All Americans Have a Duty to Honor Memorial Day,”
Washington Post
, May 29, 2011.
8
Sacramento Bee
, June 3, 2011; Christina Rayas,
Cronkite News
, June 2, 2011,
http://cronkitenewsonline.com/2011/06/officials-honor-glendale-soldier-killed-in-afghanistan/
;
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/9680994
.
Sacramento Bee
, June 3, 2011; Christina Rayas,
Cronkite News
, June 2, 2011,
http://cronkitenewsonline.com/2011/06/officials-honor-glendale-soldier-killed-in-afghanistan/
;
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/9680994
.
10
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/10/21/remarks-president-ending-war-iraq
; Greg Jaffe, “Years in Iraq Change U.S. Military's Understanding of War,”
Washington Post
, October 22, 2011. For a comprehensive scholarly assessment of the changing concept of victory in war, see William C. Martel,
Victory in War: Foundation of Modern Strategy
.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/10/21/remarks-president-ending-war-iraq
; Greg Jaffe, “Years in Iraq Change U.S. Military's Understanding of War,”
Washington Post
, October 22, 2011. For a comprehensive scholarly assessment of the changing concept of victory in war, see William C. Martel,
Victory in War: Foundation of Modern Strategy
.
11
Gentile interview at the Council on Foreign Relations, March 2, 2011,
http://www.cfr.org/us-strategy-and-politics/secretary-gatess-strategic-thinking/p24272
.
Gentile interview at the Council on Foreign Relations, March 2, 2011,
http://www.cfr.org/us-strategy-and-politics/secretary-gatess-strategic-thinking/p24272
.
13
Kathy Roth-Douquet and Frank Schaeffer,
AWOL: The Unexcused Absence of America's Upper Classes from the Militaryâand How It Hurts Our Country
, 8.
Kathy Roth-Douquet and Frank Schaeffer,
AWOL: The Unexcused Absence of America's Upper Classes from the Militaryâand How It Hurts Our Country
, 8.
14
Admiral Mike Mullen speech at West Point graduation ceremony, May 21, 2011,
http://www.jcs.mil/speech.aspx?ID=1598
.
Admiral Mike Mullen speech at West Point graduation ceremony, May 21, 2011,
http://www.jcs.mil/speech.aspx?ID=1598
.
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