American Heroes

WASHINGTON — It’s a war the so-called mainstream media apparently have decided to ignore. Though its death toll is higher than Iraq’s and Afghanistan’s combined, it evidently isn’t worth covering; and unless you’re…

Last night my friend Erick Stakelbeck reported that some soldiers at Fort Jackson, SC are under investigation for trying to poison the food supply at the base.  Chris Gray, the public affairs officer for the US Army’s Criminal Investigative Division confirmed yesterday afternoon that these soldiers were a part of a fairly new Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) called “09 Lima.”

Every soldier in the Army carries an MOS.  I was 11 Bravo, which is the designator for an infantryman.

The 09 Lima school is centered at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and it’s a special school that falls under the “Civilian Acquired Skills program“  This program is put in place for people who already have a skill or profession and want to do that job in the military.  X-ray technicians, firefighters, or even journalists like me could enlist under such a program.

What makes the 09 Lima program stand out is that it is specifically geared towards non-US citizens who bring to the table one very in-demand skill – the ability to speak fluent Arabic, Dari, Pashto, or some other needed language.  But these recruits also have a handicap – their grasp of the English language is not sufficient to allow them to make it through basic training.  So the 09 Lima program puts them through a sort of pre-basic basic, where they learn American culture, Army culture and work on their English language skills.  Once they finish the course, they are then able to enter normal basic training.  It’ is a very small program, with something less than forty recruits in each class.

Here’s the interesting part.  According to Lt. Col. Frank Demith, these recruits are offered an “expedited citizenship program, once they serve one day of honorable active duty.” 

Military service has always been a way for non-citizen US residents to obtain citizenship, and thousands have performed honorably in service to our country before it actually became their country. 

though the Army must certainly have a thorough vetting process in place to try and avoid a scenario like that described by Erick Stakelbeck’s recent blog, in the case of the 09 Lima program, the ability to receive “expedited American citizenship” must present a tempting opportunity for jihadi extremists with ulterior motives.

In this case, however, the military is obviously keeping a sharp eye on things to keep anything like that from happening.  Whatever happened with the “Fort Jackson Five” – and the details are very sketchy at this point – it appears that the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division was on the ball.

ALAMOGORDO, N.M. — Here in America’s southwestern desert, young Americans are training to fly Reapers, Predators and other remotely piloted aircraft, or RPAs, capable of attacking our enemies half a world away….

In the aftermath of the January 12 earthquake that all but leveled Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the U.S. military sprung into action with a flotilla of ships and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary unit, among other things. 

In the month since that day, the U.S. Department of Defense has contributed over $200 million to the relief efforts, and combined with other USAID contributions, U.S. taxpayers have given just over half a billion.

I spent a week on the USS Bataan and went into Haiti with the U.S. Marines. They delivered aid, secured landing sites, and treated critically ill Haitians, not to mention delivering hundreds of tons of supplies to our own Operation Blessing.

In the weeks since then, I’ve heard several media personalities remark on how well our Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen are executing their missions in Haiti. The insinuation is that delivering aid really isn’t in their job description. One blogger put it this way, “The military is not about providing humanitarian relief.” 

Really? These assertions show a fundamental misunderstanding of the role of the U.S. Military. 

Just because soldiers carry guns doesn’t mean killing is the only thing they know how to do. In fact, in today’s world, humanitarian assistance is a more powerful weapon than artillery because the fight is rarely for ground or sky, but for hearts and minds. Kindness is our most powerful weapon, and one that todays soldiers, sailors, airmen Marines and guardsmen wield well. 

It’s not an exaggeration to say that the vast majority of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan – probably 70 percent or more – will never fire their weapons in anger. Does that surprise you?  Probably because we in the media don’t do a good enough job of giving you one very important factor that good news reporting requires: Context.

You can easily find out how many troops were killed on any given day with a simple web search. But how many roadside bombs were found and de-fused? How many schools were opened? How much aid was delivered? These rarely get much attention because they’re not as sexy as bombs, bodies, and bullets – staples of the nightly news.

Case in point – you may not have heard about the huge avalanche that killed nearly 200 people in northern Afghanistan last week. But coalition forces were there right away, pulling people out of the snow and, by some accounts, rescuing more than 3,000 travelers who were stranded by the disaster.

Today’s American military is, by necessity, expert at being the savior to millions around the world. 

Yes, they carry guns. And yes, they can be incredibly lethal when necessary. But remember this: the single most important factor in making America great is that America is good. The men and women serving in today’s military know that. And you should, too.

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has a nearly flawless record on the economy. When President Barack Obama or one of his senior minions, such as Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, launches a rhetorical offensive…

WASHINGTON — No nation ever has had a better military than today’s all-volunteer U.S. armed forces. Though I wouldn’t trade anything for the young Americans I served with in Vietnam — or afterward — those…

One of the questions I’ve been asked repeatedly over the last two weeks is this:  What can we do to help the victims of the earthquake in Haiti?

The answer isn’t as straightforward as you might think. 

Americans – and especially American Christians are the most generous people group on the planet.  When we see people in trouble, we do what we can to help – it’s part of who we are.  But in addition to being generous, we need also to be wise – so that the money we send will do the most good for the most people.

 PLEASE DON’T GO TO HAITI ANYTIME SOON. 

Thousands of churches across the United States are already planning short-term missions’ trips to Haiti in the near future.  This is a mistake.  Here’s why:

1.  Haiti’s infrastructure is almost non-existent.  You aren’t going to find a hotel that will be able to accommodate your group, those that weren’t destroyed by the quake are completely full of aid workers, journalists, and are even being used as makeshift hospitals.  

2.  Resources are scarce, and getting scarcer – any food, water, or toilet facilities your group would require are desperately needed by Haitians.  When I was in Haiti last week, I was shocked to meet dozens of Americans who, with the best of intentions, simply hopped a plane to the Dominican Republic and made their way into Haiti to “help.”  Unfortunately, they were spending most of their time wandering around the airport mooching food, water and internet off of more established ministries like Mission Aviation Fellowship, which has been working in Haiti since 1986.

3.  Well meaning, but stupid Americans are making things harder on everyone.  I must have run across a half-dozen couples in the last week who came to Haiti after hearing a rumor that the doors to international adoption had been thrown wide open in Haiti.  These naive couples hotfooted it to Port-au-Prince looking for a baby to bring home.  Unfortunately, this is causing major problems with those who were in the process of legal adoption, and is causing tensions between the Haitians and the world community.

Adoption is a wonderful thing – but human trafficking is human trafficking.

Aid is not the answer.

The Haitian people are in desperate need of physical aid right now – but that’s not what will fix their problems long term.  Haiti has received over a billion dollars in foreign aid every year for nearly three decades – and even before the quake, it’s ten times worse now than it was when I first visited there in 1986.  This is due to several issues. 

1. Corruption is endemic in Haitian culture.  A vast majority of the aid sent to Haiti does not reach the intended recipients – those most needy of the population, but is first filtered through government corruptucrats who, as often as not, SELL the aid they are supposed to be giving away.  And with billions flowing in all at once, the opportunity for fraud is higher than it has ever been.

2.  The UN is worse than worthless.  I’ve arrived at this conclusion after spending much of the past decade traveling to places that have been suffering under UN “peacekeeping” operations for years.  The UN is often as corrupt as the Haitian government, and the Haitian people call them “criminals.” 

One unfortunate thing I saw this trip was the US military taking tons of aid into the country – and then turning it over to the UN.  The Haitian people I interviewed were livid when they learned this.  “We’ll never see that aid!” they cried.  They told me the only way the MINUSTAH troops will help them is if the people give them something – money, favors, or labor – in return. 

On a trip to Haiti in 2008 I saw UN troops SELLING aid in the marketplace.  The stuff they were supposed to be giving away.  The people were surprised that I was surprised.  “That’s how it always is,” they said.

The UN is, in my opinion, nothing more than a hopelessly corrupt, bloated bureaucracy whose liberal elite’s visions for world peace are constantly thwarted by reality, not to mention “peacekeepers” who hail from countries who have never known peace.

3.  Welfare doesn’t work – even in Haiti.  The welfare system in the US is good at one thing – fostering an “entitled victim” mentality that squelches work ethic, incites class warfare and discourages productivity.  But for some reason we think it will “fix” what’s wrong in Haiti.  It won’t.

What the Haitians need is a heart change. 

The only thing that can change a culture for real and for good is redemption – the saving power of submitting to the will of our creator.  Only Jesus can change the hearts of men.  And Jesus is already at work in Haiti.  Since the quake, over 11,000 people have called the country’s evangelical radio station to pledge their hearts to Christ. 

And therein lies our opportunity.  If you are a Christian and would like to donate to help Haiti -please do so.  But while the country has the eyes of the world’s governments upon it, while billions in aid are pouring in from nations around the globe – let’s focus OUR giving on the thing that will matter most – changing people’s hearts.  Let’s focus our prayers and giving on church planting and evangelization. 

Is meeting physical needs important?  Absolutely.  And Christians are foremost among those who meet physical needs around the world.  But let’s try to see beyond the physical needs and meet the deeper, spiritual needs that will, in the long run, fix many of the problems that Haiti (and the rest of the world) faces today.  My prayer is that through this incredible tragedy, God will make the Haitian people “more than conquerors,” taking this horrible event and making it the beginning of a new country that will bring glory to God.

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 

Romans 8:37