Military Officer - April 2006 - (Page 13)

isn’t between the bomb and the target, but between the physical effects achieved and the psychological effect on the enemy.” People sometimes need to be reminded that the military doesn’t exist just to break things and kill people. There is historic purpose in what the military does, but we need to return to a time when civilian leaders decided where and when we fought wars but let the military decide how best to prosecute them. Vietnam was the antithesis of that concept, and Iraq may not be far behind. Lt. Col. Donald L. Gilleland, USAF-Ret. Suntree, Fla. Credit to Crew Members Nice coverage of the contributions of uniformed [servicemembers] toward the cleanup after Hurricane Katrina [“Storm Stories,” January 2006]. However, NOAA pilot Lt. Michael Silah … says, “Our pilots were ﬂying 12-hour shifts.” Can it be that, in a WP3D, only the two pilots took off for the 12-hour shifts, or might the rest of the crew, who deserve equal credit, also have been involved? Extremely few military aircraft in any of the services are ﬂown by one person; the F-16 and the U-2 come to mind. Most all military aircraft are ﬂown by between two and 25 crewmembers, all of whom perform their part of the mission. Please give credit where credit is due. Most of the work was probably done by the crew members who weren’t the pilots. Lt. Col. Bill Simon III, USAF-Ret. State College, Pa. bravery, and sacriﬁces made by our gallant troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. Also, hardly a day goes by that we don’t hear about some failure to properly support and protect our troops, about the families of our troops back home facing severe hardships and struggling to make ends meet, or about some beneﬁt for military retirees and survivors being chipped away at. With respect to the latter … [the February] issue of Military Ofﬁcer makes it starkly clear that there is a shameful incongruence between what our political leaders say and [what they] do. It is high time for these leaders who profess to “support our troops” to put their money where their mouths are. I applaud MOAA for its unwavering and true support of our active duty and retired military. Maj. Dorian de Wind, USAF-Ret. Austin, Texas Revel in the Rewards Membership in the military is exclusive — and hard won. Enjoy its rewards with a five-star retirement at The Fairfax: 5 minutes from Fort Belvoir Officers’ Club & golf courses 35 beautiful acres Unique camaraderie Sumptuous dining, happy hours 16 floor plans, multiple financial options Varying levels of health care Call 703.799.1200 now to reap the rewards of your service, at the area’s largest retirement community for military and Foreign Service officers. As We Go, This We Know For quite a few years now, Military Ofﬁcer has been a welcome part of the ritual of our household. Each month when the magazine arrives, I hand it to my wife and wait with anticipation while she turns to the “Sounding Taps” page to see if my name is included. When it is not, she hands the magazine back to me and, reassured, I settle down to enjoy the informative articles. This may strike some as an odd procedure, for in the normal course of things you’d think a person would know whether or not he had died. But as they taught us on active duty, “There’s always someone who doesn’t get the word.” Lt. Col. Donn Taylor, AUS-Ret. The Woodlands, Texas For submission information, see page 14. THE FAIRFAX 9140 Belvoir Woods Parkway Fort Belvoir, VA 22060 www.sunriseseniorliving.com www.arrfp.org APRIL 2006 Walking the Talk Hardly a day goes by that we don’t see the president, the secretary of Defense, or a gung ho senator or representative extol the dedication, MILITARY OFFICER 13 http://www.sunriseseniorliving.com http://www.arrfp.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - April 2006

Military Officer - April 2006 Contents From the Editor President’s Page Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Financial Forum Ask the Doctor Chapter Activities Lap of Luxury Magic Carpet of the Rails Blue Ridge Wonderland Salud, Santé, Cin Cin! Cover Story: Wounded Warriors On Duty MOAA Scholarship Donors MOAA Member Services Pages of History Information Exchange Member Books MOAA Calendar Advertising Index Sounding Taps Encore

Military Officer - April 2006

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