A great article by Peggy Noonan on the Marines in San Diego. A marine plane was going down, the pilot ejected at the last minute, the plane went into a house and killed three people.
It happens. It’s terrible. And then the Marines investigated. They found incompetence and failure. They punished ALL of them. And Peggy makes the correct and important point: Actually, a navy pilot made it and told her about it:
The day after the report I heard from a young Naval aviator in predeployment training north of San Diego. He flies a Super Hornet, sister ship to the plane that went down. He said the Marine investigation “kept me up last night” because of how it contrasted with “the buck-passing we see” in the government and on Wall Street. He and his squadron were in range of San Diego television stations when they carried the report’s conclusions live. He’d never seen “our entire wardroom crowded around a television” before. They watched “with bated breath.” At the end they were impressed with the public nature of the criticism, and its candor: “There are still elements within the government that take personal responsibility seriously.” He found himself wondering if the Marines had been “too hard on themselves.” “But they are, after all, Marines.”
Yes. They are, after all, Marines. This is one more example of a superior organization at work. Being the father of Marines is an intense experience, especially when your son is in combat, but the pride that goes along with the anxiety is like none other, because you know that he’s one of the very best this society can produce, and he’s fighting alongside others like him, and commanded by others of the same ilk.
If we’re going to get through this bad patch, this is the sort of model that must inspire us, and which we must demand of our leaders, civilian and military.
No wonder Machiavelli always said that virtue was, in its essence, military.
Thank you for raising a Marine, and for his service, Mr. Ledeen.
Mr. Ledeen,
Have you seen this report? The rise of Iranian lobby in Obama admin. Notice how many time Chas Freeman name is mentioned:
http://204.96.138.161/upload/wysiwyg/center%20publication%20pdfs/Clare%20Lopez%20-%20Rise%20of%20the%20'Iran%20Lobby'%20(Feb%202009).pdf
This report documenting the rise of what can accurately be described as the “Iran Lobby” in Washington,
D.C. is derived entirely from unclassified open sources and describes in detail the activities, linkages, and objectives
of this alarming alliance between NIAC, CAIR and others that is aimed at co-opting America’s foreign policy in the
Middle East and specifically with Iran. Understanding the involvement of the Tehran regime in the foundation and
continuing activities of organizations like these and their allies will become increasingly important to understanding
the extent of the regime’s influence on American foreign policy decisions regarding Iran.
Well, having been in the Marines, I have to disagree. The investigation here is just part of the coverup. The usual suspects have been dispatched. The basic Marine Corps principle, “don’t screw up” has been reinforced.
Civilian pilots are always under pressure to fly broken airplanes and get a broken airplane to a home maintenance base before asking, as Oliver Twist asked for more gruel, for repairs to be made. (Or, at least, non-union pilots. Your airline flight is probably safe because the union pilots and mechanics can refuse to do things that are illegal, unsafe or stupid for the financial convenience of the business because they have some job protection.) I have to believe military pilots face much the same pressure.
If the pilot in question had landed at North Island, parts, tools and mechanics would have had to be trucked over from Miramar, some miles away through heavy traffic. The military culture is very routine oriented and this would have been a big hairy deal. I’m sure the pilot would have heard quite a bit about how inconvenient this all was, certainly from some major, maybe even from the XO. There may have been comments in the ready room about the existence and proper functioning of his genitalia.
The US doesn’t need an investigation of the financial meltdown because “everybody knows” it was all Bush’s fault, and any blue ribbon commission would just confirm this. The fact that the 9/11 commission largely consisted of Clinton Administration officials passing judgment on their own actions doesn’t give me a whole lot of confidence in this process.
The reply to “Semper Fi” is fitting.
Long may it so identify those who deserve to command our respect.
Well put, Michael! We see the same noble characteristics in our Marine that we see in yours.
Frieda: yes, it’s an excellent study. clare lopez is a serious person and we should pay attention to all her work.
Thrasymachus, you were no marine. Period. We know our own, and you aren’t one of us.
The US is proud to have Dr. Ledeen and his son of the US Marine, and also we so proud have them.
No compromise with Dr. Ledeen’s patriotism.
The US Marines have been always in the forefront of every American war.
The US Marines, they are the most loyal, most revered, and most professional fighting force the world has ever known.
The US Army is a benevolent power for people, the US Army is much worthy of respect.
But it is shame on those who compromise on spirits those killed of the US Marines in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world.
God bless them, and bless their families.