Tag: u s military
Mark Milley

Retiring Gen. Milley: 'We Don't Take An Oath To A Wannabe Dictator' (VIDEO)

On Friday, Gen. Mark A. Milley retired as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. President Joe Biden spoke at a ceremony honoring the general held at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall near Washington, D.C. Biden called the “partnership” he had with Milley “invaluable.” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin described Milley as “a scholar and a warrior," saying, "We respect him for his wit, but we love him for his heart. And he’s thrown his whole heart into leading this tremendous joint force of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, guardians.”

Milley spoke for some time, joking that the good news was no one need hear him speak in uniform anymore after Friday’s ceremony. His speech highlighted the people who helped him and the important work being done by the U.S. military around the world. But he saved a few choice words for the topic of the military’s place in the separation of powers that is essential to a healthy democracy:


We don't take an oath to a tribe. We don't take an oath to a religion. We don't take an oath to a king or queen, or a tyrant, or a dictator. And we don't take an oath to a wannabe dictator. We don't take an oath to an individual. We take an oath to the Constitution and we take an oath to the idea that this is America and we're willing to die to protect it. Every soldier, sailor, airman, Marine, guardian and Coast Guard: Each of us commits our very life to protect and defend that document regardless of personal price.

This is the first part of Milley’s speech. The second part will be posted below it as soon as it becomes available.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Tommy Tuberville

While Harming US Military, Tuberville Lies About Father's Service Record (VIDEO)

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) campaigned on a platform of being a staunch supporter of the men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces and pro-veteran. His claims, including those surrounding his own father’s service, are being called into question.

Tuberville, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, is a former college football coach, who goes by the nickname “Coach,” in campaign material and even on his official U.S. Senate website. Just weeks ago Tuberville, who has never served in the U.S. Armed Forces, told reporters, “There is nobody more military than me.”

Tuberville time and time again has used claims about his father’s record in World War II, which also appear on his campaign website, Tuberville’s official Senate website (and in this archived copy) to promote himself.

“Tuberville was inspired to serve in Congress by his father, a World War II veteran and recipient of five Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart, who instilled in him the values of patriotism, work ethic, and grit,” his Senate website reads.

Tuberville’s 2020 campaign website says, “it is the legacy of his father, a highly decorated WWII veteran and Purple Heart recipient, that motivates Coach Tuberville to give back to the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces.” That website also lists as his first “issue,” “Serving those who served.”

It also reads: “The first role of our government is to protect its citizens and that is why I will support a strong and robust military. I know we must provide our Armed Forces with the tools and resources they need to protect Americans at home and abroad. Alabamians are proud and we stand with our military and our Veterans who have given so much for our nation.”

In June, Tuberville celebrated D-Day with a Fox News interview during which he lauded his father’s service – and denigrated today’s U.S. Military.

“Today, Coach is June 6, which is a big date in your family, because June 6, D-Day 1944. Your father was there, and wound up driving a tank across Europe,” Fox News’ Steve Doocy said to Tuberville, and Fox News viewers.

“Seventy-nine years ago. They said it was the most important day in the 20th century, because if we don’t win on D-Day, and the days after that, this whole country – the world is in trouble,” Tuberville responded.

Talking about his father, Tuberville told Fox News, “he lied about his age at 16. Joined the Army. Said it’s the first time he ever had a new pair of boots. And then he landed at Utah Beach and drove a tank across Europe, awarded five Bronze Stars and a purple heart at age 18.”

After sharing an amusing anecdote, Sen. Tuberville then took a shot at today’s U.S. Armed Forces.

“And, and back then, back then war was war. And it was pretty much hand-to-hand combat. And you know,” speaking about his father, Tuiberville added, “he said, ‘we stayed cold, hungry, it was miserable, scared for our lives,’ and he lost most of his friends, you know, in his company, that he went in, with but this is not the same military we have had back then.”

What Tuberville may be referring to is today’s military includes women and and LGBTQ service members who fight in combat.

Tuberville has been accused of putting national security at risk because he currently is blocking 265 military promotions, all of which need to be confirmed by the Senate. His blockade started in February, and he refuses to budge.

Why?

In response to state bans on abortions, the Pentagon decided it will reimburse service members who need to travel to a different state to access abortion services. Tuberville opposes abortion.

“This indefinite hold harms America’s national security and hinders the Pentagon’s normal operations,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said.

According to a deep dive byThe Washington Post, several of the claims Tuiberville repeatedly makes about his father’s service are false, including that his dad joined the military when he was 16 years old.

“This is false,” an analysis by the Post’s Glenn Kessler reveals. “Charles Tuberville, who was born in 1925, turned 16 five months before the United States entered World War II because of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. His draft registration card (front and back) shows he submitted it on July 16, 1943 — his 18th birthday.”

The Post also disputes Tuberville’s claim his father was a tank commander.

“This is dubious. Charles Tuberville’s tombstone lists his highest rank as ‘TEC 5’ or technician fifth grade, an Army rank at the time that indicated technical skills but not combat leadership. According to a 1944 Army memo, TEC 5 jobs were limited to armorer, cook, tank driver, light truck driver or tank mechanic. Tuberville would have needed to be a sergeant to be a tank commander.”

Tuberville has repeatedly claimed his father was awarded “five bronze stars.”

“This is false. The Bronze Star, the eighth-highest military award, is earned when a soldier ‘distinguished himself or herself by heroic or meritorious achievement or service’ in combat with an armed enemy of the United States,” the Post reports. “Earning five Bronze Stars would be highly unusual; Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier of World War II, earned two Silver Stars and two Bronze Stars, among other medals.”

Instead, the Post reports, Tuberville’s father “earned not Bronze Stars, but rather Bronze service stars — which denote that a soldier was physically present during a particular military campaign or engagement.”

Another of Tuberville’s claims, that his father drove a tank in Paris when U.S. troops liberated the city, the Post deems simply, “not possible.”

See the video above or at this link.

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Tommy Tuberville

'I Call Them Americans': Alabama Senator Defends White Nationalists In Military

Far-right Republican U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, already under fire this week for blocking 184 top U.S. Armed Forces nominations and promotions to protest the Biden administration’s support of women in the military accessing abortion, is drawing more outrage after declaring support for white nationalists in the U.S. military.

“Democrats are attacking our military, saying we need to get out the white extremists or white nationalists, people that don’t believe in our agenda,” Sen. Tuberville told Alabama Public Radio WBHM, as AL.com reports. “We cannot start putting rules in there for one type and one group and make different factions in the military because that is the most important institution in the United States of America and [to] our allies is a strong hard-nosed killing machine, which is called our military.”

WBHM’s Richard Banks asked Tuberville, “You mentioned the Biden administration trying to prevent white nationalists from being in the military. Do you believe they should allow white nationalists in the military?”

“Well,” Tuberville replied, “they call them that. I call them Americans.”

During the 5-minute WBHM interview, Tuberville also attacked transgender women playing women’s sports.

“Given all the initiatives you’re working on in the Senate, why put so much focus on this topic? Compared to other issues that affect Alabamians?” asked Banks.

Tuberville first won in 2020 with the endorsement of Donald Trump, defeating Democratic U.S. Senator Doug Jones. He is an election denier who minimized the January 6, 2021 insurrection, and who voted to oppose certifying the election for President Joe Biden.

Also Monday, Tuberville claimed the entire nation is affected by transgender women and girls playing sports.

“It’s gonna affect everybody all over the country and the problem they’re having in the next couple of weeks is Joe Biden has, he’s legislating from the White House and he’s basically doesn’t care about women’s sports and timeline,” Tuberville falsely claimed, apparently unaware that as President, Biden has the constitutional authority to mandate how and under what requirements federal dollars are spent.

“He’s gonna take a sledgehammer to it because this next couple of weeks, he’s going to executive order any school in 2023, starting this year, if you do not abide by his law in terms of males playing against women in sports, you will lose your federal funding.”

WBHM added several fact-checks to Tuberville’s false statement, including one for his claim about white nationalists in the military.

Although Tuberville apparently supports white nationalists in the military, WBHM reports: “Concerns about white nationalists in military ranks extend before Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election. For instance, an October 2020 Pentagon report to Congress detailed the military’s efforts to keep extremists, particularly fascists, out of the military.”

Last fall, just before the election, at a Trump rally in Nevada, Tuberville made racist remarks.

“The Democratic Party, they have the majority, they could stop this crime today. They said, some people say ‘well, they’re soft on crime.’ No, they’re not soft on crime, their program, they want crime. They want crime because they want to take over what you got. They want to control what you have. They want reparations because they think the people that do the crime are owed that. Bullsh*t,” he said. “They are not owed that.”

On Tuesday, after news of Donald Trump being found liable for sexual assault and defamation, among other allegations, in a civil court trial that also ordered him to pay $5 million to E. Jean Carroll, Tuberville defended the ex-president.

HuffPost senior politics reporter Igor Bobic had tweeted, “GOP Sen. Tuberville says the NY verdict against Trump ‘makes me want to vote for him twice.'”

The Alabama Senator responded with a simple tweet suggesting he is all-in on Donald Trump:

100% #MAGA,” Tuberville wrote.

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Danziger: American Dreamers

Danziger: American Dreamers

Jeff Danziger lives in New York City. He is represented by CWS Syndicate and the Washington Post Writers Group. He is the recipient of the Herblock Prize and the Thomas Nast (Landau) Prize. He served in the US Army in Vietnam and was awarded the Bronze Star and the Air Medal. He has published eleven books of cartoons and one novel. Visit him at DanzigerCartoons.com.