vietnam, iraq and integrity...
This is a bit of a war story...
So there I was one night, lying in an ambush position in Vietnam. Next to me was my platoon commander, Lt Clarke. It was probably during January 1969. I remember asking him, quite genuinely and naively, "What are we doing here, sir?". I don't recall his answer, but I would guess he would have been dutifully circumspect. I have a lot of respect for Lt Clarke. He seemed to me to be an officer with a lot of integrity, caught up in, as we all were, a war which was starting to stink to high heaven. Not long after that, I was seconded to a Mobile Advisory Training Team to train South Vietnamese soldiers and I didn't see anyone from my old unit until well after my return to Australia.
So?
Well, not long after I left, Lt Clarke was reposted and a certain Lt Cosgrove took over command of my old platoon. This is the same Cosgrove who is now a General and the Chief of the Defence Forces. I never met the man, but last year I read a piece in a media rag in which the erstwhile Lieutenant was described as quite "gung ho" by some members of the old 5 Platoon. He was hell-bent on making a name for himself, apparently.
So?
Well, in 2003, it was General Cosgrove who issued the orders to commit our troops. He would have seen all the intelligence. He would have known, I firmly believe, that Howard was telling big fat porkies. And here's my point: Did Gen Cosgrove do a "Wilkie", or a "Collins"? Did he refuse to "play the game"? Did he do anything to prevent the commitment of our troops to a blatantly unjust and possibly even illegal war? No way, yeronner! Howard said "Jump!", and apparently, the only question Gen Cosgrove asked was "How high, Sir?" Once again, it seems, he was hell-bent on making a name for himself.
So when this sorry mess is all over, let's not forget that when it most mattered, Big Boy General Cosgrove failed to stand up to Pathetic Little Johnnie. And what will his excuse be? Yep, you guessed it - it'll be "I was just following orders". Bring back the Nuremberg Trials, I say...
So there I was one night, lying in an ambush position in Vietnam. Next to me was my platoon commander, Lt Clarke. It was probably during January 1969. I remember asking him, quite genuinely and naively, "What are we doing here, sir?". I don't recall his answer, but I would guess he would have been dutifully circumspect. I have a lot of respect for Lt Clarke. He seemed to me to be an officer with a lot of integrity, caught up in, as we all were, a war which was starting to stink to high heaven. Not long after that, I was seconded to a Mobile Advisory Training Team to train South Vietnamese soldiers and I didn't see anyone from my old unit until well after my return to Australia.
So?
Well, not long after I left, Lt Clarke was reposted and a certain Lt Cosgrove took over command of my old platoon. This is the same Cosgrove who is now a General and the Chief of the Defence Forces. I never met the man, but last year I read a piece in a media rag in which the erstwhile Lieutenant was described as quite "gung ho" by some members of the old 5 Platoon. He was hell-bent on making a name for himself, apparently.
So?
Well, in 2003, it was General Cosgrove who issued the orders to commit our troops. He would have seen all the intelligence. He would have known, I firmly believe, that Howard was telling big fat porkies. And here's my point: Did Gen Cosgrove do a "Wilkie", or a "Collins"? Did he refuse to "play the game"? Did he do anything to prevent the commitment of our troops to a blatantly unjust and possibly even illegal war? No way, yeronner! Howard said "Jump!", and apparently, the only question Gen Cosgrove asked was "How high, Sir?" Once again, it seems, he was hell-bent on making a name for himself.
So when this sorry mess is all over, let's not forget that when it most mattered, Big Boy General Cosgrove failed to stand up to Pathetic Little Johnnie. And what will his excuse be? Yep, you guessed it - it'll be "I was just following orders". Bring back the Nuremberg Trials, I say...
posted by The Editor at
11:06 PM
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