First of all, Ken, you read the post wrong. I was not knocking the army or the military of today or of yesterday. I would never even consider doing that.

As for the military being smarter, better educated, better trained, etc., that's like saying baseball players are better today than they were in the 1950's. The argument is specious. If it wasn't for the lessons the army of the 60's taught, today's army would be no different. Sure it's better educated, better trained. Part of that is because the equipment is better and we're smart enough-- some, anyway-- to have learned a few things from Vietnam. It was Vietnam that forced the military-- dragging and screaming-- into the volunteer force. It was able to impose higher education standards because the pool was smaller. It weeded out all the ROTC/USAR officers who had about as much business in the military as my mother.

As for the leadership, I seem to smell the same rat I smelled a number of years ago. The uniform changes, but the culture doesn't. It seems the higher up one goes, the more easy it is to forget the lessons we impart to junior officers... you know, the starry-eyed ones who think they can change the world. The ones who bleed the most.

I'm so sick of the way our soldiers are treated I can't even stand to watch the roll-call of honor on PBS when they flash the KIAs across the screen; been there, done that, my friend.

So please, don't pick a fight with me about our military. You and I are wielding the same stick. It's just that my memory is very, very keen and I don't forgive easily. I also don't forget; and I'll stack the men I had in Vietnam or Europe or the States against anyone you care to put up against them. Just level the field; give them the same training in and with the same equipment... and you know something? They do even better. Why? Because they had to. I didn't have many volunteers.

As for tactics... Iraq is not an example of something I would use to tout modern American tactics, especially in light of "lessons learned"... or not.

Best wishes,
Fred.