The progressive socialist left, along with their media accomplices, have gone into another apoplectic unhinged rage. I know, what else is new?
This time it is all about the dismissal of one US Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman. LTC Vindman has now risen to the dubious acclaim of being referred to as a hero.
In the fall of 2018, here in Texas, there had to be an emergency session of the Texas State Board of Education because some leftists wanted to remove the term “heroic” from Texas state history curriculum in reference to the defenders of the Alamo. The left in America is well known for their hypocrisy, and it becomes very evident when it comes to their definition of hero.
It was not too long ago when the Obama administration National Security Adviser, Susan Rice, referred to one Bowe Bergdahl as someone who had “served with honor and distinction.” We were supposed to believe that Army SPC Bergdahl was some heroic figure who had been captured by the Taliban and held captive for some years.
Any of us who have been in the engaged in combat operations with Islamic jihadists know one thing…they do not keep our troops captive. As the truth about Bergdahl began to emerge, it turned out he had committed the ultimate crime in a combat zone — he deserted his post. Yes, Bowe Bergdahl decided to leave his gear and abandoned his unit.
As standard operating procedure dictates, there was a rescue operation commenced. Other soldiers put their lives on the line because we live by a simple code, creed, “leave no man behind.” Except in this case, the “man” wanted to be left.
Watch:
In a very questionable action, President Barack Obama made the unilateral decision to release five senior Taliban leaders in exchange for Bergdahl. And Bergdahl did not look the worse for wear when released after his so-called captivity. The Taliban got senior leaders back, and we got a deserter.
Bergdahl was never punished for committing that despicable crime, to which he plead guilty. An Army judge ruled that his “captivity” with the Taliban had been punishment enough, and he was released. A sad day, when you consider the soldiers who were killed and wounded searching for Bergdahl.
However, since the Obama administration had wrongly characterized him a hero, they could not suffer the egg upon their faces. I am quite sure there was some undue command influence in the case of Bergdahl, who is a free man…a hero to the progressive socialist left.
Likewise, US Army Private Bradley Manning also committed one of the most heinous crimes, divulging classified information from a combat zone. Manning was charged, tried, convicted, sentenced…and then released.
Yes, Manning was released because he became a hero to the progressive socialist left, all because he suffered from gender dysphoria. Just so everyone is clear, the crimes of Bergdahl, desertion, and Manning, treason, are, according to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), punishable by death.
Bradley Manning instead was featured on magazine covers and even ran for US Senate, yes, as a Democrat. These are the types of “heroes” that the left likes to celebrate, which brings us to the case of LTC Alexander Vindman.
LTC Vindman is still an active duty soldier, meaning he is held to a higher standard of justice, the UCMJ. The actions of LTC Vindman are not in keeping with the good order and discipline expected of our men and women serving in uniform. It is well known that LTC Vindman acted outside of his chain of command and truthfully, displayed “conduct unbecoming of an officer.”
And yes, that is a charge that could be levied against him under the UCMJ. Of course, the progressive socialist left sees LTC Vindman as a “hero” because he did their bidding. If any military officer had conducted themselves as LTC Vindman did during the reign of Barack Obama as commander in chief, he would have been declared treacherous, traitorous, and treasonous.
It is widely known that Obama fired quite a few senior military officers that did not toe his line. And there was not a peep from the left or the liberal progressive media. The actions of LTC Vindman, if done under the Obama administration would have been termed “rogue” and the demands would have been for his firing.
LTC Vindman may have served admirably on the battlefield and even earned a Purple Heart. Then again, Benedict Arnold was a revered military leader until he was angered and turned against the cause for which he had fought.
LTC Vindman served in the National Security Council at the behest of the President. LTC Vindman has proven that he no longer has the trust and confidence of the commander in chief, and therefore was released from his duties at the NSC. LTC Vindman has not been kicked out of the Army. He has not been charged with anything. He has simply been removed from his assignment.
So, why all of this hoopla? Simple, the left wants to keep their moles, their leakers, in place, even one who is an officer in the US Army. That is not how it works. Now, I am quite sure that LTC Vindman can decide to retire, write a book, and the left will certainly promote him as a candidate for elected office. But, being a member of the NSC is not a right…it is a privilege, and LTC Vindman has lost that privilege.
How interesting that the left is all up in arms over LTC Vindman, yet they could not celebrate a 100-year-old Tuskegee Airman who flew combat missions in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. The left celebrates a deserter like Bowe Bergdahl yet criticizes the release of Army 1LT Clint Lorance who was imprisoned for six years because he killed the enemy in Afghanistan…even the Army withheld exculpatory evidence in his case. The left embraces Bradley Manning yet becomes unglued over the pardon of a US Army Special Forces Major who kills a Taliban bomb maker.
The left disparages, demeans, and denigrates an Army LTC who took an action to save the lives of his men in combat…but they adore a President who abandoned Americans to die during an Islamic terrorist attack, and lied about it.
The progressive socialist left labels anyone a hero who advances their ideological agenda, cause, while dismissing those who actually are.
This column was originally published at CNSNews.
The views expressed in CCNS member articles are not necessarily the views or positions of the entire CCNS. They are the views of the authors, who are members of the CCNS.
