WARNING LONG POST, BUT THE RESULT OF A LOUSY FOOTBALL GAME As I contemplate life, leadership and service to the community, state and nation while watching the unsuper bowl, I wondered about the effect of military service upon ones later service as a leader. Of the 44 men who have served as POTUS, 12 never served in any military capacity. This is not a new phenomena, as the second POTUS, John Adams never served. Several like Lincoln, Jefferson, Arthur and others served in their state militias. Buchanans highest rank was private (War of 1812). Reagan also entered as a private, but later was commissioned and served in the reserve or on active duty from 1937-1953. Eleven men who became POTUS were general officers (some brevet) interestingly enough none have been admirals, five were colonels (but none Navy Captains). The highest rank in the USN any POTUS held was Commander (equivalent to an Army Lt. Colonel), them being Nixon and LBJ. Two held the highest possible rank while on active duty, Geo. Washington (General of the Armies) and Eisenhower (General of the Army), of which Washingtons rank is superior. NO UNITED STATES MARINE HAS EVER SERVED AS POTUS. (I shall refrain from comments out of respect for my devil dog friends-I guess some train to lead {US Army} and some to follow). I will not discriminate on the grounds of active duty vs. reserve or national guard. Nor wartime vs. peace time. All raised their hands and served knowing that in the flash of a moment history could change and they could be put in harms way, as many who served in reserve, national guard or militia units actually saw combat. Several were highly decorated for combat service, as opposed to decorated for leadership: Kennedy (Navy & Marine Corps Medal (for life saving acts) and Purple Heart-South Pacific), Geo. HW Bush (Distinguished Flying Cross-South Pacific) and Theo. Roosevelt (Medal of Honor-Cuba). Numerous US warships have been named after POTUSes. 9 after Washington alone. One was named after 2 POTUSes, the USS The Adams (APA 19). Although all recently commissioned Nimitz Class carriers have been named after POTUSes, USS Truman, Kennedy, Ford, Reagan, and Geo. HW Bush, Jimmy Carter gave his name to a Seawolf Class fast attack submarine as an honor for his service as a submariner and leader in the early nuclear submarine force. I guess that the US Navy figures since they have no former admirals or captains that have served as POTUS they can make up for it by naming ships after them. As a nation, we fought in two world wars. Neither POTUS who was in office upon the declaration of war, and in both cases for several years prior, ever served in the military, although both were of military age during times of war prior to being POTUS and prior to the onset of disability in the case of FDR. Kennedy (who 1st sent US forces to Vietnam) and LBJ (who escalated the war) were both veterans however. There has been a veteran of every US War/Conflict who served as POTUS, except no veteran of the Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War or Iraq/Afghanistan has served as POTUS to date. Unfortunately, it appears no Korean or Vietnam veteran will ever serve. While we can make political comment on policy and practice of men who have served as POTUS, I must comment that while I may not respect their service as POTUS, I can respect their dedication to service to the nation. I cannot say the same for those who chose not to serve at any point in their lives. This is especially the case when I look at the fact that Cleveland paid another man to serve in his stead during wartime, Clinton appears to have intentionally taken steps to avoid being subject to the draft, and JQ Adams witnessed the battle at Bunker Hill and later several naval engagements but stood by while others fought for freedom. Additionally, it is quite clear that the respect for the men and women of our armed forces, or lack therefore, is clearly tied to service or lack thereof. It was widely reported that Clinton forced his military aides and personnel assigned to the White House Military Detachments to serve as waiters and cocktail servers at White House functions. Obama has been widely reported to (and photographs bear out) refused to return the salutes of his military details (and the US Flag for that matter). Those of us who have served understand that the hand salute is the highest form of honor we grant fellow warriors and our military superiors, which every POTUS is by nature of serving as the commander in chief of all US forces. Additionally, a veteran never misses the chance to salute the colors. The following is a listing of the men who have served as POTUS during my lifetime, the highest (or in case of Reagan also the lowest) rank held, branch and years of service. Richard Nixon, CDR US Navy, 1942-1946 Gerald Ford, LT CDR, US Navy, 1942-1946 Jimmy Carter, LT, US Navy, 1943-1953 Ronald Reagan, PVT (later 1LT) US Army Cavalry/1LT-CPT US Army Corps, 1937-1953 George H. W. Bush, LTJG, US Navy 1942-1945 (commissioned at age 18) William Jefferson Clinton, No Military Service George W. Bush, 1LT, US Air Force Reserve, 1968-1974 Barack Obama, No Military Service
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 03:28:41 +0000
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