Obama’s War On the Military

Screen Shot 2014-04-18 at 5.32.51 PMSince his election to the office of President in 2008, Barack Obama has taken great pains to stick it to the military. He has especially relished the ability to strip veterans of as many benefits as possible and gone out of his way to give them the figurative “finger” at every opportunity. There may be some who will dispute this claim but they cannot so easily dispute or dismiss the irrefutable evidence that brought many of us to this conclusion.

In 2009, the Department of Homeland Security issued a report that claimed U.S. Veterans were a threat to the American public. Obama’s pick for Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano issued her statement saying,

“DHS assesses that right-wing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans in order to exploit their skills and knowledge derived from military training and combat.” The statement goes on to claim that, “The willingness of a small percentage of military personnel to join extremist groups during the 1990s because they were disgruntled, disillusioned, or suffering from the psychological effects of war is being replicated today.”

You can watch former DHS Secretary Napolitano defend her department’s findings here:

Interestingly, Obama and his appointees were suggesting that their list of possible threats to America should include Veterans along with individuals or groups who, “Reject federal authority in favor of state or local authority”. It goes on to state, “It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single-issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration.” So, essentially anyone who feels the federal government does not represent them is deemed a threat.

This was a sign of things to come. It would not take very long before the President would fail dozens of soldiers in a way none of us or them could have imagined. It happened in Killeen, Texas on Fort Hood. A man screaming, “Allah Akbar” before opening fire and killing 13 while wounding 31 others. The soldiers gunned down were in the process of deploying for a combat mission to Iraq and the gunman admitted in court that he was defending the Taliban from these solders. Yet, President Obama declared this was, “An act of workplace violence” much like someone shooting up a postal office.

This declaration has cost the surviving soldiers thousands of dollars because it was not designated a combat related incident. The soldiers were denied purple hearts, and many of the benefits and services given to combat injured service members. Worse, the families of the fallen are without some of the benefits granted to soldiers killed in combat. Obama has ignored pleas from the families and soldiers for help, he has ignored the mountain of evidence that proves it was a terrorist act, and he has ignored numerous attempts by Congressmen to change the designation from workplace violence to combat related. As the Commander-in-Chief he is to ensure soldiers are taken care of and treated with respect, instead he has issued only broken promises.

Then, Obama decided to change course in the war in Afghanistan. Against the advice of generals on the ground, Obama elected for a fast entry and an equally fast exit strategy. General Stanley McChrystal’s suggested such a move was risky but could be done with 50,000 troops or a minimum of 40,000 troops. Again, the wisdom of experienced generals was ignored. Obama decided to instead send only a portion of the troops requested and ordered the surge to begin and finish in 6 months with a total of 30,000 troops. The results were telling.

As of December 2009, some 900 US military members had been killed in Afghanistan. Since the implementation of Barack Obama’s surge that number has jumped considerably. Now the number of US military personnel killed in action sits at 2317, with those wounded in action at 17,674. This equates to a staggering 74% of causalities occurring under the Command of Obama. Could this be due in part to his refusal to follow the suggestions of the Generals on the ground? Could it be due in part to his refusal to send the full 50,000 troops requested? We will never know.

Then there was the decision of President Obama and others to cut the pension of members who were already retired. One retired soldier was surprised to hear his 25 years of service and combat tours meant little. LTC Stephen Preston’s pension was being cut and in his words,

“This is a pact between the greater population of the United States and the fraction of people who served and sacrificed. If you didn’t want to pay us what you promised us, then you probably shouldn’t have promised it.”

On top of this insult we have the treatment of Veterans during sequestration. World War II veterans on their way to see their Memorial were blocked in their wheel chairs by barricades. These men stormed the beaches of Normandy and President Obama had the audacity to allegedly instruct his administration to, “Make it hurt”.

Then there is the actual way the President interacts or does not interact with the troops. He is the coldest Commander in Chief I have ever known. While in South Korea, President Obama came through the US Army Garrison, Yongsan. A few hundred school aged children and their families had gathered along his route to wave banners and their hands at the President. All the children and family members got from Obama was a blur of speeding cars, not even a glance out his window or a wave of his hand (see photo).

Photo credit Shannon Grady
Photo credit Shannon GradyOr you might have seen or heard about President Obama failing to return a salute to a Marine. Something that is important in the military as it plays into respect, good order, and discipline. See the footage of the episode below:

Or you might have seen or heard about President Obama failing to return a salute to a Marine. Something that is important in the military as it plays into respect, good order, and discipline, as in the footage below:


In the latest story out from the NY Times there is a hit piece by Kathleen Belew who repeats the 2009 DHS talking points and goes on to declare that,

“The report singled out one factor that has fueled every surge in Ku Klux Klan membership in American history, from the 1860’s to the present: war. The return of veterans from combat appears to correlate more closely with Klan membership than any other historical factor.”

And meanwhile, Obama has plans to reduce our U.S. Military to pre-World War II levels.

What active military members and veterans can know is how Obama will treat them going forward. It is crystal clear that the real war is NOT on women…the real war is on our military and our veterans and it is headed by President Obama.

Shannon Grady

South Carolina Politichick Shannon Grady came to the staff in late 2013 with experience writing political pieces on US foreign, domestic, and education policy for SGPAction.com. Shannon has also been a guest commentator on The PonyTail Patriot BlogTalkRadio show. Shannon brings a unique perspective to European politics as she is able to cover events happening across Europe from the heart of the EU, while living in Brussels, Belgium. Her articles include original coverage of the Memorial Day events at Flanders Field, Belgium and the 70th anniversary D-Day events in Normandy, France. Shannon has a BA in History from the University of South Carolina, a Masters from Webster University, and recently finished her doctorate program at Liberty University where she focused on Educational Leadership and Administration. She currently teaches online AP courses in Macro and Micro Economics and AP US history. She is the wife of active duty Army officer LTC Matthew Grady who is currently assigned to NATO in Belgium and the mother of one rambunctious little boy. Follow Shannon on Twitter: @SGPAExPat

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