While apparently eager to take all the credit for the taking out of Osama bin Laden, Barry seems to be just as eager, of not more so, in his efforts to distance himself the drastic uptick in the number of casualties in Afghanistan since he assumed the role of Commander-in-Chief of our military. Because, even though Barry has only served 39 months in office, 69 percent of all U.S. military fatalities in the more than 10-year-old war in Afghanistan have occurred on his watch. Not exactly something he can blame on Bush Through April 30, the Defense Department had reported that 1,844 U.S. military personnel have been killed in and around Afghanistan while deployed in Operation Enduring Freedom, which was launched in October 2001 after al Qaeda terrorists attacked the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon.
According to an online news service's, CNSNews.com, comprehensive database on Afghan war casualties, at least 1,275 of the 1,844 U.S. troops killed in Operation Enduring Freedom have been killed since Jan. 20, 2009, a day that will live in infamy, and long remembered as being the day Barry "Almighty" was inaugurated as our 44th president. In the more than 10 years the U.S. military has been fighting in Afghanistan, each of the three deadliest years have been during Barry's presidency. The deadliest year was 2010, when 497 U.S. service personnel lost their lives in Afghanistan. The second deadliest year was 2011, when 399 U.S. service personnel lost their lives in Afghanistan. And the third deadliest year was 2009, when 303 U.S. service personnel gave their lives in Afghanistan. Quite the trend.
Over the course of the last 3 years, there has been underway a steady increase in U.S. casualties that have come at the hands of the Afghan forces. Those would be the same Afghan forces that the U.S. military has been attempting to train so that they will be able to defend their own country. Since 2007, when the Pentagon first began tracking these killings, 54 U.S. soldiers have been killed by Afghan troops. On March 22, Gen. John Allen, the top commander in Afghanistan, testified in Congress that as of that point 52 U.S. service personnel in Afghanistan had been killed by Afghan forces. Of those 52, Gen. Allen said, six had taken place this year alone. Since Gen. Allen’s testimony, two more U.S. casualties at the hands of Afghan forces have come to light.
After having spent 24 years in the military myself, it was always my experience that leadership was something that always started at the very top. But when you have, as Commander in Chief, a man so completely devoid of any leadership qualities or abilities, it's bound to have an adverse effect on the workings of the entire organization. The man at the top is always expected to lead by example, but in the case of Barry, the example set is a very poor one. And another thing, having respect for those over you in the chain of command is crucial. Because without respect there is no trust, and without trust in those making the decisions and giving the orders, you have a breakdown in morale and discipline. And respect, for most us I think, is not something that is freely given, it is something that must be earned.
Sadly today, I think it very safe to say that there are very few on active duty who genuinely respect their poor excuse of a Commander in Chief. Especially after seeing his recent, and rather flagrant, demonstration of just how willing he is to take credit for the actions taken by the brave individuals who actually risked their lives in the killing of Osama bin Laden. But Barry is far from unique in demonstrating such a low regard for those defending our country. Before Barry we had "BJ" Clinton and before him we had Jimmy "The Moron" Carter, both of whom I served under, and both of whom were sorely lacking when it came to possessing any of those traits that one would hope to see in those in such an important job. Having said that, I think Barry is far worse than either of the other two.
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