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2008-06-24 Home Front: WoT

White House nominates 1st female for 4th star

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Posted by lotp 2008-06-24 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11129 views ] Top

#1 Link is busted

Posted by crosspatch 2008-06-24 01:19|| 2008-06-24 01:19|| Front Page Top

#2 Considering that the first one star for a woman was in 1970 this is pretty accelerated pace for the Army bureaucracy. How come the Clinton WH didn't nominate the first woman for a 4 star?

Posted by Jack is Back!">Jack is Back! 2008-06-24 10:02|| 2008-06-24 10:02|| Front Page Top

#3 Jack, that question can lead to all sorts of nasty speculation knowing Bill Clinton....

Posted by CrazyFool 2008-06-24 10:36|| 2008-06-24 10:36|| Front Page Top

#4 How come the Clinton WH didn't nominate the first woman for a 4 star?

HIllary preferred to be the CinC instead of mere general.

Posted by JFM">JFM 2008-06-24 11:12|| 2008-06-24 11:12|| Front Page Top

#5 Jack,
Clinton had a candidate in Claudia Kennedy, who made it to three stars, but she went public with a sexual harassment claim that she had been groped by a one star - who was about to become the Army's IG. At the time of the grope, she had two stars on the guy, and waited three years to file a complaint. The Clinton DOD was terrified that a fourth star would be seen as an attempt to shut her up, so she didn't get it. She certainly had the proper groupthink to be a Clinton general; if Dubya has made any kind of decision, she's been out front against it.

Mike

Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2008-06-24 11:24|| 2008-06-24 11:24|| Front Page Top

#6 Couple of rather well publicized promotions lately;
First the USAF 'Cargo Driver'
and now
a Logistics expert.

Opening doors to other than dedicated front line warfighters.
Looks like somebody finally figured out that all the fast movers in the world or special ops ain't squat without gas in the tank or bullets in the gun.
Just sayin.....

Posted by USN,Ret. 2008-06-24 13:42|| 2008-06-24 13:42|| Front Page Top

#7 The Army had to waive the usual restriction that a 4th star only goes to combat arms generals in order for her name to be put forward. So it's not just a matter of 'how many years ....'.

Word I've heard is that she was incredibly good in making sure that arms and equipment got to the war zones when needed. It was a massive job with lots of firewalls which she got down sufficiently to provide outstanding support to the warfighters.

Link is fixed now - sorry about that.

Posted by lotp 2008-06-24 16:02|| 2008-06-24 16:02|| Front Page Top

#8 Amateurs study tactics, professionals study logistics.

otoh, I will be glad when the first woman achieves a first and it doesn't warrant comment.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2008-06-24 16:05|| 2008-06-24 16:05|| Front Page Top

#9 Amateurs study tactics, professionals study logistics.

That quote, attributed to Napoleon is either apocryphal or uttered in St Helen. Truth is that Napoleonic armies travelled light and lived on the country. This made them faster than their opponents ans was crucial in many victories (eg ULM) but didn't work too well when country was poor like in Spain (in addition when people are poor they don't take it gently when their food is requisitioned or downright robbed) and made them vulnerable to burned earth tactics like in Russia.

Posted by JFM">JFM 2008-06-24 17:55|| 2008-06-24 17:55|| Front Page Top

#10 The way I've heard it is "Amateurs talk strategy, dilettantes talk tactics but professionals talk logistics".

Sometimes attributed to Omar Bradley.

Which reminds me of the incredible contributions of Gen Marshall to WWII. Story goes that FDR called both the Chief of Naval Operations and Marshall into his office and asked how they would prosecute the war if we entered. ADM King talked about ships and commanders and how to position the fleet etc. Marshall talked about the logistics necessary to draft, train, equip and ship a huge army in a sort period of time. It cost him command in Europe - he was simply too valuable to give operational command duties too. So they gave him a 5th star as soon as Congress approved that rank, to make it up to him.

Meanwhile, King went back to the Navy staff and reportedly demanded, "I don't know what this logistics is that Marshall's got but I need some now!"

Posted by lotp 2008-06-24 18:07|| 2008-06-24 18:07|| Front Page Top

#11 Speaking of Gen Marshall, do you know why the USA has 5 star Generals, where other nations call their 5 stars "Field Marshall"?

It's John Marshall's doing, he said that he was NOT going to be called "Marshall, Marshall"

Posted by Redneck Jim">Redneck Jim 2008-06-24 19:14|| 2008-06-24 19:14|| Front Page Top

#12 I read in our local paper that the number of 4 star generals is restricted to 11 total.

I thought the 5 star general rank was discontinued after WWII.

Posted by JohnQC 2008-06-24 19:23|| 2008-06-24 19:23|| Front Page Top

#13 Not discontinued IIUC, just never used since. There hasn't been a force that warranted it.

Posted by lotp 2008-06-24 19:27|| 2008-06-24 19:27|| Front Page Top

#14 of interest to you, lotp, my Mother's uncle was Maj General Eugene Salet, Commandant of the Army War College back in the 60's. I still have a nice photo of him and the Shah of Iran riding in a jeep

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2008-06-24 19:32|| 2008-06-24 19:32|| Front Page Top

#15 Most peopel don;t realize one of the best weaposn the US NAvy had from WW2 onward was Operational Research.

Posted by OldSpook 2008-06-24 19:45|| 2008-06-24 19:45|| Front Page Top

#16 "The Army had to waive the usual restriction that the Fourth Star goes only to Combat Arms Generals" > SO-O-O, BEING AT PENN STATE WID CIA'S VALERIE PLAME, ETAL. HAD NUTHIN' TO DO WID IT???

D *** NG IT, HENRY FONDA > I REMEMBER KAAAYDET = CAPTAIN DUNWOODY!

Posted by JosephMendiola 2008-06-24 20:12|| 2008-06-24 20:12|| Front Page Top

#17 There are so many reasons FDR could not let Marshall go to the ETO, but I suspect the most important may have been the vote to extend the Draft of October 1940 in August 1941. Had the draft not been extended, the draftees would have gone home in October 1941 and the Army would have shrunk down to 220,000. Roosevelt tried all his tricks to extend it, but could not come up with the votes. Marshall went up to the Hill to plead and the extension passed the next day, 203-202. Yes, we came that close to not having any Army at Pearl Harbor. And FDR knew he owed it to Marshall's sway with Congress.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2008-06-24 20:19|| 2008-06-24 20:19|| Front Page Top

#18 Rommel said that "the quartermaster decides the battle before the first bullet is fired."

Posted by Groting Bucket6626 aka Broadhead6 2008-06-24 21:01|| 2008-06-24 21:01|| Front Page Top

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