In article ,
(ArtKramr) wrote:

Subject: Rumsfeld and flying
From: Howard Berkowitz
Date: 3/6/04 10:20 AM Pacific Standard Time
Message-id:

My former father-in-law was a Naval aviator flying close air support
during Korea. During Viet Nam, however, I suppose you could say he "got
out of combat" since his assignments included service test pilot at
Wright-Patterson, Sixth Fleet duty

He went to war and saw the elephant. He was one of us. Every thing after
that
is gravy.


Oh, I agree he did, and had the nightmares to go with it. But that
wasn't my point. That he was on a combat platform during the Cold War
doesn't mean that he was avoiding combat. In like manner, I won't say
that a SAC pilot, on airborne alert for what would have been missions
against the fUSSR that would have had extremely high casualties, was
avoiding combat.

So how is Rumsfeld avoiding combat if he's flying ASW duty, but he and
his squadronmates were part of a strategic deterresnt against Communist
forces? ASW pilots that sank subs in WWII rarely were shot at in the
Atlantic theater -- the weather, distances and aircraft reliability were
far more an issue. So is attacking a submerged sub seeing the elephant?

I don't agree with Rumsfeld on every policy, but I have no reason to
think he doesn't have personal courage. On 9/11, his first response to
the impact was to try to run to the area and see if he could help in
rescue, and was quite properly pulled back from doing so, because
one-half of the NCA doesn't belong on the front line as multiple attacks
are happening.