Activities
In October 2001, as the American military prepared for its campaign in Afghanistan, Col. Hackworth assessed the readiness level of most of the troops as follows: "I would be reluctant to jump into a battle zone with any conventional American unit. I would hate to take them into battle - they ain't ready, they are not 'good to go'." He was also critical of the 'elite' troops that were expected to lead the assault. Hackworth has repeatedly stated that the American military is weakened by a combination of senior officers who are primarily concerned about their own careers above the welfare and training of their troops, and a culture of misdirected and wasteful expenditure.
In May 2004, the New York Times reported that Mr William Lawson, the uncle of an Army reservist serving as a prison guard in Iraq, contacted SFTT by email on 23 March to express his frustration that the guards would become scapegoats for the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib, when Lawson himself believed the abuses were "evidence of a complete breakdown in training and authority in the Iraqi prison system". Lawson wrote in his email: "We have contacted the Red Cross, Congress both parties, Bill O'Reilly and many others. Nobody wants to touch this." The staff at SFTT put Lawson in touch with researchers working for 60 Minutes II, which broadcast a documentary on the subject within five weeks.
In May 2007, incoming SFTT president John Falcon stated that the Pentagon-approved "Interceptor" body armor, issued to US Marines serving in Iraq, did not provide adequate protection against armor-piercing bullets. Falcon said that according to a secret Pentagon report, 80% of marines killed due to torso wounds between 2003 and 2005 would have survived if they had been wearing adequate body armor. SFTT continues to campaign for soldiers to be issued with a tougher, more protective body armor called "Dragon Skin". Marines interviewed on the subject appreciated the group's campaign, saying, "Anytime you get better equipment to the Marines, soldiers and sailors, it would make us that more dominant so it would be a good thing."
As of 2007, SFTT is preparing legal action to compel the Pentagon to acknowledge and assist Vietnam veterans who were exposed to the defoliant Agent Blue during the Vietnam War. The cause of Col. Hackworth's death was "a form of cancer now appearing with increasing frequency among Vietnam veterans exposed to the defoliants called Agents Orange and Blue".
The current President of the Board, Frederick Tanne, was instrumental in involving the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis LLP in filing the final motion with the Federal Court in Washington, DC in the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) on behalf of the SFTT’s editor for forensic records held by the Department of Defense (“DOD”).
Read more about this topic: Soldiers For The Truth Foundation
Famous quotes containing the word activities:
“Both gossip and joking are intrinsically valuable activities. Both are essentially social activities that strengthen interpersonal bonds—we do not tell jokes and gossip to ourselves. As popular activities that evade social restrictions, they often refer to topics that are inaccessible to serious public discussion. Gossip and joking often appear together: when we gossip we usually tell jokes and when we are joking we often gossip as well.”
—Aaron Ben-Ze’Ev, Israeli philosopher. “The Vindication of Gossip,” Good Gossip, University Press of Kansas (1994)
“Love and work are viewed and experienced as totally separate activities motivated by separate needs. Yet, when we think about it, our common sense tells us that our most inspired, creative acts are deeply tied to our need to love and that, when we lack love, we find it difficult to work creatively; that work without love is dead, mechanical, sheer competence without vitality, that love without work grows boring, monotonous, lacks depth and passion.”
—Marta Zahaykevich, Ucranian born-U.S. psychitrist. “Critical Perspectives on Adult Women’s Development,” (1980)
“The old, subjective, stagnant, indolent and wretched life for woman has gone. She has as many resources as men, as many activities beckon her on. As large possibilities swell and inspire her heart.”
—Anna Julia Cooper (1859–1964)