Embedded Reporting

“The War in Primetime” [February 2004] was well done and covered the pros and cons of the embed program. However, I do not see how [Tiffany Ayers] could have a complete story [without interviewing] the man most responsible for the combat training of media and for providing the stimulus for the embed program, Brig. Gen. Andrew Davis, former director of Public Affairs for the Marine Corps. …

In October 2001, as the impending war with Afghanistan became a reality, General Davis, in concert with the Navy, which provided excellent support, made the decision to embed civilian media with Corps units. Thus the current embed program was born! Six reporters accompanied then-Brig. Gen. James Mattis, usmc, when he launched the longest amphibious assault in history. In the succeeding three months, 40 or more journalists covered Corps activities, thereby crediting the Marines with a disproportionate share of credit for toppling the Taliban.

Then-Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Torie Clark quickly saw the advantages that would occur with an embed program, and as Iraq began to loom on the horizon she worked hard to sell Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld; Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard B. Myers, usaf; and the other military services on the idea. She was determined the effort should be service-wide. Her efforts were successful; thus the embed program was established under DoD auspices, became history, and for good or evil should be continued in future engagements without risk assessments or political influence dictating its authenticity!

Maj. Norm Hatch, USMCR-Ret.
via e-mail
 

[“The War in Primetime”] not only was very interesting and informative, it also provides insight into a program that is currently making it possible for my family and me to keep track of our son’s unit on a daily basis via the Internet. Lt. Col. Karl Reed is the commander of 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry, 3rd Brigade (Stryker Brigade), 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis, Wash. They are currently located in the Mosul, Iraq, area.

The Army Times has been providing reporter Matthew Cox with my son’s battalion, and the Tacoma (Wash.) News Tribune also has an embedded reporter, Michael Gilbert, with the parent 3rd Stryker Brigade. By having subscriptions with both papers, we can [go online almost daily and review] in-depth mission status, routine, and personal lifestyle, to include photos, of our son’s unit in a combat zone. I should add that both Cox and Gilbert understand the trooper’s point of view [and] communicate it well, and their articles are super. Also, as a Korea- and Vietnam-era signal corps soldier, all this makes me feel a little dinosaurish.

CWO Dave Reed, USA-Ret.
Southwest Harbor, Maine

Staying Inside One’s Lane

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard B. Myers’ quoted comment, “This is way outside my lane” [“The Will to Win,” December 2003] accurately reflects the appropriate role for military versus civilian leadership in our form of democracy. The question, “Is it even possible to establish a democracy in Iraq with the fervent religious underpinnings?,” is in the appropriate domain of the … Department of State, not Defense.

Each of us who serves on or for the Joint Staff [has an] opinion as to the answer to that important question. And each of those opinions is absolutely worthless in open forum. The nuances and distinctions between Islam and fundamentalist Islam are known and appreciated. The reality that an Islamic democracy will differ markedly from a Christian democracy or a secular democracy also is well known and appreciated.

On more than one occasion, Gen. George Patton could have said, “This is way outside my lane,” and saved himself a lot of grief.

Lt. Col. J.R. McGarrahan, USA-Ret.
via e-mail

Concurrent Receipt Winner

I retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1982 with 201/2 years of service. In 1999 I became 100 percent disabled (due to complete hearing loss), so I have received only $155 a month in retirement pay since then. On Feb. 1, 2004, I received an additional $750. I just want to say thank you to everyone on the staff who has worked so long in your effort to restore my rightful retirement pay. Keep up the good work!

Lt. Col. Richard Wyatt, USAF-Ret.
Newton, N.C.

An Oldie But a Goodie

I first heard the “Dear John, Pick out yours, send the rest back” story [“Encore,” February 2004] during World War II. The betrayed was some Army GI in some far-off place overseas. But it didn’t take the XO and SMJ huddled in the CP to find a solution. One of his buddies came up with the idea, the pictures were rounded up, and off they went to Baby Doll back in the states—but far less than 37 lovelies. (In the weeks following, everyone hoped there would not be another “Dear John” received, because there were no more pictures to return.) Over the years, I have heard the story told a few times with slight variations. I have (with tongue in cheek) told the story myself—but not claiming personal knowledge.

So that’s one Army and one Marine Corps version. Who knows, in the distant future some lonely airman at an outpost on the moon might get a “Dear John.” His friends will round up all the pictures, reduce them down to a microscopic digital dot, and blink them back to Little Nell. A sympathetic supreme lunar commander will order John rocketed back to the United States for a three-day R & R romp at the Playboy Mansion, which by then will have been given to the armed forces for use as a recreation center.

Major Dion, I enjoyed your story.

Lt. Col. Roland Stearns, AUS-Ret.
Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

Anchors Aweigh

[“Weather and War,” March 2004] contained numerous errors, the most egregious of which came under the subheading of “Pearl Harbor,” as follows:

• The Japanese naval forces that attacked Pearl Harbor included six, not four, aircraft carriers (to wit, Akagi, Kaga, Hiryu, Soryu, Shokaku, and Zuikaku).
• The Japanese forces were commanded by Adm. Chuichi Nagumo—not Yamamoto, who as commander in chief of the Japanese Imperial Navy remained in home waters.
• If the Japanese forces “dropped anchor 220 miles from Pearl Harbor” in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, they must have had the longest anchor chains in history.

Col. William Sullivan, USAF-Ret.
via e-mail

Editor’s note: Our careful readers are correct. The Japanese forces attacking Pearl Harbor included six aircraft carriers with more than 420 embarked planes. The force also included fast battleships, cruisers, and destroyers. The operation was commanded by Vice Adm. Chuichi Nagumo. We apologize for using the phrase “dropped anchor” figuratively.