I think I know what's going to happen soon...

[jon_norstog]

Long war with who?

We're already IN a long war, in the sandbox. It just about broke the all-volunteer army and National Guard. VN, if you survived one tour that was it. Now they just keep sending men and women back.

So the spending is on hardware and upper management. Looks to me like the people pulling Trump's strings want to fight Iran and/or North Korea, which are far different propositions than Afghanistan or an in n' out like Libya. Do that they gonna have to bring back the draft. And there won't be any allies out there either.

They just squeezed out the last of the senior advisers who had any idea of what a military operation involves. The new guys make DIck Cheney look sensible by comparison.

jn

[JB White]

We're already IN a long war, in the sandbox. It just about broke the all-volunteer army and National Guard. VN, if you survived one tour that was it. Now they just keep sending men and women back.

So the spending is on hardware and upper management. Looks to me like the people pulling Trump's strings want to fight Iran and/or North Korea, which are far different propositions than Afghanistan or an in n' out like Libya. Do that they gonna have to bring back the draft. And there won't be any allies out there either.

They just squeezed out the last of the senior advisers who had any idea of what a military operation involves. The new guys make DIck Cheney look sensible by comparison.

jn

They call it the "back door draft". Our current Post Commander did two tours in Iraq as a corpsman. Figured that was enough and he was going home. Once Stateside they offered him a sweet deal. One more hitch with a jump in grade and they would reassign him as a Stateside instructor. No more Iraq. He took the bait. He got the grade and the reassignment....to a unit being deployed to Afghanistan!

[Former Cav]

VN, if you survived one tour that was it. Now they just keep sending men and women back.

NOT true. I know of some folks who got sent BACK and it was NOT because they volunteered.
I KNEW one guy who re-enlisted for 6 years to get a PCS (permanent change of Station). Yeah, well, that lasted ONE year and guess what?
guess where he went? BACK to Nam as a LEG. I wonder if he committed suicide!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I knew of a couple of guys in my unit that "broke" from battle and were assigned to the rear...as a col's jeep driver etc.
I went to tech school with one guy, a combat vet who lost a foot, and when he graduated, the VA CUT OFF his compensation (just like they did to me) and he "hit a bridge abutment" with his car! He told me 6 mo's in advance that would be his "choice method of dying".
Yeah, we "service" our veterans!! har har.... I'm still fighting over service connected combat injuries and in Aug it will be FIFTY years!!
the only way Trump or anyone else will FIX the v.a. is to go to EVERY location and FIRE the top 10 tiers of management.
and the other MYTH of 3 purple hearts and you are out of there is bullchit too! You only got out if the injury was BAD enough, like losing an eye, a leg, an arm, or a limb was broken so bad that you'd need a 1/2 year or more to recover! PS. they did send guys back to combat in vietnam that were in the hospital in Japan!!

[Allen]

Here's a good warm up for the military.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-administration-seeks-close-immigration-loopholes-041713114.html

[togor]

I really hope Trump doesn't start up with Iran. I don't think he'll start anything in Korea. More likely would be that he pulls out of ROK and leaves them to their fate at the hands of Pyongyang, Moscow and Beijing, in exchange for....what exactly?

[S.A. Boggs]

I really hope Trump doesn't start up with Iran. I don't think he'll start anything in Korea. More likely would be that he pulls out of ROK and leaves them to their fate at the hands of Pyongyang, Moscow and Beijing, in exchange for....what exactly?

Don't think badly of ROK troopers, they are not to be messed with. In Nam ROK came into an area and were attacked by VC and lost several men. In return they went out on a search and kill mauling the VC and anyone else who got into their way. From that point forth they were left alone, Charlie had more then enough. They are like Israel or a coiled rattle snake...better to give a wide AO to them. There is an excellent Korean movie about their battle in the war and tells much about them. Personally I am glad they are on our side!
Sam

[togor]

Don't think badly of ROK troopers, they are not to be messed with. In Nam ROK came into an area and were attacked by VC and lost several men. In return they went out on a search and kill mauling the VC and anyone else who got into their way. From that point forth they were left alone, Charlie had more then enough. They are like Israel or a coiled rattle snake...better to give a wide AO to them. There is an excellent Korean movie about their battle in the war and tells much about them. Personally I am glad they are on our side!
Sam

I agree about the fighting qualities of the ROK, but I would expect that South Korean society, which is relatively open, would be subject to an extended period of propaganda attacks intended to foster division among the people. This is the totalitarian playbook for dealing with strong but isolated opponents. In normal circumstances one could expect US leadership in concert with the Japanese to offer a steadying hand to the South Korean government, but these are not normal circumstances, and the US hand in foreign policy at the moment is not particularly steady.

I'd hate to see us waste the sacrifice of the soldiers and marines that fought to keep totalitarianism out of at least part of Korea, only to walk away now for no other reason than disinterest, a loss of will.

Postscript: The following link gives me hope that we wouldn't just turn our back on the ROK.

https://www.trump.com/real-estate-po...l/trump-world/

[blackhawknj]

Yes, the trannies can walk point, along with those who are HIV Positive. In WWII on the Atlantic Wall the Germans had units of men with the same ailments-"earache and stomach cramp/white bread " battalions.