This is what the lefts arguments have come to….the amount of medals on the chest of a General:
Gen. David H. Petraeus may be as impressive a military professional as the United States has developed in recent years, 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 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.
That’s a lot of martial bling, especially for an officer who hadn’t seen combat until five years ago. 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.
Unbelievably ignorant argument. Any officer called to testify to Congress would wear his dress uniform which requires the wearing of his ribbons. The author then makes some sly insults by insinuating that those medals were no big deal because he hadn’t seen combat until five years ago. But his main complaint is that he is wearing the uniform in the first place. Why o’ why cant he just wear a dishelved uniform like Grant?
Ulysses S. Grant accepted Robert E. Lee’s sword while outfitted in disheveled Union blue and muddy boots. 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. George Patton wasflamboyant, 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.
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.
Memo to Petraeus: When you’re making the case for more patriotic gore, go easy on the glitter.
Yeah General….just wear a few less ribbons and then the left will all jump on the bandwagon.
One more reason why the MSM is going down the tubes, they employ ignorant writers like Matthew DeBord.
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