A Pearl Harbor Day Follow-Up

I wanted to post this story, from army.mil, as a reminder on Pearl Harbor Day that the fight against the enemies of America and freedom continues today, and that there are still hundreds of thousands of heroes, such as Lt. Col. Gadson, who continue in the courageous tradition of valor for which we honor the soldiers, sailors, and airmen who were attacked in Hawaii 66 years ago.

Dec 05, 2007

By Elizabeth M. Lorge

(From left) Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. George Casey Jr., Superintendent of West Point Lt. Gen. Buster Hagenbeck, Lt. Col. Greg Gadson and Secretary of the Army Pete Geren leave the playing field after the coin toss at the 108th Army-Navy football game in Baltimore Dec 1. Lt. Col. Gadson is a former West Point football player who lost both legs to a roadside bomb in Baghdad. Photo by U.S. Military Academy

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Dec. 5, 2007) - A former West Point football player who was wounded in action joined the Army's top brass for the coin toss at Saturday's Army-Navy Game in Baltimore.Still learning to walk after an improvised-explosive device in Baghdad claimed both of his legs in May, Lt. Col. Greg Gadson marched onto the playing field, and he said it reminded him of the three times Army beat Navy when he was a player."You could feel the specialness of the game, you could feel the energy in the crowd. It did bring back memories of being a player," he said. "I think especially for a senior, who knows this is his last game, and you're part of a tradition and it's pretty awesome."I really was honored to go out there with some of the senior leaders in the Army and accompany them. It was an honor and a privilege that they afforded me and I was so appreciative. At the end of the day, it's a game, but those guys who are out there are going to be leaders in the Army and the Navy and the Marines in a short year and there's going to be a different set of stakes that they're playing for," he added.A field artillery officer, Lt. Col. Gadson attended West Point so he could play football, but fell in love with the Army, so much so that he decided to remain a Soldier in spite of his injuries."I believe I still have something to offer the Soldiers. That's as simple as I can say it. I love being a Soldier and right now I think I still have something to offer. As long as that's the case, I'm up for still being a Soldier," he said.Deployed with the 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery, Lt. Col. Gadson remembers the blast and thinking he didn't have his rifle. He remembers his first sergeant resuscitating him as he almost bled to death - he needed 70 pints of blood that first night alone - and he remembers hearing the helicopter coming to evacuate him, but little else until weeks later in Walter Reed Army Medical Center.Doctors had to amputate his left leg after infection caused his arteries to collapse. They were able to save his right leg, but Lt. Col. Gadson and his wife decided his quality of life would be better without it. He said his healing sped up very quickly after it was gone and he was finally able to leave intensive care. His right arm was also badly damaged and he needs at least two more surgeries in the next year. He still goes to Walter Reed for therapy every day.Although his injuries and recovery have, of course, been tough on his family, Lt. Col. Gadson said that they have ultimately brought his family closer together. "It's changed their life," he said. "But I think it's also brought us together. In tough times, there's really two ways to go, you can come together or you can go apart and I think it's been something that has brought us together. I am so proud of my kids because they have really embraced what has happened to our family."Learning to walk without knees or ankles has been challenging, but Lt. Col. Gadson credits prosthetics and the excellent therapists at Walter Reed, and looks at it like training for anything else."It's tough, but so is basic training, so is going through West Point, so is war. If you understand that what you're going through is going to be tough, then you prepare yourself for it and you go through it. There's no shortcuts," he said.Committing to walk on the field at the Army-Navy Game was also a good goal for Lt. Col. Gadson to work towards. "Once I committed to it I said, 'Well, I have to make sure I can walk,'" he said.He pushes himself, but he warns wounded Soldiers against pushing themselves too hard and trying to do anything before their bodies are ready."Just be patient and realize that you have had a significant event that's happened to you and take your time," he said. "I've found that that's really one of the most challenging things, to really be patient, kind of listen to my body. I'm not the same guy I was and if I push too hard I can do something to hurt myself and that's what I mean about being patient."Lt. Col. Gadson also wants Soldiers to know that the Army will take care of them."One thing I'm really proud of is how the Army has responded to me," he said. "As a commander, you put so much into trying to take care of Soldiers. And I found myself on the other end of being taken care of and it's been absolutely phenomenal."I just have to say that (Army medical personnel) are performing phenomenally. The tremendous trauma that my body's been through, I have nothing but great things to say. In other wars, I wouldn't have survived. The fact that three to five months after this happened, I'm in prosthetic limbs and I'm starting to learn how to walk again, is even hard for me to appreciate. These guys have really, really been doing some super work."

In Memory of an Important But Often Forgotten Day

Never forget...

"December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan... Always will we remember the character of the onslaught against us. No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory... With confidence in our armed forces—with the unbounded determination of our people—we will gain the inevitable triumph—so help us God." —Franklin D. Roosevelt (quote copied from the PatriotPost, 07-49 Digest)

Saying "Happy Pearl Harbor Day" doesn't sound right, so let me just add, long may the faith, courage, resiliency, and military strength that brought us through that time continue and flourish in America, and may our country ever seek to weather the trials that face us with the conviction and spirit with which we faced the tragedy of December 7, 1941. My thanks go to those who rose up to defend us then, and to those who continue in our defence in that same courageous legacy.

Respecting Our Flag

Basic patriotism in the form of respecting our flag is something all to easy to forget.

A few days ago, I was shopping at a major retailer, and I happened to be near a service desk when an obviously upset employee came hurrying up. "Where are they?" I heard her ask the other lady manning the desk. Soon she was digging through the wastebasket beneath the desk and pulling out several small American flags---the small 4x6 variety on a stick that you see kids waving at parades. Apparently someone in management had ordered that these flags---excess stock or something---be thrown away. And that made this employee mad. "If you need to get rid of an American flag, you burn it," she said. "I don't care what they say, you don't throw an American flag away---management be damned." To be honest, I was a little surprised. How many Americans would have second thoughts about throwing away an American flag? In this era of wacky radicals and rioting foreign protesters burning American flags as a symbol of hate and disrespect, it's far too easy to forget that the respectful way to dispose of an American flag is to burn it with honor. In fact, I think that a lot of people forget the importance of the flag as a symbol of our country and of freedom. There is a reason why so many deliberately dishonor the American flag, and that's because of what it represents. Remembering to respect our flag, whether it's in how we display it, what we do with our hats when we see it, or how we dispose of it, is actually remembering to respect all that is great and good and free about our country, and remembering the sacrifices that Americans have made for over two centuries to keep it that way. So thank you to the patriotic lady who whose respect for our flag (and anger at its dishonor) reminded me of something very important that is often overlooked in our society. Long may the star-spangled banner wave "o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave."

Defining a War

Today I read a thought-provoking article in WORLD magazine (07/21/2007 issue) by founder Joel Belz entitled "Careless ambiguity" about how an "ongoing lack of clarity on Iraq is hurting the president and the country." Belz's main point is that due to a lapse in clear explanation from the President, and the negative misrepresentations of the drive-by media and liberal politicians, many Americans are confused about whether the purpose of the war is "mostly about defending America from further terrorism---or is... about helping the people of Iraq restore their country and building a democracy there." Belz correctly points out that there is great importance in the way that this question of purpose is answered. The people of America, by a large majority, support the defense of American soil and freedom. And, if a strong enough case is made that the war in Iraq was an invasion to remove a dangerous national security threat and is a continuing battle to defeat al Qaida and other terrorists who will otherwise harm American interests and American lives around the world, then Americans will rally strongly to the war effort. However, if it is presented as an attempt at democracy-building in a country that obviously faces major impediments to democratic rule and peace, then Americans will have an increasingly hard time supporting the continued shedding of American blood and spending of American money necessary to accomplishing this goal. For the majority, this comes down to basic human self-interest---we are willing to make sacrifices for our own security, but will eventually reach a limit if those sacrifices are depicted as benefiting another country. Others, like myself, face uncertainty because of our understanding of the American military as a weapon to protect American national security and to fulfill agreements with allies, and not, by and large, as an international police force.

I don't believe, however, that these positions need necessarily be at variance. Here's why--- today President Bush came out very strongly in an excellent speech at Charleston Air Force Base and identified al Qaida the number one enemy in Iraq and of both the Iraqi and American people. (Muchas gracias, by the way, to Rush for airing clips of this speech as I wrote this post.) The President clearly refuted the faulty logic of the ridiculous idea that Iraq is the reason for terrorism, pointing out the numerous incidents of anti-American terrorism that occurred long before the decision to invade Iraq and remove Saddam Hussein. He stated strongly that our troops are having success in fighting al Qaida and that we must give them time to defeat these and other terrorists, because it would be "dangerous for America and the world" to withdraw prematurely from this battle. He stated very clearly why Iraq is necessary to American security---

"Al Qaida is in Iraq -- and they're there for a reason. And surrendering the future of Iraq to al Qaida would be a disaster for our country. We know their intentions. Hear the words of al Qaida's top commander in Iraq when he issued an audio statement in which he said he will not rest until he has attacked our nation's capital. If we were to cede Iraq to men like this, we would leave them free to operate from a safe haven which they could use to launch new attacks on our country. And al Qaida would gain prestige amongst the extremists across the Muslim world as the terrorist network that faced down America and forced us into retreat.
If we were to allow this to happen, sectarian violence in Iraq could increase dramatically, raising the prospect of mass casualties. Fighting could engulf the entire region in chaos, and we would soon face a Middle East dominated by Islamic extremists who would pursue nuclear weapons, and use their control of oil for economic blackmail or to fund new attacks on our nation.
We've already seen how al Qaida used a failed state thousands of miles from our shores to bring death and destruction to the streets of our cities -- and we must not allow them to do so again. So, however difficult the fight is in Iraq, we must win it. And we can win it."

I whole-heartedly agree, and was gratified to hear this line of reasoning coming from the President. This is the way of looking at the war that encourages me and many other Americans to continue to support it. Al Qaida and terrorism must be defeated wherever in the world it rears its evil head, and Iraq is currently the primary battle-ground against this enemy. The war must continue there in the interests of American security. The other view of this war regarding Iraqi security and sovereignty, although it should not be the primary focus, follows naturally from promoting American interests. If terrorism is defeated, Iraqi peace and freedom will be much easier to achieve. As President Bush said, al Qaida and Islamic terrorism are public enemies numbers one and one for both of our nations, and protecting American interests in this area will have the effect of also promoting Iraqi peace and security.

In conclusion, I think that public support for the war, which is rising according to a New York Times poll released today, depends in part on the goals that are promoted by the White House. President Bush has a responsibility to continue to promote the viewpoint that he laid out today, and if he does, this leadership, along with the continuing successes occurring in Iraq, will rally the American public to the cause. If not, the issues at stake will remain blurred, and this, along with the defeatism of the liberal establishment, will lead to increasing frustration with the war and decreasing support among the public.