 | The 'creep' in the title refers to the author. Mr. DeBord is a loathsome asshat and one good reason why the Los Angeles Times is going down the drain. |
A uniform full of medals and decorations clashes with his message
By Matthew DeBord
Gen. David H. Petraeus may be as impressive a military professional as the United States has developed in recent years, ...
| ... and that's all the praise you're going to get from Matthew, General ... |
... but he could use some strategic advice on how to manage his sartorial PR. Witness his congressional testimony on the state of the war in Iraq. There he sits in elaborate Army regalia, four stars glistening on each shoulder, nine rows of colorful ribbons on his left breast, and various other medallions, brooches and patches scattered across the rest of the available real estate on his uniform.
He was summoned to Congress. He wore the prescribed uniform for the occasion. The medals are part of that uniform. He was required to be there and required to turn himself out properly.
And what a jerk Mr. DeBord is to describe a medal as a 'brooch'. |
He even wears his name tag, a lone and incongruous hunk of cheap plastic in a region of pristine gilt, just in case the politicians aren't sure who he is.
| Senator Levin wasn't sure, so it was good that the General had his ID tag on ... |
That's a lot of martial bling, especially for an officer who hadn't seen combat until five years ago.
| That's an despicable slur right there. The General has worn the uniform for a couple decades, and during that time Matthew scampered about doing whatever it was he did. The General hasn't complained about his duty, and Mr. DeBord should be grateful, not fondling his neuticles. |
Unfortunately, brazen preening and "ribbon creep" among the Army's modern-day upper crust have trumped the time-honored military virtues of humility, duty and personal reserve.
| That's just plain idiotic. You get an award, commendation or ribbon because of what you've done. Military people, and Mr. DeBord certainly isn't one of them, know how to read the ribbons and decide who the man is behind them. I understand that among the ribbons and medals are an Air assault badge, Master Parachutist badge, and a Combat Action Badge. I'll let a retired command sergeant major read these badges and tell me what he thinks. |
Think about any of the generals you've seen in recent years — Norman Schwarzkopf, Barry McCaffrey, Wesley Clark (all now retired) and others — and the image you'll conjure no doubt includes a chest full of shimmering decorations.
| Most of those ribbons earned the same way as General Petraeus. Whatever you might think of each of those men, they served us all honorably, in trying times, and each had to find the measure of himself at some point in his career. Mr. DeBord, the panty waist, has never done that. |
In Petraeus' case, most of them don't represent actual military action as much as they do the general's devotion to the institution of the U.S. Army and vice versa. According to an annotated photograph produced by the Times of London last year, the majority of ribbons on Petraeus' impressive "rack" were earned for various flavors of distinguished service. As brave as he may be and as meritorious in general, is all that ostentation the best way to present the situation in Iraq to an increasingly war-skeptical public?
| Again, DeBord is an asshat. The man is required to wear his ribbons. The ribbons are for distinguished service. Are we to want for generals who lack distinguished service? What DeBord is doing is, very simply, a character assault on an honorable man. |
Of course, Petraeus' goal is not just to make simple, soldierly arguments before Congress — it is to dazzle, at least initially, with the blazing imagery of rank.
| He was there because Congress summoned him. What's so hard about understanding that? |
What, after all, are mere Brooks Brothers suits on the members of Congress in the face of a fighting man's laurels?
| I'll just bet, if you measure those things in dollars, that those Brooks Brothers suits cost more than the uniform. My way of looking at it is, that uniform cost more than a suit of clothes ever could ... |
Some of the showiness can be attributed to regulations: The official uniform of the Army is to be worn in a very specific manner, and the brass have an obligation to live up to their billing by showing plenty of ... well, brass. On the other hand, if you're wearing four stars, you surely have some say when it comes to matters of peacockery.
| Again, this is character assassination, pure and simple. Assuming that DeBord ever won a major journalism prize (as well he might, considering the state of that profession today), would he be required not to mention it if summoned to give an address? |
Medals and decorations have a long history with a slightly cynical tinge. This goes back to their inception, during the Napoleonic era, when the strategic genius from Corsica discovered that baubles handed out to the combatants helped ensure loyalty and ferociousness. "With a handful of ribbons, I can conquer all of Europe," he said.
| Yet more character assassination. The awarding of medals substantially predates the Corsican. And in any case today, the issue isn't the traditions of the ancient world, it's the tradition of our military and country that matters: when we give a medal, that medal has a meaning. Most Americans understand what a Silver Star or a Purple Heart means. Most would understand, with a few seconds education and reflection, what a distinguished service medal means. That's the point. A medal isn't a shiny 'bauble', it's a symbol of the work and sacrifice. |
In more contemporary times, decorations have suffered a fraught reputation among the rank and file: nice to get but awkward to display if the memories associated with them are of violence, loss and the ineptness of commanders. There have been isolated incidents of Iraq war veterans returning their medals, and, of course, Vietnam War vets were better acquainted with this kind of protest.
| Here Mr. DeBord elevates John Kerry of all people above General Petreaus. Kerry threw his medals away, you see, even though he got them back later. |
The greatest military leaders, in the age of organized national armies, have often conspicuously modified the official requirements of the uniform, even in the most public of settings. Ulysses S. Grant accepted Robert E. Lee's sword while outfitted in disheveled Union blue and muddy boots.
| Grant did so because he was on the road that day, and didn't want to keep General Lee waiting, since the latter was prepared to surrender his army. |
Douglas MacArthur presided over the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender on the deck of the battleship Missouri without donning so much as a necktie with his khakis.
| Which, according to Mr. DeBord, means that Doug MacArthur couldn't possibly have had an ego ... |
George Patton was flamboyant, in his jodhpurs and riding boots, but he backed it up in battle after battle. His legend derived equally from brilliant tactics and an outrageous wardrobe.
| General Petreaus is developing his legend for brilliant tactics today. |
Perhaps the best example, however — and one that Petraeus and his cadre should look to for inspiration — was set by two of the most politically savvy generals America has produced: Dwight Eisenhower and George Marshall. In photographs following World War II, with Ike fresh from rescuing Western civilization while Marshall was working to rebuild it, both men appear victorious, yet somber, cognizant of the challenges met and the challenges ahead. Eisenhower wears a single row of ribbons, Marshall three.
| General Marshall appeared before the Congress numerous times, and each time wore the required uniform. With his medals. Each of them earned. |
When you've saved the world and managed the lives and deaths of millions, it obviously compels a certain level of modesty about showcasing your accomplishments, however monumental. Apparently when you're trying to explain why your war-fighting achievements are "fragile" and why the conflict you're running in a hot, dusty faraway place might never be won, it does not.
Memo to Petraeus: When you're making the case for more patriotic gore, go easy on the glitter.
No doubt if the General had rolled into Congress in a beat-up Hummer, skin sweaty and hair mussed, wearing BDUs covered with the grit of Iraq, Mr. DeBord would have complained about that.
Asshat. |
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