“Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they’ve made a difference. The Marines don’t have that problem.”
~ Ronald Reagan, 1985
Marine Corps Quotes- A Testament to the Marine Corps’ Sacrifice for our Freedom
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A great many of us feel that regardless of our opinions on the Wars, Missions, Conflicts or whatever the moniker of the month for those Military scenarios taking place all over the world, our Men and Women in Uniform deserve respect. Not only for their position , but for their service. The sacrifice they have made for their country should conjure up respect if not gratitude for all they do as we stay home and go about our lives untouched by the horrors they witness.
I am one who believes wholeheartedly that all members of the Armed Forces deserve respect. Regardless of the fact that I do not agree with the illegal wars and intervention infringing on the National Sovereignty of other Nations. That however, does not reflect onto the service each and everyone of them have dedicated to their Nation with Honor and Bravery.
I do not feel that what was done here reflects that respect nor the gratitude that should be shown these Men and Women. However, I realize that there are those who believe that to be a very personal opinion. As was mentioned to me by a good friend who happens to be a former Marine and who’s daughter happens to be an active duty Marine. I asked how he felt about what happened this day. His response was simple, “No big deal”. He is of the opinion that it was neither disrespectful nor should anyone feel that it is an obligation to show respect to anyone in uniform out of the ordinary human common courtesy variety….of course. He went one step further and asked his daughter how she felt about what happened and her response was also, “No big deal”.
Now in my mind it is par for the course that many of the Armed Forces Personnel do not feel that they are owed for their service. I find that very honorable that they be so humble in their perception of themselves and their service. That however, is their prerogative as they are the ones who sacrificed and served. For those of us who have not , I think if one were to reflect on the freedoms we have enjoyed and the life we have lived in comparison to those in other countries. We should be grateful and the least we can do is give them respect.
I also do not think it out of line to expect that the President of the United States show proper respect. Not only for the service these Men and Women have given.
Not only for the role that Marines have played and proudly declare that they are the President’s own.
Not only for the Corps that they represent.
But because he is the President of the United States and his role is to honor them and the sacrifice they have given on his orders.
Am I wrong? Perhaps so as there are Marines who do not agree that it was required.
Wrong or not I will always stand behind the premise that they are deserving of respect and that this task should have been preformed by White House Staff Personnel. As they are paid to assist the Administration in the everyday nuances of business and personal necessities within the government.
******Before any of you who believe this is an agenda against Obama go off on tangent, I say this………In my case, as I can only speak for myself, I would have felt the same had it been any other President. My immediate thought was how other Presidents have shown such respect and decorum towards Armed Forces Personnel. Just so you are aware ……****
While I do not agree with my friend , I respect him for his humility and for his Service. I defer to him and so have decided to make a point of recording his thoughts here as well.
Thank you A.T. Even if you neither expect nor require it , you have my respect and my gratitude.
~Desert Rose~
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‘It made him look like a butler’: Retired general blasts President Obama for ordering U.S. Marine to break military rules by holding an umbrella
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The President unwittingly forced two U.S Marines to break protocol and regulations as he ordered them to use umbrellas
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Former United States Air Force Lieutenant Thomas McInerney criticized the President for making the officers look like butlers
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Came as he was assailed by questions over three scandals engulfing White House during Rose Garden press conference with Turkish Prime Minister
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Answered questions on Benghazi where no marines guarded ambassador Chris Stevens despite his repeated requests for better protection
By David Martosko In Washington, James Nye and Daniel Bates
PUBLISHED: 19:33 EST, 16 May 2013 | UPDATED: 11:46 EST, 17 May 2013
President Obama humiliated the marine who he asked to hold his umbrella by making him ‘look like a butler’, a respected military general claimed today.
Thomas McInerney, a former United States Air Force Lieutenant General, said that the President showed a ‘lack of respect’ by making the soldier shelter him from a shower.
He also said that the President has plenty of aides so did not understand why one of them could not have held the umbrella.
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Hoping for a break in the storm: Obama faced a barrage of questions over three simultaneous scandals engulfing his administration
Broken Regulations: US Marines hold umbrellas during light rain for US President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
The President caused a stir when he summoned over two marines to keep him dry at a press conference in the Rose Garden.
The marines held an umbrella over the President and the Turkish Prime Minister individually as Obama made jokes about the weather.
However, for some the move was not a laughing matter particularly as it is a breach of protocol for marines to hold umbrellas while in uniform.
Lt Gen McInerney told MailOnline that he found it particularly insulting how the President at one point his his hand under the marine’s arm ‘like he wasn’t doing a good job or something’.
He said: ‘The President has stood in the rain before without an umbrella and a marine would generally stand there without holding an umbrella.‘
‘He isn’t some kind of butler or something.
‘It makes the other guy (the other marine) look like a butler too.’
‘I think it’s a lack of respect for the marine, that’s what I think.’
‘I don’t understand why one of his aides could not have held the umbrella. The marine is a warrior but the aides are not.’
Lt Gen McInerney, 76, served in Vietnam and fought with NATO and was commander of the 11th Air Force in Alaska before retiring.
He said: ‘If I was his (the marine’s) commander…I’d say good job, you did what he wanted you to do but you can’t, really he has to keep his comments to himself because if you say anything you’re going to get in trouble.’
‘Any time a marine has said something…one general who spoke out, he got fired, he got canned from his job.’
Lt Gen McInerney also lashed out at the President for not doing enough to support soldiers when they return home from combat.’
He said: ‘The President talks a good line but he doesn’t follow a good line. These guys are coming home and they’re not getting what they are supposed to get.’
‘The guy’s (Obama) got to get real and he’s got to start doing stuff the right way and answering questions in the right manner, not changing subject in the middle of the interview.’
According to Marine Corps regulations, not even the President of the United States can request a Marine to carry an umbrella without the express permission of the Commandant of the Marine Corps.
The Marine Corp Manual, which is the bible for all soldiers serving, specifically states that a soldier’s uniform dress code does not allow the carrying of an umbrella and ‘no officer or official shall issue instructions which conflict with, alter, or amend any provision without the approval of the Commandant of the Marine Corps.’
Indeed, male Marines are informed never to carry an umbrella from the earliest phases of training.
Regulation MCO P1020.34F of the Marine Corps Uniform Regulations chapter 3, rules out any use or carrying of an umbrella while a Marine is in uniform.
However, female Marines ‘may carry an all-black, plain standard or collapsible umbrella at their option during inclement weather with the service and dress uniforms. It will be carried in the left hand so that the hand salute can be properly rendered.’
Insensitive? Many have questioned the President’s actions
Rule Breaker: President Barack Obama, center, watches a Marine remove the umbrella after it stopped raining during his joint news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Many commentators found the use of the marines to be particularly insensitive, given the President was answering questions on Benghazi.
The lack of marines protecting Ambassador Chris Stevens at the Libyan consulate and the failure to deploy marines to protect him amid the outbreak of violence has come under fire ever since last year’s attack on September 11.
Usually a marine guard would be in force at an overseas diplomatic compound but in Benghazi the government opted to use a private Libyan security team.
Stevens had made repeated appeals for improved security at the Libyan base but to no avail.
Tyrone S. Woods and Glen Doherty were part of a CIA security team stationed a mile away who heard gunshots and intervened to try and help Stevens. They were also killed in an attack on their compound.
When violence broke out there were also delays sending in marines to assist.
A rapid response team were twice told to stand down amid the chaos while reports at the time said the Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team was delayed because the state department ordered them to deplane and change into civilian clothing.
Answering questions on Benghazi, President Obama said the government was ‘ continuing to review our security at high-threat diplomatic posts’ in light of the attack.
At the press conference originally intended to be a victory lap for the United States’ relationship with Turkey, Obama stood alongside Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan and fielded questions which quickly shifted to the trio of scandals that are engulfing his administration.
Critical:Thomas McInerney, a former United States Air Force Lieutenant General, said that the President showed a ‘lack of respect’
Admission: Obama admitted that the U.S. needs to ‘learn the lessons of Benghazi’ but he called it an ‘incident’ rather than a terror attack
He also dodged questions about the IRS’s targeting of conservative groups, and said ‘I offer no apologies’ for the Department of Justice’s secret seizure of reporter’s phone records in search of a classified intelligence leak.
He has been under growing pressure over these issues and Benghazi in recent weeks.
It has emerged that his State Department political appointees intervened in the aftermath of the 2012 terror attack, in a process that resulted in a misleading set of talking points which ignored terrorism in favor of a more muted explanation, in the midst of a re-election campaign.
