W. Alan Beckelheimer "Something To Think About ..." Published Dec. 22, 2004

Soldiers deserve new leadership in the Pentagon

As Christmas nears, there are noticeable vacancies in many households in Tennessee and, unfortunately, in Cumberland County.

There will be fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters and children, all from Tennessee and all celebrating their Christmas away from their families, in Iraq or Afghanistan.

These brave men and women do their duty by jeopardizing their lives for their country and do their part to ensure the freedom and protection of their families. They risk their lives for everyone in America, including Donald Rumsfeld. What do our fellow citizens receive for their dedication to the traditions of American democracy? Well, so far they have received a cut in pay, inadequate armaments and troop strengths to successfully accomplish the mission and, perhaps the one that raises the most ire, flippancy.

That's right, flippancy.

What does Donald Rumsfeld think that the parents and families of soldiers that have died in the War on Terror think about his comment? What about the wounded soldiers, of which there are approximately 40,000, who heard the Defense Secretary's comment on the armor in the Army? Just who does this man think he is?

I for one am glad that I am from Tennessee so that I can claim among my fellow Tennesseans the soldier with the 278th that had the fortitude to ask Rumsfeld a tough question that had bearing on the lives of every soldier in Iraq. Did he deserve flippancy from his government for asking why he would have to dig through the trash to protect his life because his Humvee lacked adequate armor? The answer is no. I could care less whether or not the "question" was planted. It was the right question and it still needs to be answered by those responsible for it, the Department of Defense.

The Bush Administration's Cabinet is changing so fast that it is all the 24-hour media coverage can do to keep up with it. If the administration was praised for its leadership and given a mandate by the recent election, why are all of Bush's horses and all of Bush's men jumping the wall from government work to the private sector? Why with so many cabinet positions changing hands does the administration continue to support such a liability as Rumsfeld?

Before you beat me to it, I know the argument that goes the captain of the ship shouldn't be changed in the middle of the storm at sea. That is, keep war leadership while the war is still ongoing. But there has to be a point when enough is enough and proven failed leadership must be replaced. It is my sincere hope that Rumsfeld hasn't botched up the Iraqi and Afghani conflicts to the extent that they drag on and become my generation's Vietnam. I went to Camp Shelby and saw our fellow citizens deploy; these people are the backbone of America and should be taken care of and given what they need to accomplish their mission. It is what was guaranteed them when they signed up and this is one contract that America should do its utmost to adhere to.

Before anyone dismisses my column for being anti-Bush, read on and you just might be surprised.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has joined other Republicans in criticizing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Collins, R-Maine, fired off a tough letter Wednesday to Rumsfeld, describing his remarks about the lack of "up-armored" Humvees in war zones as "troubling."

"I am very concerned that it appears the Pentagon failed to do everything in its power to increase production" of the vehicles, Collins wrote.

"The Department of Defense still has been unable to ensure that our troops have the equipment they need to perform their mission as safely as possible."

Collins also complained that the Army requested production of an additional 100 Humvees a month only after a soldier complained about the lack of necessary armor on trucks during a Dec. 9 town hall meeting with Rumsfeld in Kuwait.

"Thus far, the Pentagon has received only 5,910 of the 8,105 of factory-armored Humvees commanders say they need," Collins wrote. "Why was this request not placed earlier to increase fully armored Humvee production from 450 to 550 a month at a time when many of us brought to the Pentagon's attention the shortages relayed to us by our constituent-troops and their families?"

Rumsfeld responded to a question about soldiers using scrap metal to improve protection on trucks, saying, "You go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you might want or wish to have."

U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Nebraska, said troops in Iraq "deserved a far better answer than that flippant response."

Rumsfeld told the troops that shortages of armor did not stem from a lack of money but were "a matter of physics." The manufacturers of add-on armor are producing it as fast as humanly possible, he said.

Could the problem be a lack of planning on the part of Rumsfeld? No, of course not that would entail him taking the blame for something, and we know how much those fat cats in Washington love to take the blame for their errors.

In May, Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, responded to a similar question about armor on military vehicles from a soldier in Baghdad - an event that Rumsfeld also attended.

"It's not a matter of resources; it's a matter of how fast can we build these things and get them over here," Myers said, according to a Defense Department transcript.

On Wednesday, Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sorenson told reporters of the Associated Press that the Army will spend $4 billion on buying up-armored trucks and add-on kits in the next six to eight months.

Six to eight months, seems as if Rumsfeld has known about the problem for that long already.

Well, it's a good thing those trash bins in Iraq are there, because without their eagerness to give our troops what they need, our soldiers wouldn't have as much access to life-saving armor for their vehicles. Something is wrong with America when we can spend millions of dollars on campaigning, salaries for staffers, inaugurations, etc. and cannot or will not afford the bill to provide our troops with the armor that they need for sustained operations during a time of war.

Another influential Republican on the Armed Services Committee, Sen. John McCain of Arizona has been sharply critical of Rumsfeld.

McCain said he has "no confidence" in the defense secretary and told The Associated Press, "There are very strong differences of opinion between myself and Secretary Rumsfeld" on the issue of troop strength in Iraq.

No confidence in Rumsfeld. This from a man who has a military record that makes his comments so poignant that they demand an a proactive audience.

America needs a change in leadership at the Pentagon. It is that simple.

When I worked in Washington, D.C. last summer I took the subway to work everyday and was bombarded by all the advertisements located within the cars. One ad struck my attention and I will never forget it. This advertisement consisted of a picture of Donald Rumsfeld grasping hands with Saddam Hussein at one of his palaces in Iraq.

It floored me when I saw it and the picture has come back to me recently as the war in Iraq continues. Even though Rumsfeld isn't on the side of Saddam loyalists and terrorists, he is still extending a helping hand to them now, just as then, by not having the character of leadership required to support our troops adequately. Even though adequate armor doesn't guarantee the safety of our troops completely, it does help more than it hurts.

Rumsfeld has to go and now is the time. He, like all government officials, are charged by virtue of their office with serving the American people. He has failed us.

There can be no hesitation when over a million American soldiers have risked their lives in Iraq and we've still not accomplished the mission, no matter who says it, or what banner it's on.

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W. Alan Beckelheimer is a Crossville Chronicle staffwriter. His column appears Wednesdays in the Chronicle.