Worsening scandals in the Obama administration’s second term should make it clear to us that civics matter.Our loyalties can be divided for any number of reasons.Chief among these can be partisanship and consumerism.
Political parties use the same tactics that have been refined to a science by advertisers to put us in a certain frame of mind so that we’ll be more likely to buy their product.Politicians aren’t selling designer clothes, but they are selling ideas.
The fact that they can treat their ideas like products is something we should be aware of.“Citizenship,” as we think of the term, is a never ending battle between us and them to maintain our freedoms.
It’s not a fight that we ever win completely, though we can savor the occasional victory that will ensure the liberties of the next generation of Americans who will have to fight for their freedoms, too.
Knowing that these things are going on around us is a vital step in the right direction.That’s why its so important to pay attention to what our leaders say and how they say it.In its own way, every speech they make is like an ad or commercial that you might see on TV or hear on a radio.It is intended to influence you.
Your politics are your own, so long as you made up your own mind without being forced in to that choice.Your patriotism is yours, too.Just don’t let anyone tell you why its wrong if its not done their way.They serve us, or we will serve them.
Pacific Air, by David L. Sears (Da Capo Press, 2012) is a compilation history of America’s war against Japan that features fast paced accounts of American men, moments, and machines that influenced the outcome of that war.
The author employs a carefully selected batch of well known sources to present the reader with a blend that showcase the tools, tactics, and technicians that propelled aviators on both sides of that war to victory or death.The Japanese air ace Saburo Sakai figures prominently in later chapters.
The full and complete title of this book expresses the sentiment that inspires this author.Pacific Air: How Fearless Flyboys, Peerless Aircraft, and Fast Flattops Conquered the Skies in the War with Japan.
I spoke with David Sears for half an hour about Pacific Air.His interest in the men and machines from that period is quite evident.Sears was an enthusiastic speaker, knowledgeable, and quite willing to make comparisons to World War Two and today’s geo-political situations.
Pacific Air is a fast read.I noticed that I was turning pages at a constant pace.The ‘rhythm’ of the thing reminded me of the radial engines that figured so prominently in the aircraft that flew on both sides in that war.
David L. Seas was an officer in the U.S. Navy.He was an advisor to the Vietnamese navy during he Vietnam War.His passion for all things nautical comes through when he depicts the relationship between ships, airplanes, and the people who operated them.
I like compilation histories.They aren’t rigid history that’s been built on a strict foundation of chapter-by-chapter primary sources.Compilations give the author a chance to show you what they find most fascinating about a person or period by assembling quotes and observations from a variety of source that form a tapestry of events.
In this case, David Sears wants to show you what he finds most interesting about the air war in the Pacific from 1941 to 1944.He presents specific events in a chronological order that emphasize the men, moments, and machines that won the war.
His appreciation for wartime technological evolution, and the role that one plucky little airplane manufacturer played in the advancement of aviation engineering, is obvious from the start of the first chapter.
His admiration of the American pilots who flew against veteran Japanese aces like Saburo Sakai is also understandable from the second chapter on.Quotations from key figures in the American war effort are blended with emotional narration to create an atmosphere of urgency that should give the 21st Century reader a sense of what it might’ve been like to live through the events portrayed in Pacific Air.
It’s not ‘politically correct’ to look too closely at the war in the Pacific these days.Japan’s crushing defeat at the hands of an all-mighty America is now viewed with a mixture disdain and regret.It’s as if the attack on Pearl Harbor were somehow irrelevant.
I’m glad to see an established author take an interest in this period that is n-o-t not politically correct.The unvarnished facts of any war are not pretty.I see no reason why we should hide from what happened in that part of the world from 1941-1945.
The Empire of Japan began its war in the Pacific with the best available pilots, aircraft, and aircraft carriers.Their limited industrial base and lack of natural resources prevented them from matching or exceeding American industrial output.This is an absolute fact.
The Imperial Japanese military, as a whole, made a number of mistakes which the Americans capitalized on.These battlefield mistakes, combined with their industrial limitations, handicapped their chances for victory.This is an absolute fact.
The events described in Pacific Air remind us that these things did happen.21st Century politicians and bureaucrats who know this little slice of history will be much less likely to make the those same mistakes again.
David L Sears is the author of four books.He also publishes two annual calendars relating to U.S. Navy destroyers and aircraft carriers.Find him online at www.dlsearsbooks.com
Did you like this?Click on the ‘author interview’ tag at the bottom of this post for a listing the people we’ve talked to and the books reviews that go with those conversations.
There’s a lot going on right now that has taken this matter off the front page.Even so, nuts and bolts of Dzhokar Tsarnaev’s trial and what his legal defense is likely to be are something you should be aware of for the sake of better civic dialogue.
The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 prevented the United States Army from arresting Americans On domestic soil. A provision in the 2012 Defense Authorization Act overturned this law and made it legal for Federalized forces to arrest American citizens, no matter where they are in the world. Was this really a good idea?
A rising tide of scandals within the Obama administration are coming about as the result of abused power.That makes the debate over Federal Authority worth having.We’ll put that in some context by telling you about an expansion of Federal authority that allows the U.S. Army to arrest American citizens here at home under certain circumstances.
We bring this to your attention in an effort to add something constructive to the dialogue that needs to take center stage right now.Its going to be tempting for the mainstream media to play on your fears for the sake of ratings.We’d like you to hear something a bit more in-depth and educational.
Evolving circumstances in Syria have given many Americans cause to question the Obama administration’s policy for that region.We’ve got several good reasons to be concerned, all of which are civic in nature.
President Obama’s preference for a “light footprint” in the Middle East has not reduced the spread of extremism.His goal from the start was to convince leaders in that region that we meant them no harm.Our reduced presence, modified security arrangements, and softened stance has not had the desired results.
If anything, our weakened position has encouraged the spread of anti-Western ideologies that we will eventually have to contend with.That much should now be clear in the wake of events Libya.Recent investigations by Congress in to the Benghazi attacks provides bureaucratic proof that the lighter footprint did contribute to the demise of our diplomats.
The threat of Syrian chemical weapons remains real. If anything, they pose a greater threat for our European allies than they do for us.That’s because those weapons that are handed over to extremists by anti-Western rebels could easily be transported to European cities.It would be harder to get those weapons across the Atlantic to U.S. targets of opportunity.
The fate of our allies does matter.Leading from behind might be President Obama’s preferred way of doing things, but the Europeans don’t have the luxury of relocating to get away from the threat that is so close to their shores.Our lack of proactive participation is bound to make them feel ‘uncomfortable’ at some point.
The strain that puts on our alliances could be consider if and when extremists manage to perpetrate a small-scale event on European soil.They’ve only got to take one life through the use of chemical weapons to start a destructive dialogue that would be harmful to U.S.-European relations.
“Sorry” doesn’t cut it under these conditions.“I feel your pain” won’t go over well, either.Hostile forces who study our weaknesses are acutely aware of this possible outcome in any upset that destabilizes Europe.
It’s ironic that all of this becomes even more likely just because all the Western governments involved are financially unfit, even though they possess some of the most powerful armies in Human history.Fiscal solvency and forward-thinking diplomacy won’t cure this problem, but together they would lessen the impact of what’s coming.
Combat Historian Patrick K. O'Donnell talks about his book, “We Were One: Shoulder to Shoulder with the Marines Who Took Fallujah” (Da Capo Press, 2007).
We Were One, by Patrick K. O’Donnell (Da Capo Press, 2007) is the combat history that I’ve always wanted.It’s hot, sweaty, stinky, and honest without pandering.This author has documented the nuts and bolts of modern war, and the men who live through it.
It’s one thing to do your homework and write a well-rounded after-action account of recent events.We Were One goes one step further in that it’s the culmination of research and observation that was done by the author, as it happened, in a fast moving war zone.
My father was an officer in the U.S. military from 1960 to 1980.I’m sure this goes a long way towards explaining my taste for military history.I was also a quiet child.My silence allowed me to be a proverbial fly-on-the-wall whenever my father got together with military veterans to reminisce about their days in Vietnam, Korea, or World War II.
I’ve always fascinated by what soldiers survive, and how they do it.Comradery, willpower, patriotism, and the desire to live just one more day are constant themes that I hear from combat veterans, even today.These sentiments, an the tactical-level events that inspire them are not always communicated in annals of military history.
The subtitle of O’Donnell’s book tells you what you’re going to get.Shoulder To Shoulder With Marines Who Took Fallujah.The author went to Iraq as a civilian at his own expense to embed with U.S. forces during the campaign to take Fallujah.
We Were One is built around transcribed interviews from the Marines of 1st Division, 3rd Battalion.O’Donnell himself provides the narrator’s voice that pulls the whole thing together.His personal observations and opinions, though few and far between, are direct and to the point.
The reader is treated to a straight-up description of what The Thundering Third survived, and how they did it.The taking of a city is no small thing.Battles for places like Berlin, Stalingrad, and Hue make this point in spades.
The urban sprawl of Fallujah was surrounded in 2003.It was cut off and invested in the hot summer of 2004.House-to-house and room-by-room clearance began shortly thereafter.O’Donnell stayed with the first platoon of the third battalion (in Lima Company) all the way through this ordeal.
The author provides at least three Marines Corps quotations that compare the look and feel of operations in 2004 Fallujah to the 1968 battle for Hue in South Vietnam.Both battles were conducted in very old densely packed low tech cities.
Chronicles of this type are rare in today’s world because it’s not politically correct to get in to the details of what professional soldiers do in war zones, or what enemy combatants do to uniformed soldiers in war zones.That rarity is just one of the many reasons I rate this book so highly.There’s more to this than what we see on television.
My hour long conversation with Pat was insightful.His experiences in Fallujah, and his version of those events, were moving.I was surprised to learn a number of things that didn’t get mentioned in the book.Listeners to Episode #231 will be amazed by what he admits to doing, just to stay alive.
War should never become attractive to politicians or corporate leaders.It should always be the action of last resort.First-hand accounts like We Were One can do more than make this point.They should remind us of our civic responsibilities, which extend to friends, family, countrymen, and to our international neighbors.
O’Donnell is a keen observer and a skilled chronicler.He’s not a pretentious man.These traits come through in his writing, and in both of the recorded audio interviews I’ve done with him for The Politics and Patriotism Show.
Contemporary reportage is not combat history.What we get from the mainstream media about activities inside a war zone doesn’t tell the whole story.Most Americans aren’t used to seeing the title of ‘Combat Historian.’It’s become unfamiliar.In the past, retired soldiers who wrote about the battles they were in have held the title of Combat Historian.
I’m entirely seriously when I say this is the kind of combat history that I want.People who don’t ever expect to serve in anyone’s army should still know about the mud, blood, grief, and pain we ask our service personnel to endure for the sake of our freedoms.
I don’t see any of that understanding reflected in the coverage of wars in the 21st Century.We should all be forced to know that these traumas do exist.With that knowledge in common, we can more fully appreciate what it takes to maintain our freedoms.
I am no pacifist.I’m rather fond of nationalism.I do believe in the axiom that a desire for peace means preparing for war.The Bad Guys can win if we let them succeed.Times have changed.The tools of war have changed.
We Were One should make it clear to anyone who reads it that the Bad Guys are still out there, and the cost of defeating them is high.O’Donnell’s observations aren’t all grime and gore.They include he lack of key resources at pivotal moments during the heat of battle.How many journalists wrote about these mistakes?I can’t find very many.
It’s my sincere hope that future historians glean a lot from this book.Contemporary readers are bound to learn a lot that they never saw on CNN, or read in a newspaper.Who we fight, how we fight, and what we fight for aren’t always obvious to the casual observer.We’re going to be dissecting what went on in Iraq for a long time.We Were One provides some badly needed clarification.
Patrick K. O’Donnell is the author of four books.He was previously interviewed on The Politics and Patriotism Show for Give Me Tomorrow, which is a recounting of U.S. Marines in their own words during the Korea War.
He’s also the founder of The Drop Zone, which is a web site that collects oral histories of combat veterans from around the world.Find this valuable resource at www.thedropzone.org
Did you like this?Click on the ‘author interview’ tag at the bottom of this post to see a list of the people we’ve talked to and the book reviews that go with those conversations.
Professional guitarist Alan Nesbitt talks about his musical career. He graduated from North Pole High School in 1984, and went on to become an enlightened disciple of Heavy Metal.
We spend a lot of time on The Politics and Patriotism Show talking about civics, and how they shape our political views.In this episode, we focus on something a little different by looking more closely at what it takes to be happy.
It’s been said that you’re not really working if you do what you like, or would do for free.Some of us pursue music because we like it.Others do it as a hobby.As you’re about to hear, even music has a touch of politics to it.
Doing what you like most makes you better citizen.
