NOTES from the BIG CHAIR

An excellent piece in Forbes by renowned British historian Paul Johnson... The article, Why Millions Say, Softly, God Bless America, addresses the success of America's efforts in Iraq.
A portion of it reads:

"Just as the appalling 20th century was the age of the totalitarian state, the Gulag and Auschwitz, so the 21st may come to be seen as the age of government "of the people, by the people, for the people." If so, the U.S., by its courage and persistence, will be able to take primary credit. It has certainly led from the front, and it has shown that it knows how to use its position as the world's sole superpower with judgment, honor and unselfishness.

"I think Abraham Lincoln would be proud of what George W. Bush and the U.S. forces have done. After the freeing of the slaves, what more logical and benevolent step could there be than to free millions of Arabs from the slavery of terror? So I say, God Bless America. And I'm confident that countless millions throughout the world say so, too, even if they do not dare--yet--to say so aloud."

Best and "God bless America,"
WTSjr

Their faces were an odd mix of happiness, sadness, and envy.
Happy for me, but sad and envious all the same.
They were losing a squad leader who had taken care of them as an older brother watches over his kid siblings. But these really were not kids. They and I were U.S. Marine infantrymen... “grunts,” as we often were called by our non-infantry counterparts in those days (“Grunt” being an affectionate term for Marine infantryman - a holdover term from the Vietnam War - ultimately hijacked by the ever-envious Army and applied to anyone who gets paid to slog through the mud with a rifle).
With only hours remaining in my four-year hitch as a grunt, I was packed and saying last “goodbyes” in the squad bay where we lived. Soon I would shoulder my seabag and cross one of many Camp Pendleton, California parade-decks toward a waiting taxi that would take me to the airport. There, I would board a plane for home and my new life as a civilian.
But not yet.
I was savoring my final moments as a rifle squad leader in one of the best platoons, of the best company, of the finest battalion in the most decorated regiment in the entire Marine Corps.
The members of my squad, on the other hand, were doing what Marines always do: packing gear, cleaning weapons, and bitching among themselves before shipping out once again. This time they would be “helicoptered-out” to the USS Belleau Wood, which was waiting somewhere off the California coast.
On this morning, I was a corporal. My charges - the so-called kids - were only lance corporals, privates-first-class, and privates; many of them so new their camouflaged utility uniforms had yet to take on that well-worn, faded, sun and seawater-bleached “salty” look mine had.
I was excited about going home, but I somehow felt guilty about leaving these young Marines to another corporal or sergeant... or worse, some boot lieutenant fresh from Quantico.
“I wish I was you today, Corporal Smith,” one of the tall, smiling, more-senior lance corporals said as he tightened the chin strap of his helmet, slipped his rifle-sling over his left shoulder and simultaneously shifted the heavy pack on his back. “But I’ll be there in another 22 months, five days and a wake-up.”
I approached him, reached around, and helped re-adjust his pack.
“I know, man, time’ll pass before you know it,” I said.
I had led these young Marines, trained them, ate, drank, slept, laughed, joked, played ball, ran, pumped iron, shared stories about girls, sweated in the heat, shivered in the cold, paddled in the surf until our backs ached, humped over mountains and through jungles, faced countless dangers, gone a-whoring with, and sailed with to the far ends of the earth.
They would forever be my little brothers.
But in the subsequent months and years when I would begin that gradual devolution back into what we called “a slimy civilian,” they themselves would grow up and become corporals. They would become big brothers to others who themselves would become corporals,
Those corporals would then lead other Marines who would become corporals,
who would lead others who would become corporals,
who would lead others who would become corporals,
who would lead others who would become corporals,
who would lead others who would become corporals,
who today are leading young Marines - who weren’t even born when I was a corporal - down dangerous streets and alleyways in places with names like Fallujah, Ramadi, and the Triangle of Death.
And I think about that every night before I close my eyes.

WTSjr as a Marine infantry leader

© 2005 W. Thomas Smith Jr.

WTSjr

Today's piece, The World's Deadliest Highways, in NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE addresses the development obstacles, the recent successes, and the future of the fledgling Iraqi Highway Patrol.

This piece in THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR addresses the disturbing (to me, personally) reality that "as reading declines, weird errors creep into written English."
See it here.

Dr. James S. Robbins, a national security analyst and contributing editor for NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE, shares an anecdote from a weekend visit to wounded troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
Robbins' words posted at NRO's THE CORNER:

"... One of the wounded Marines was in ICU, and was still feeling the effects of the anesthesia, having just come from surgery. A Lieutenant General stopped by to see how he was.
'How are you doing, Lance Corporal?' he said.
'Lance Corporal my a**,' the semi-conscious Marine said. 'I have enough time in to be a Corporal by now.' The 3-star nodded, went off and made a phone call. Within the hour the young Marine had his corporal's stripes."

Semper Fi,
WTSjr

A brief history of Valentine's Day can be seen here.

I've been invited to serve as a panelist during a regional conference - April 8-9, 2005 - of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) in Charleston, South Carolina. SPJ is a great organization, and I'm always looking for a reason to visit what we Carolinians refer to as "the Holy City."
Then there's Breaking into National Print, which I will teach during Maymester (May 9-27, 2005) at the University of South Carolina's School of Journalism and Mass Communications (currently serving on the adjunct faculty there).
And finally, I'll be teaching Nonfiction Writing during the Southeastern Writers Association Annual Conference at beautiful St. Simons Island, Georgia. That's slated for June 19-24, 2005.
Details on all, closer to the dates.
WTSjr

Click the link to see a cool photograph (pic, poster, whatever) of the Al Hillah SWAT (special weapons and tactics) Team, currently operating south of Baghdad in Iraq's notorious "triangle of death."
The team - an all Iraqi special operations unit that specializes in direct action ops and raids on guerrilla strongholds - was trained by a U.S. Marine Force Recon Platoon under the command of Capt. Thomas "Tad" Douglas. We've written a number of pieces about the team (e.g. In their own hands) for NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE, and we've chatted several times with Douglas, who was also a key player in the dramatic rescue of Army private Jessica Lynch back in 2003.
Anyway, Capt. David Nevers of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit sent me the pic (designed as a recruiting poster for young Iraqi men with dreams of living the life of a commando) months ago. I sent it to my buddy and fellow South Carolinian, Jeff Quinton, who posted it on his site and a few others.
As I understand it, we were the first in the states with the pic... and I'm sure we were the first to publish it.
It's now framed and hanging in my office... and I must say, makes quite a conversation piece.
Semper Fi,
WTSjr

Arthur Miller, best known for "Death of a Salesman" and winner of the Pulitzer Prize, has died.

The Canadian Forces College (formerly the Royal Canadian Armed Forces Staff College) posts our latest piece on Iraq on Wednesday's "International Commentary" list.
A few of our other pieces have in the past been included among the CFC's recommended reading for career Canadian military officers.

The foreword writers to three of our four books have been quoted in three different publications regarding three different foreign policy issues, since Monday.
For the past several days, Dr. Ken Quinones – who wrote the foreword to my latest book, Alpha Bravo Delta Guide to the Korean Conflict – has been widely quoted in numerous national newspapers regarding North Korea's boasting of its alleged nuclear weapons possession. According to this morning's TUCSON CITIZEN, "Kenneth Quinones, a former State Department official and expert on North Korea, said the North Koreans are 'upping the ante' to show displeasure with recent statements by President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the news leak of a U.S. complaint about North Korea's reported sale of slightly processed uranium to Libya."
Then on Tuesday, Brigadier General David L. Grange – a CNN military analyst who wrote the foreword to my Alpha Bravo Delta Guide to Decisive 20th-Century American Battles – was referenced as follows at CNN.com: "The U.S. almost certainly has some plan to attack Iran, although it may be a last resort, retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. David Grange, a CNN analyst, told CNN's American Morning on Tuesday. 'There's always plans being produced on any type of threat that we perceive this nation to have,' Grange said. 'You can assume there's plans to attack Iran at different levels of intensity, such as airstrikes or missile attacks.' However, even if Iran's nuclear program is disabled, the country's knowledge and capability is ultimately the long-term threat, he said. Iran has said it will retaliate if attacked. That retaliation could take the form of ballistic missile attacks on U.S. allies such as Israel or terrorist activities, Grange said."
And of course, on Monday, Col. Jeff Bearor – who wrote the foreword to my Alpha Bravo Delta Guide to American Airborne Forces – was quoted extensively by moi in our latest piece on Iraq at NRO.
Thanks gents... Your public commentary continues to sell books.
Semper Fi,
WTSjr

This just in - published unedited, exactly as it was received - from 1st Marine Division (my old division) HQ near Fallujah, less than two minutes ago:


CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, Iraq - U.S. soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, foiled an attempt by an insurgent to coerce a child into accepting a hand grenade at approximately 1 p.m. in Ramadi today.
The soldiers, currently assigned to the 1st Marine Division of the I Marine Expeditionary Force, were conducting a patrol in the northeastern sector of the city when they observed a blue 4-door sedan with three military-aged males pull up near their position.
The driver exited the vehicle and approached a child, estimated to be 10-years-old. The two exchanged words and the adult gave the child a hand grenade. The child and the adult exchanged possession of the hand grenade several times.
The grenade was dropped after U.S. soldiers fired a warning shot in the direction of the insurgent. The child ran away as the adult returned fire with a handgun.
The adult then jumped into his vehicle and attempted to flee the scene. The patrol fired disabling shots into the vehicle to prevent the insurgents from escaping. A brief firefight ensued, which resulted in one insurgent being killed and two insurgents being wounded.
The patrol evacuated the two wounded insurgents to the medical facility at their forward operating base. The unit recovered the grenade from the scene, but was unable to locate the child.
There were no U.S. casualties.
'The incident demonstrates the ruthless disregard that the insurgency has for the citizens of Iraq,' said Marine Maj. Phill Bragg, information operations officer, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force.

MY NOTE: OK, so the terrorists and their masters criticize us and our culture, arguing that we are decadent, uncivilized, and lacking in all of the postives associated with chivalry, codes of honor, etc., because in our world women hold military titles, carry guns, drive backhoes, fly jets, and oversee multinational corporations.
But THEY (the bad guys) have no problem targeting women and children. They avoid pitched battles with armed men. And they coerce or manipulate children into doing their dirty work.
Huh?

Captain Louis "Lou" Colbus (U.S. Navy, retired) emails me with comments he received from fellow Captain David Eugene "Gene" Mosman.
In Lou's words, Capt. Gene Mosman is "one of the most profound thinkers and thorough researchers I know. Very well read and most articulate, he has written some of the best articles on today's military. He is my shipmate and family friend who has taught me so much about ships, sailors, and today's programs and policies."
Capt. Mosman writes:

"Louie,
Great article by your friend.
Although not as eloquent as W. Thomas Smith Jr, his point below* was what I was addressing back on January 21 in a letter** to the editors of the RICHMOND TIMES DISPATCH in which I ridiculed [U.S. Senator Joseph R.] Biden's inane comments RE: [Defense Secretary Donald H.] Rumsfield and the Iraqi Army standup - comments Biden had expressed during [Secretary of State Condoleeza] Rice's confirmation hearings. I find myself in very good company on the point. And hope the new Iraqi Army, at least in one respect, will not find themselves like ourselves from time-to-time (see Petronius Arbiter*** below).
With great esteem,
Gino

* "This doesn't even begin to address the years of training and experience it takes to develop seasoned captains, majors, and lieutenant colonels, even more so, full-bird colonels and generals. Fact is, it would take years - perhaps decades - to build a ground combat force like the U.S. Army or Marines."
-- W. Thomas Smith, Jr. (NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE, February 7, 2005)

** Letter to the Editor of the RICHMOND TIMES DISPATCH, January 21, 2005
General Joe" Biden has spoken - highly critically so. 'The US Secretary of Defense is an idiot.' Why? Because a viable Iraqi fighting army has not been reconstituted as fast as General Joe thinks possible.
Let then a hypothetical problem be posed to General Joe so that the citizens may ascertain for themselves - by his answers - his fitness for greater responsibilities.
The problem: All U.S. Armed Forces commissioned officers and all senior non-commissioned officers simultaneously resign. It is now up to General Joe to rebuild a new U.S. Armed Force capable of defending the U.S. from 9/11-type terrorists and other traditional military threats.
The question: How much time will General Joe need to find, recruit, educate, and train (ready for combat) his new forces - paying close attention of course to his new military leaders, i.e., the new officer corp and senior non-commmissioned officers?
-- D.E. Mosman

*** "We trained hard, but it seemed that everytime we were beginning to form up into teams, we would be reorganized. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing; and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency and demoralization." -- Petronius Arbiter (210 B.C.)

MY NOTE: Though I see where Capt. Mosman has commented on occasion in the WALL STREET JOURNAL, I'm not sure if his letter (above) was actually published in the RTD... Lets hope so. It's a good one. If not, well, it certainly got ink here :-)
Also, there is a centuries-old controversy about whether or not Petronius actually did say that (see above), but it is indeed applicable to much of what we are witnessing today.

Just learned that NavySEALs.com has again re-published our latest NRO piece. It's the fourth time they've done so... third time in less than two weeks.

Also, today's piece, Building the Iraq Army, in NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE refutes Senator Ted Kennedy's suggestion that it takes only 13 weeks to build an army.

My friend, author and nationally acclaimed poet Kay Day, emails me:

“Any person who thinks a Marine can survive without a preference for brawling has a reduced IQ. I'm glad he likes shooting those creeps. And I hope he got a lot of them. What do you suppose those ‘insurgents’ and ‘holy warriors’ say about killing us? I am so sick of the damned media second-guessing the troops that keep freedom intact so the damned media can whine about a Marine who's doing his job and being honest about it.”

Then a reader emails Jonah Goldberg, on NRO’s THE CORNER, and says,

My sentiments exactly.

Senator Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy said, yesterday (and it’s posted on his website), “Stephen Decatur famously said, ‘My country, right our wrong.’ But others through the years have said it better - ‘our country right or wrong. When right, to be kept right. When wrong, to be set right.’”
For the record, Decatur said, in a toast to the nation, “Our country! In her intercourse with foreign nations may she always be in the right; but our country right or wrong.”
If there is a more noble utterance than that, I’ve yet to hear it.
I also find it somehow absurd that Decatur - one of my boyhood heroes, the best-known combat commander of the Barbary wars, and one-time captain of the USS INTREPID - could have his words improved upon by the captain of the USS OLDSMOBILE.

If you guys do NOTHING ELSE before lunchtime, today, read columnist Kathleen Parker's piece, Flipping the finger for freedom. It's eloquent, inspiring, and right on target (though I'm a day late reading the piece and posting the link).
According to Kathleen, "To the extent that Iraqis took control of their own lives for even a single day - inhaling freedom and giving hope to others still choked in the grip of tyranny - we have a right to grin."
Oh, and regarding Ms. Pelosi and other hopeful-defeatists who say that Iraq has become a "magnet" for terrorists from around the world, I am reminded of U.S. Marine Brigadier General John Kelly's words.
During the 2003 invasion when intelligence indicated that foreign troops were coming to the aid of Iraqi diehards, Kelly stated, "We want all Jihad fighters to come here. That way we can kill them all before they get bus tickets to New York City."
Quoted in my piece, Return of the Marines, at NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE.

Ya know, I'm really not sure how to take this, or how to respond when asked about it.
Fact is, I kinda have to laugh, because I heard it all - and soooooo much worse - when I was a young leatherneck 20-plus years ago, but let's face it, THIS guy is a high-profile three-star general and it is the 21st Century.
Still, Gen. Mattis is one of the finest division-level combat commanders in the world, today.
Let's just say his comments will - in some small way - add to the mystique of our Marine Corps.
Oh, I'm talking about the following AP wire story:

WASHINGTON [Feb. 3, 2005, Associated Press] - The commandant of the Marine Corps said Thursday he has counseled a senior subordinate for saying publicly, "It's fun to shoot some people."
Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis, an infantry officer who has commanded Marines in both Afghanistan and Iraq, made the comments Tuesday while speaking to a forum in San Diego about strategies for the war on terror. Mattis is the commanding general of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, Va.
According to an audio recording of Mattis' remarks, he said, "Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot. ... It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right upfront with you, I like brawling."
He added, "You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil," Mattis continued. "You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them."
Thursday, Gen. Mike Hagee, commandant of the Marine Corps, issued a statement saying, "I have counseled him concerning his remarks and he agrees he should have chosen his words more carefully."
"While I understand that some people may take issue with the comments made by him, I also know he intended to reflect the unfortunate and harsh realities of war," Hagee said. "Lt. Gen. Mattis often speaks with a great deal of candor."
Hagee also praised Mattis, calling him "one of this country's bravest and most experienced military leaders."
He said the commitment of Marines "helps to provide us the fortitude to take the lives of those who oppress others or threaten this nation's security. This is not something we relish, yet we accept it as a reality in our profession of arms."
He said he was confident Mattis would continue to serve.
According to Mattis' biography, he commanded, as a lieutenant colonel, an assault battalion during the first war with Iraq. During the war in Afghanistan, he commanded the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade; in the second war in Iraq, he commanded the 1st Marine Division during the invasion and early period after the war.

Columnist Charlotte Hays quotes a portion of our latest NRO piece on the Iraqi elections in her beliefnet column, Loose Canon.
Here ' tis...
"'The Iraqi people did not just participate in national elections on Sunday. They humbled people the world over, and won for themselves both another step toward democracy and a newfound reputation as being among history's bravest of the brave,' writes former Marine [W.] Thomas Smith [Jr.] in National Review."
Yep, I did say that.
See Charlotte's entire piece here under "History's Brave Ones" (Once there, scroll down to Jan. 31). Also, check out some of her other pieces... I'm sure, like me, you'll quickly become a Loose Canon regular.

The President's State of the Union speech - Excellent coverage at C-SPAN, includes video of tonight's speech, video and transcripts of previous SOTU speeches, links to SOTU archives, and much more.

Author, columnist, talk-show host, and Jennifer Graham's husband; Michael Graham, beat me to the purple punch. [As an expression of our solidarity with the Iraqi people, whose purple-ink stained index fingers after voting in national elections became a badge of honor and a symbol of defiance, wthomassmithjr.com was published for several days in purple].

Again, our latest NRO piece is re-published at NavySEALs.com.
On another front, my sources in the Sunni Triangle are reporting that TWICE in the last few hours, civilians in Fallujah have come forward with leads about insurgent activity in the city.
In the first instance, Iraqi soldiers responded and captured four guerrillas, a bunch of hand grenades, some RPGs, and a suicide belt.
In the second instance, U.S. Marines responded and uncovered a bunch of artillery rounds and some det. cord.
I suppose it's too soon for this story to have hit the wires (or perhaps it won't)... but it's a perfect example of increasing cooperation between locals, Iraqi security, and U.S. forces in one of Iraq's most volatile Sunni areas.