DEFENDING AMERICA
BY DAVID H. HACKWORTH
23 November 1999

"A THANKS TO THE RANKS"

I've been on the road for the past month promoting my new book, "The Price of Honor." Visited 10 military bases and 20 cities. Reckon I talked to more than 20,000 military folks -- active and retired -- and a bunch of civilians.

A book tour is worse than combat except no one's shooting bullets. The tours are planned as marathons, as an extreme sport in which the authors participating aren't allowed sleep, food or attention to other bodily functions. I averaged four hours' sleep nightly during the tour. It was all go, go, go. But at least I got through it, and "The Price of Honor" made it onto the Los Angeles Times Bestsellers list.

I'm convinced that without Army training, where shaving, showering and out-of-there is a 10-minute drill, I'd never have survived. On the plus side are the wonderful folks I met along the way. New friends and a lot of old pals stretching back to Italy, Korea and Vietnam. Most shared their concern about where our country is going, especially the good people who make up the bottom rung of our armed forces. They're really feeling down these days. Many don't have faith in their senior leaders. They think most are totally out of touch with them and don't have the moral courage to sound off about the way things really are. Hundreds of senior NCOs and junior officers with 10 to 15 years service said they weren't sticking around for their gold watches.

At Fort Bragg, N.C., the home of our Special Forces, the book-signing line was heavy with women. Dozens of Army wives told me that during the seven years of Clinton's military misadventures, their men have been constantly away on missions. "He comes home from Kuwait, kisses me, pats the kids on the head, drops off his laundry and is off to Kosovo," explained one frustrated wife. Almost the identical words were spoken by Air Force wives in San Antonio and Navy and Marine wives in San Diego.

Doing too much with too little works only if the mission's critical and our nation's imperiled. But not for Globo-Robo-Cop exercises in futility at hot spots around the world that in no way have anything to do with our national security.

Sixty-five percent of the force is married, and I can tell you the military wife is unhappy. When Mommy isn't smiling, you can expect there's a lot of pressure coming down about changing jobs. Particularly when outside that base gate, things are booming and life's easy compared with a frantically overcommitted military establishment whose medical services and living quarters approach Third World standards.

The mandatory requirement to take Anthrax shots is another major morale beater. Many warriors simply don't trust this inoculation designed to prevent mass casualties during a germ attack. Literally thousands are choosing to walk rather than risk the suspected side effects.

The force-feeding of women into combat slots and the morphing of the military into a feel-good organization where political correctness is more important than combat effectiveness are also still taking their toll. A senior sergeant at Fort Drum, N.Y., told me there were 142 pregnant soldiers in his unit who couldn't deploy. No wonder the Army's head man recently declared this division unfit to fight! Yet to stand tall in the military against women on the front lines or in maternity wards remains an absolute career killer.

Then there's the January pay raise that the lower rankers say won't ease their pain. The fact that sergeants will be getting a mere 10 bucks more a month while a four-star somehow merits an additional 10 grand a year isn't exactly winning hearts and minds. A wife at Fort Bliss, Texas, said, "The brass only look after themselves."

As we enjoy our bounty this Thanksgiving, hundreds of thousands of fine men and women will be separated from their families at distant posts in grim places like Korea, Kosovo and Kuwait. We should make a point of giving thanks to these extraordinary men and women by asking our legislators to dig into their concerns. This is our absolute obligation to those whose service and sacrifice allow us to continue enjoying the fruits of our land of opportunity and the freedom too many of us take for granted.