Crash and Burn - Military Edition

I'm sure everyone has heard about the guy who cold-cocked the protester in the red, white, and blue shirt at a Trump presidential rally on March 19th.  If not, here's a link to the story.

So anyway, the guy who did the sucker-punching is a guy named Tony Pettway, who happens to be a fourteen-year Staff Sergeant (E-5) in the Air Force, and a Security Forces Specialist (3P AF Specialty Code) stationed at Davis Monthan AFB in Arizona.  Air Force personnel refer to people in the 3P field as cops.

My opinion of the whole Pettway thing is summed up in one word:  Disgust. Tony Pettway has dishonored his service, the military, and the country by his inexcusable actions.  My hope is that he's hung out to dry by the Air Force.  With fourteen years of service under his belt, he's subject to what the military calls High Year Tenure when he reaches his fifteenth year.  HYT is intended to cull the ranks of the military by removing people (underachievers) from service who aren't making rank within specified time frames.  For an E-5, the limit is 15 years.  Pettway may get bounced soon anyway by HYT, but I'd sure like to see him get hosed through the military justice system.

To Pettway I say:  Your are a pathetic excuse for a non commissioned officer and a human being.

Tired of fake politicians stretching the truth?

That’s the campaign slogan of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike McCalister.  That being said, Here are some tidbits from his life:

- He’s a retired Army reserve Colonel.  Retired.  Reserve – True.

- He claimed he participated in black ops and testified before Congress – False.

- Says he never said he testified before Congress – False.

- Said, "If there was any misrepresentation, I accept responsibility” – So much for integrity and honor.

- His web site used to describe him as a “retired Special Operations Colonel” – False

- Never said he was a reservist – True.  That pre-Gulf War reserve duty was a hell of a lot different than it is now.  Big difference from active duty, and a big difference from today's reserve duty.

- Said he was a war college graduate. Readers assume it was the Army War College.  Nope.  He “attended” the Air Force War College distance-learning program. 

- Said he needed a Top Secret security clearance to attend – False.  Why the fuck would you need a Top Secret clearance to do an on-line distance learning course over the UNCLASSIFIED Internet.

- Misrepresented his work for prescription drug company Ventiv Pharma "I've worked in healthcare for many years” and "I've worked with every teaching hospital in Florida and every medical school,” never mentioning his employer.

- Says he’s a small businessman.  He owns a palm tree farm from which he’s sold ZERO product – True.

- Collects $940 a year in an agricultural property-tax break because of his “business” – True.

-  Feels guilty about taking taxpayer money for a business that really isn’t a business – Not likely.

Amazing. What a disgrace, fraud, and liar.

A couple of links:

Military.com

Miami Herald

When The Going Gets Tough - The Tough(?) Wanna Quit

If the military wanted General Stanley McChrystal to have a public opinion, they would’ve issued him one. I heard variations of that for years during my 21yrs in the military. Apparently he didn’t.

General McChrystal and his aides should have kept their big fucking mouths shut. In the military, you don’t have to agree with your Commander in Chief; you just have to do what he says and shut the fuck up. Really.

I have absolutely no respect for this man. Not only because he set a piss-poor example as a leader for his thousands upon thousands of subordinates, but because – once busted for his commentary – he immediately offered his resignation. The word pansy comes to mind.

When I was coming up in the military, if you screwed up, you owned up to it, took (or received) corrective action and moved the fuck on. Errors in judgment are nothing new for the military or humankind.

McChrystal needs to speak to his troops and tell them his conduct was reprehensible and not in keeping with the traditions and honor of the US military. Then, he needs to take his medicine, preferably in the form of a punitive letter of reprimand from the Secretary of Defense. This should be immediately followed by a no-confidence relief of command, and his retirement.

Those who contend he’s irreplaceable (and I’ve heard a few talking heads mention it already), are full of shit. No one in the military is irreplaceable. No one.