Thursday, February 7, 2008

A Hill to Die on ...

I am really not in the habit of posting my personal emails to this space but sometimes you need to get the widest possible fields of fire you can... so for you all who aren't particularly interested in the military, forgive me.

For the rest of you who actually give a rip about our country and care about those who ruck up to defend us, as well as the idiots whose right to be idiots they also unquestioningly stand the watch for, take a minute out of your day to send a letter to the Editor, post a comment on the Star website, or call the News Directors at the local broadcast stations, and let them know how you feel. I hope you agree with me that we should be able to disagree without screwing someone's personal life and career path because you can't win on the battlefield of ideas.

So, here's my plea. It was originally sent to some of my combat buddies and some of the serious bloggers around town ... in the interest of full disclosure, I am a friend of Senator Delph. I have never met LTC Mejia personally, but I know military officers. I am one.


I need you to ruck up once again and join me in a fight. I'm mad as hell so I will apologize in advance for the tone of this email.

Can you help me get the word out about this travesty... My friend, State Senator and Army Reserve Captain, Mike Delph and LTC Ray Mejia are being attacked by the media and by this weenie blogger about their Military Service in an effort to scuttle Delph's Immigration Reform bill.

LTC Mejia is, by all accounts, an outstanding Officer who has served this country faithfully, and with honor, for over twenty years. An immigrant himself, he achieved citizenship by serving his adopted county in the United States Army. He is being eviscerated by this blogger and the Star for standing up and telling his inspiring story.

We need to get the VVA and OIF/OEF community, as well as Legionnaires, the DAV and VFW communities to engage and let the Star and the local broadcast media know we're not going to stand for this kind of crap.

Whatever your position on the Immigration issue, it's wrong to take out your political frustration or personality conflicts with Senator Delph's bill on this fine officer. You know that I rarely get personally involved in political food-fights - except when it involves America's Finest - and as a private citizen and an American, I cannot remain silent on this one. In my opinion, LTC Mejia was clearly not involved in politicking, he was asked to provide an example of how to do it the right way, and the importance of doing the right thing. I believe he brought great credit to himself, and the Army, and should be praised not pilloried for it. If he was politicking, then every General Officer that steps in front of a camera to shill for the defense bill or parrot a DoD position is equally guilty, in my view.

Help me get everyone we know to send letters to the editor, call the news directors, and send letters to the Army that we old Grunts will not let this cheap smear garbage happen to one of our own without a fight! Can you spread the word around to the Veterans Groups. Let's make this a joint forces exercise!

This is all about trying to derail these soldiers because the opposition can't win the battle of ideas. This is a bunch of crap and people need to know it.

It's time to fix bayonets and engage.

Thanks, Troopers! I'll see you on the High Ground.

RHW
US ARMY '85-91
ODS/S/OPC SWA '90-91
USAR '91-94
MDI/IGR '94-08

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It just goes to show you that when a newspaper gets bought out by a big corporate rat, the budgets get cut, the reporters get lazy, and now the once great Pulliam paper is reduced to getting it's stringers at the very bottom of the blogosphere.

It's a sad commentary on a once great newspaper. Eugene is crying, whereever he is.