DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this blog entry are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.
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13 NOV 2009
From time to time, the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots.
--Thomas Jefferson--
5 November 2009, MAJ Nidal Malik Hasan, United States Army Officer committed an unthinkable act (to most Americans). What were and still are his motives? Were his actions premeditated towards accomplishing a "patriotic" duty to a religious event, a political agenda or was this simply a personal venting of MAJ Hasan's internal anguish and frustrations?
The purpose of this entry is to not judge the actions of MAJ Hasan but to analyze the impact of his actions concerning the patriotism of the United States of America. How will the resiliency of the United States civil and military leaders stand to this event? Will the outcome of this event promote patriotism of fellow Americans or will it chop away at it?
It is my option that the quote above by Thomas Jefferson is a reminder that liberty must never be taken for granted, if this should occur the shock of patriotic blood spilled will remind us of our gift. One outlook may be that American’s will not stand for it rise and stand together. Another outlook may be weakness of the American military iron guard, a kink in the American armor of military mental well-being and integrity. A final proposed conclusion is that this event is not personal enough to effect the tree of liberty and American’s are not concerned enough to modify our worldly views.
It is my hope that this blood (tragic that it is) will water the tree of liberty with patriotism as it did 11 September 2001. American’s die every week on foreign lands and get very little media attention. Hopefully, the American’s that died on that tragic day on continental American soil will not be spilled in vain.
Where do you stand?
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13 NOV 2009
From time to time, the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots.
--Thomas Jefferson--
5 November 2009, MAJ Nidal Malik Hasan, United States Army Officer committed an unthinkable act (to most Americans). What were and still are his motives? Were his actions premeditated towards accomplishing a "patriotic" duty to a religious event, a political agenda or was this simply a personal venting of MAJ Hasan's internal anguish and frustrations?
The purpose of this entry is to not judge the actions of MAJ Hasan but to analyze the impact of his actions concerning the patriotism of the United States of America. How will the resiliency of the United States civil and military leaders stand to this event? Will the outcome of this event promote patriotism of fellow Americans or will it chop away at it?
It is my option that the quote above by Thomas Jefferson is a reminder that liberty must never be taken for granted, if this should occur the shock of patriotic blood spilled will remind us of our gift. One outlook may be that American’s will not stand for it rise and stand together. Another outlook may be weakness of the American military iron guard, a kink in the American armor of military mental well-being and integrity. A final proposed conclusion is that this event is not personal enough to effect the tree of liberty and American’s are not concerned enough to modify our worldly views.
It is my hope that this blood (tragic that it is) will water the tree of liberty with patriotism as it did 11 September 2001. American’s die every week on foreign lands and get very little media attention. Hopefully, the American’s that died on that tragic day on continental American soil will not be spilled in vain.
Where do you stand?
Michael Bancroft
MAJ, US Army
ILE 10-001C, Student
First, a brief comment on the breach of trust. Knowing we can trust our brothers and sisters in arms, especially our medical personnel, to be looking out for our best interests is crucial. Violation of that trust creates a wrinkle in our cohesiveness. However, I believe most people understand this was a gross aberration, but it introduces an element of doubt. And that may be a critical factor for one or more people. Leaders should not forget that.
ReplyDeleteAs a former unit deployment officer, I could all too easily see myself in this situation, and it gave me shivers. I could imagine this scenario unfolding, and it wasn't pretty.
Finally, this incident struck close to home for me. Now that I've retired, Ft. Hood is my adopted home post. The civilian who was killed lived in my new hometown.
I don't believe the military has a kink in it's well-being or integrity; however, this incident should reinforce the need to pay attention to warning signs. Too often, we know there are people who are powder-kegs about to go off, but we do nothing -- either because we don't want to harm their career or our own. This lesson should remind us that other people are also affected in these situations. At each level of the supervisory and decision-making process, people need to take their jobs seriously and look out not only for the good of the individual but for the overall good of the military service they hold stewardship for.
If MAJ Hasan truly had been trying to get out of the military since 2001 (as has been widely reported), we failed somewhere in the interest of ensuring an obligation was met and a shortage career field was filled. As a taxpayer, I hate to see people who scam the military to get what they want from it and then are unwilling to hold up their end of the bargain to repay the debt -- in this case, education and medical certification. But did we really "win" by keeping him on active duty to pay back the time?
The Services should look for lessons to learn from this incident, evaluate those lessons against current policies, and adjust as needed.
Thomas Jefferson's wisdom is unquestionable. I agree -- "From time to time, the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots." Your observation of people dying overseas daily with little fanfare contrasted with blood shed on native soil carries weight. These people were preparing to deploy. They may or may not have made it home from that deployment. But at least they'd have had a chance to fight back. They were denied that chance last week. But the stressors in today's environment have been highlighted -- both for those who handle them well, struggle with them, and fail before they are even tested.
We need to remember our time could come at any moment. Life is fleeting and precious. Live as if you won't get another chance. No matter who you are or how you serve.
MAJ Bancroft
ReplyDeleteI disagree with your statement. I would argue however that we simply need to remind the American People of the purpose and effectiveness of our efforts.
Fortunately, the President recently articulated our Mission in Afghanistan as the disruption and destruction of AQ. This was helpful because I think a lot of American’s were starting to wonder what our mission was. I think most Americans recognize this as a legitimate objective. Furthermore, I am confident that all instruments of national power are being used to achieve this objective. I am similarly confident that measures are in place to assess their effectiveness. The problem however is that the President and the top military commanders are not effectively communicating how effectively we are achieving those objectives.
I recommend that the President and top military commanders begin to openly address the measures of effectiveness being used for each instrument of power. For the military this would mean readdressing the objectives, explaining what measures of effectiveness are being used, and then on a routine basis reporting the current status.
American’s will continue to support the war in Afghanistan as long as they understand the mission and can clearly see that we are making progress.
MAJ Howard Smyth
ILE Student Class 10-001, Staff group C
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DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this blog entry are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this blog entry are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.
ReplyDeleteWith respect to MAJ Bancroft’s recent blog about patriotism in this country, I sometimes
question, is patriotism dead?
As quoted by MAJ Bancroft, “the purpose of this entry is to not judge the actions of MAJ Hasan
but to analyze the impact of his actions concerning the patriotism of the United States of
America.” Can we also look at patriotism as taking responsibility for one’s actions? The terrible
crime that occurred at Ft Hood is just another example of what happens when individuals or
leaders do not take responsibility and do the right thing in our society. MAJ Hassan’s superior’s
let him slide thru the system assuming someone else will address his short comings. Can
Hassan’s actions also be a larger issue of toxic leadership as a country; being unconcerned
about making the hard decisions while more concerned about appeasement or just not wanting
to rock the boat?
We as a nation must take responsibility and not expect someone else to make the hard choices
in life whether it is paying our financial obligations, being involved to save another person’s life
or standing up for your personal values. There still are a few good men, and women, who serve
our country but we as individuals must lead by example and not expect the other person to do
the job.
Kevin Hannah
MAJ, US Army
ILE 10-001C, Student
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog entry are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.
ReplyDeleteThese are the times that try men’s souls: the summer Soldier and the sunshine patriot will in this crisis shrink from service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value…….Thomas Paine
In these days and times, the tree of liberty is constantly being watered with blood of those that are presumed to be patriots and tyrants. How do we distinguish one from the other? I would fathom that the unanswered question still and always will remain as “why” when it is the blood from innocent lives that is watering the tree. The Fort Hood shooting was truly tragic in nature and the “shooter” MAJ Nidal Malik Hasan, a US citizen, Officer, and Soldier in the military adds to the indistinguishable question of whether he is a patriot or tyrant. The purpose is not to judge the actions of the shooter. However, there will never be any apology or excuse ever acceptable for the loss of innocent lives. Although all of the facts of the case are yet known, one would still have to ponder if PC or just plain old system failures enabled proliferation of a problem in which the heinous shootings became a second or third order of effect of a festering problem. In healthcare, symptoms of illness usually present themselves before the problem is identified. First symptom, MAJ Hasan, launched a lecture on Islam instead of on a medically related information or topic while in medical school. Apparently, his colleagues complained to superiors at the school, however he was allowed to continue his medical training. Second symptom, the Joint Terrorism Task Force learned a year before that he had contact with what was considered to be a radical Muslim cleric, but it was never referred to superiors because it concluded he was not linked to terrorism. Third symptom, promotion to the next rank occurred despite raised questions regarding “out of the norm” behavior. Fourth symptom, with unaddressed/resolved issues, he was sent to another duty assignment. Red flags were present and should have been set off long before the attack occurred at Fort Hood. Many homicidal terrorist have successfully passed themselves off as ordinary citizens, for example, the hijackers of 911 lived in average houses, neighborhoods, attended schools and held jobs and in 2005, Rafiq Abdus Sabir, a Florida physician was arrested on terrorism charges. Terrorist have proven they can and will blend into American society. The challenge is to recognize and understand the symptoms of a problem long before they become an uncontrolled or the tree of liberty is again watered with blood of innocent lives. Regarding the Fort Hood shooter, did the problem(s) prevail because of a reluctance to accept risks associated with eliminating an officer and professional who clearly demonstrated signs of “ineffectiveness or marginal behavior”? The atrocities of Fort Hood shooting, Rafiq Abdus Sabir, or 911 and a whole host of others, will continue to affect the tree of liberty with bloodshed of both tyrants and patriots. This is a dramatic degradation of the very fabric of our military and society. However, “we the people” will have to stand together in unity to strengthen the threads of that fabric to survive in a world where it is becoming increasingly challenging to distinguish patriots from tyrants or PC from system failure.
Genera D. Miller, MAJ, US Army, ILE, 10-001C, Student
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog entry are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.
ReplyDeleteMike, To address this part of your blog, “Were his actions premeditated towards accomplishing a "patriotic" duty to a religious event, a political agenda or was this simply a personal venting of MAJ Hasan's internal anguish and frustrations?” I am not sure patriotism is the problem. I think the root cause lies in people joining a cause without really understanding what they are joining. I am all about freedom of religion, but we need to understand that freedom is not without limitations. If you think no religion has limitations, go to Afghanistan and live with the Taliban and you will realize what a great country you live in the United States.
It is amazing that the tenants or pillars of Islam have nothing to do with killing people. I pulled this article from The Rev Carol M Wolff. He talked about the tenants of Islam as being Straightforwardness, simplicity, compassion are all part of the fundamental tenants of Islam. He quoted them with explanatory comments by an American Muslim convert, Robert Frager:
1.Bearing witness to the presence of the Ultimate (Frager: In a room lit by several lamps there is only one, indivisible light.
2. Daily Prayer, which begin by putting ones hands up to one's ears, palms forward. (Frager: In raising our hands, we try to put the world and all our worldly concerns behind us. If we open our hearts, we can feel ourselves in the presence of God, with nothing between us and God.
3.Fasting, which is undertaken from dawn until sunset each day during a month long period each year, called Ramadan; which begins today. (Frager: This is a demanding practice, designed to help us to become more aware of the conflicting forces of our lower and higher natures. And to know what the poor suffer.)
4.Charity to those in need. (Frager: At the end of Ramadan, every Muslim household gives one fortieth of its accumulated wealth to the poor. We are only the custodians of whatever has come to us.)
5. Pilgrimage to the shrine of the Ka'bah in Mecca. (Frager: The pilgrimage is a metaphor for the journey of life. The pilgrimage and the journey both lead to God's house.)
These pillars form the foundation for a vast, culture-adaptive, world-wide religious movement. Not once did he say kill anybody, I also believe in prayer and I find it hard to believe that you can pray to anybody and then without cause or provocation go and kill innocent people. People will use the analogy that the devil made them do it and they are killing in the name of religion but religion does not bring about destruction but it seeks to bring peace and life.
While MAJ Nidal Malik Hasan was a member of the US Army, his actions did not agree with his religion pillars nor with good order and discipline expected by military officers. No the military cannot stop radicals from joining but they do training and cultural awareness to help minimize the impact of another Hassin. Don’t be fooled there are some more radical people and religions that are present in the Army but we can only hope that tolerance training given in the military will help eliminate future events.
Theotis Clemons, MAJ, US Army, ILE, 10-01C, Student
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this blog entry are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.
ReplyDeleteWith regards the numerous blogs about concerning MAJ Hasan and the topic of patriotism in this country.
MAJ Bancroft wanted us to “analyze the impact of his actions concerning the patriotism of the United States of America.” I truly believe we need to look at the overall actions of MAJ Hasan. What he represented and what his personal beliefs were and his decision to act.
I believe MAJ Hasan act was an effort to make the biggest statement against the United States government a single individual can make. I truly believe he was making a political statement. Yes, with every action there is a reaction. Yes we will have “pro” patriotism reaction, especially around our military communities.
I agree with MAJ Hannah, “Leaders do not take responsibility and do the right thing in our society. MAJ Hassan’s superior’s let him slide thru the system assuming someone else will address his short comings”. I also agree that we have leaders afraid to make hard decisions. Concern for personal welfare, career progression and other factors which play a role in the decisions we make.
The shame is that military will over- react and attempt to determine who’s at fault. The media will debate MAJ Hasans’ actions through out his trial and try to make sense of this terrible crime. My concern is not placing the blame for this terrible crime on the one responsible; MAJ Hasan. MAJ Hasan may have been flagged as a national concern but, I believe he would have still acted whether he was affiliated to the military or not. He had an agenda.
Yes, we as leaders must step up and be responsible for those we lead. We need to make the best decisions; we can and stand behind them. We need to concern ourselves with the welfare of others and be of service to them. But the personal decision to commit a crime can not always be prevented by our leadership. My hope is that through training and cultural awareness our leaders will minimize the impact of another MAJ Hasan.
David Madrishin
MAJ, US Army
ILE 10-001C, Student
So, my fellow Brothers and Sisters in arms, where do you stand with the CINC and our top General in AFG issue?
ReplyDelete