LTC Alexander Vindman Is Retiring for the Big Bucks and Contrary to the Liberal Press Allegations, NO One Was Forcing Him Out!

On 8 July 2020 the Washington Post (WaPo) ran this dishonest headline for an article: Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman retires, citing campaign of ‘bullying’ and ‘retaliation’ by Trump after impeachment testimony

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/lt-col-alexander-vindman-retires-citing-campaign-of-bullying-intimidation-and-retaliation-by-trump/2020/07/08/934bc6ba-c12e-11ea-864a-0dd31b9d6917_story.html

The article was written by Missy Ryan and Shane Harris, two people the WaPo identifies as “reporters.”  Unless “Reporter“ is the new WaPo euphemism for a “Liberal activist opinion columnist” then these two are no more “reporters” then I am an astronaut. Only two WaPo “Liberal activist opinion columnists” masquerading as reporters would write a piece like this full of opinions and only a partisan Rag like the WaPo would publish it and try to pass it off as “news.”

Although LTC Vindman through his lawyer made some unfounded allegations about being forced out of the Army when he announced his retirement, the truth is he was not forced to retire and the Colonel’s promotion list had not even been released so he didn’t even know if he had been selected. If he was on the list he definitely had NOT been removed from it.

(Update:  Since this Blog entry was published, Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper acknowledged LTC Vindman was on the COL/06 promotion list and had NOT been removed from it.)

The fact is, LTC Vindman saw an opportunity to cash in on his notoriety that probably would not be there if he attended the War College or accepted an 0-6 promotion because he would have been locked into the Army for several years. If he attended the War College he was locked in for two years from graduation or another three years.  If he accepted promotion to Colonel he would have had to serve three years from his date of promotion in order to retire in that grade. Depending on his promotion number, it would probably be a year before he pinned on Eagles so he would not have been able to retire as a Colonel for another four (4) years. The War College lock in was mandatory but he could have retired before the promotion lock in but he would have reverted to Lieutenant Colonel on the retired list and his retired pay would be as an 0-5/LTC.

Army promotion list are not releasable by the Army until after they have been confirmed by the Senate so anyone discussing who is or is not on the Colonel's list would be in violation of a punitive Army Regulation.  Hence, neither I nor Vindman know for sure if he is on the list and selectees are not even informed until after the Senate acts.  If he was not selected he would still be eligible again for selection next year although after one pass over to Colonel his chances would be greatly diminished.

Having sat on two Army promotion boards I would have been surprised if he were selected looking at his record but if he had, he never would have made general.  He had only one 12 month combat tour and that was as an Infantry Captain and he received no combat awards for that tour.  His contemporaries will all have at least three combat tours and I would be surprised if any did not have at least a Bronze Star. His failure to get a combat award is probably a reflection of his performance in Iraq.  Hence, he is probably wise to retire at this point and move on anyway.

LTC Vindman is retiring for personal reasons and neither the Military or anyone else is forcing him to retire. Of course the Washington Post would never mention any of this, either because they are ignorant about all things Military and DOPMA, which is unlikely, or it doesn’t conform to their desired narrative. Just more confirmation of their new tag line: Democracy Dies in Darkness and the WaPo is Turning Out the Lights.

Tommy Lee Jones - The War Hero That Never Was but He Sure Loves to Wear the Uniform!

Tommy Lee Jones (born September 15, 1946) is an American actor that has made 64 movies between 1970 and 2020. In 17 of those films he played active, retired or former US Military personnel and in 11 he played Vietnam Veterans, many of whom he portrayed as unbalanced.

            What makes Tommy’s choice of roles curious is despite being of prime Draft age for the Vietnam War and an exceptional athlete being the starting guard on Harvard's undefeated 1968 football team where he was named first-team All-Ivy League, he successfully avoided any Military service or brush with danger. He has never explained how he managed such a remarkable feat but obviously he must have done everything short of maiming himself to avoid being called. Of all the actors too cowardly to have ever served, only Sylvester “Rambo” Stallone has been more blatant in exploiting Veterans then Tommy Lee. The height of chutzpah was Tommy Lee had the balls to play Medal of Honor recipient Five-Star General of the Army Douglas MacArthur. One thing you have to admit about Tommy Lee, for someone that could never bring himself to don the uniform when his Country needed him, he sure has loved to wear one ever since he passed through that “draft eligible” age.

            For the years after the Vietnam War when Vet unemployment rates were high and the public perception of Vietnam Veterans was we were all a “little crazy,” Tommy Lee and “Rambo” Stallone reinforced that perception with the roles they took and how they played us was probably responsible for driving up those rates another 5-10%.  If those guys couldn’t at least portray us accurately, I wish they hadn’t gone out of their way to damage our reputation by making the public think we were all a little unbalanced.

Here are the 17 movies Tommy Lee made where he played something he was too much a coward to ever really be, a Military Veteran:

• Rolling Thunder – Jones plays a Sergeant Johnny Vohden, a returned Vietnam POW and that borders on crazed killer.
• The Park is Mine – Jones plays Mitch Garnett, a crazy Vietnam Vet that takes over New York City Central Park.
• The Package – Jones plays Thomas Boyette, an unbalanced Soldier that had served in Vietnam that escapes while being transported for court martial and is now an assassin.
• Fire Birds – Jones plays Army Chief Warrant Officer Brad Little, a combat Vet Apache Pilot
• JFK – Jones plays Army WWII ex-Major Clay Shaw, wrongfully and accused and acquitted of involvement in the JFK assassination.
• Under Siege – Jones plays Bill Strannix, former Navy Officer Vietnam Vet terminated by the CIA who takes over the USS Missouri with its nuclear weapons.
• Heaven & Earth – Jones plays Marine GySGT Steve Butler, a crazy Vietnam Vet that commits suicide.
• Blue Sky – Jones plays Army Major Hank Marshall, a preposterous story set at a Nevada military nuclear test site.
• Rules of Engagement – Jones plays Marine Colonel Lawrence Hodges, a Vietnam Vet military lawyer.
• Space Cowboys – Jones plays Retired Air Force Colonel William Hawkins, a Vietnam Vet former astronaut.
• The Hunted – Jones plays L.T. Bonham, an ex-Soldier now a civilian military combat and survival instructor.
• In the Valley of Elan – Jones plays Hank Deerfield, an ex-Army MP and Vietnam Vet
• Stranger on My Land – Jones plays Bud Whitman, an ex-Army wounded Vietnam Vet fight the Government over an eminent domain action.
• Captain America – Jones plays Army Colonel Chester Phillips
• Emperor – Jones plays General of the Army Douglas MacArthur
• Shock and Awe – Jones plays author Joe Galloway, famous Vietnam War reporter who co-wrote “We Were Soldiers”
• Ad Astra – Jones plays Clifford McBride, a retired former Military astronaut.
• The Burial — Jones plays Jeremiah Joseph O'Keefe III (July 12, 1923 – August 23, 2016), an American fighter ace, Democratic Party politician, insurance executive, and funeral director. As a Marine pilot in World War he received the Navy Cross for five of the seven kills he recorded over Okinawa. After the war he entered politics, serving as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1960 to 1964 and as the mayor of Biloxi, Mississippi, from 1973 to 1981.