Wasting Military Excellence
-Patrick S Lasswell
Open Letter to Congress
I am proud to be a serving Navy Reservist in Portland, Oregon, part of the best unit of its kind in the Navy (unit name redacted for security reasons). To meet the current and projected needs of the Navy, our unit is being realigned into a different format, and the stretch goes so far that we are being disbanded. This is a tragedy and a waste in itself because our unit has fostered a culture of excellence and accomplishment that will be almost impossible to carry forward once we are broken up. Some members of the unit have served with it continuously nearly twenty years, a testament to morale unimaginable with active duty units.
I am tasked with minimizing the waste of millions of dollars of equipment in my Navy Reserve unit as we decommission. Yesterday I was honored with a letter of commendation from my unit for the work I have done making sure we have everything we need, where we need it, and that it works when we need it. By abandoning an opportunity to go on annual training to a tropical paradise next year, I’ve managed to salvage a few hundred thousand dollars in gear. I could save even more, and make sure it is better and more effectively distributed, but the lack of a FY ‘08 military budget prevents me from spending the time needed to maintain excellence. My chain of command supports excellence, they just can’t pay for it right now.
The military is wasting money trying to fight a war without a budget. This is hurting us today; this will hurt us for a very long time to come. The Left does not care what damage they do to get what they want anymore. This is not about the war, this is about petty partisan advantage and it stinks on ice.
I urge you to pass a budget so we can defend the best nation on earth the best we way we know how. If you cannot do this for the sake of being decent, please try to imagine how incredibly stupid the partisan hacks will look the next time the terrorists get through. You do not want to be associated with those fools when the smoke clears, or while the plague is raging.
Patrick S Lasswell
Portland, Oregon
Comments
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Posted by: David m | November 19, 2007 12:06 PM