Comments made at dinner to Benefit Reserve Aid, October 3, 2007, New York City

Thank you, it’s a privilege to be here and to speak to you this evening, especially to such a distinguished group of veterans, leaders of business and active and reserve soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines.

I would just like to take a few moments and share with you some of my thoughts as soldier who was once deployed oversees in a combat zone, and now works at communicating both the Herculean job our military is doing, and reminding people of the hardship the families endure while their loved one is deployed in places that could be eight times zones away from here. In particular, I want to thank Reserve Aid and all the great work they do at supporting our soldiers and their families. In just a few years since their inception, they have made a clear difference in the lives of the service members who are forward deployed and fighting for our country.

At this time, I would like to recognize those who are currently serving in uniform. It is your courage, determination and sense of patriotism which is the backbone of our country and it’s your service in this time of conflict that we are grateful for. In its heart of hearts, this nation knows how much it has depended on you in the past, and depends upon you today. While the number who serves is often small, the contribution made by you is enormous, and is a testament to the true American sprit. I would like to ask all those who are serving today to please stand so we can honor and acknowledge your service.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I have a simple thought for you, and I believe every public speaker should have one clear point, and you are about to hear mine.

But before I do that, I would like you to know that my model of public speaker is the late Conrad Hilton, the hotel magnate who, late in his life, appeared on The Tonight Show, with Johnny Carson. Mr. Carson said “Mr. Hilton, you are a giant of American industry, a legend in your time, you've built hotels all over the world - Turn to that camera over there, look your fellow countrymen in the eye and tell them the one thing, based on your life's work, that you would like your fellow countrymen to know." Like any soldier in his chosen profession, Conrad Hilton turned to the camera, looked America in the eye and said, "Please, put the shower curtain inside the tub."

So here is my simple point - the parents of the last solider to die in Iraq, or to die in combat for our country, have not yet been born. The world will always be a dangerous place, and it’s why we can never become complacent with our will to protect and defend this great country, our shared American culture, and what it all stands for.

When I was a small boy watching the Vietnam War on the nightly news, I asked my father what it was going to be like when the time came for me to go to war, and would I be going to Vietnam. My father, who served in the Navy - the submarine service, during the time of the Korean war, said to me – “When you are grown up, there will be no more wars, and you surely won’t be going to Vietnam.”

Unfortunately, my father was only half right – thankfully the war in Vietnam was over by the time I entered the 8th grade, and 5 short years later while Jimmy Carter was President, I chose to accept a nomination to the military academy and entered into the class of 1983 at West Point.

There were two significant events which have affected my entire adult life during the fall of my plebe or freshman year at the academy – the first was the visit of Pope John Paul to Yankee Stadium, which constituted the first time I left the academy since my arrival at West Point. The second occurred in November of 1979 with the taking of 62 U.S Diplomats and citizens hostage at the embassy in Tehran. Little did I realize then that one event was to be the tipping point which would change American military and foreign policy for the next generation and, considering events from the past 4 years, probably for many generations to come.

As I was new to the active duty military force as a Lieutenant in the 1980’s, I watched as the Army’s leadership rebuilt and retooled what was an Army gutted in the 1970’s at the conclusion of the Vietnam War. I had the benefit of working both for and with Vietnam veterans, whose love for their country and service in my view has only recently been appreciated by the American public. It’s on the back of the Vietnam veteran, who returned from the war with out the parades and the adulation of the nation, that we longer blame soldiers for fighting the wars they fight.

It’s because of the Vietnam Veteran, America still hates the war, but we now love our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. At this time I would like to ask all of you in the audience who served in our military during the Vietnam conflict to please stand up, and once again, let us welcome you home and thank you for your contribution to the history of our great nation.

Getting back to my father’s prediction of no war in my life time, by the mid 1980’s I was serving on the division staff of 1st Armored Division in the southern region of what was then West Germany, where it sure seemed like we would be going to war with 1st Czech People’s Army, located just over the boarder by a town called Hof. Back then we used words like “GDP”, which meant General Defense Plan and OPLAN 33001, which was the actual plan for the defense of Western Germany at the time. We trained hard for a ground war in Europe which never happened, and when we came home from work one day to find the citizens of Germany standing on the Berlin Wall, I knew then our mission in Europe was complete and we would soon be returning home. I have to admit I thought of my dad’s prediction again, and perhaps the powerful military which was rebuilt during the 1980’s would now provide the deterrence to keep all enemies actually foreign and not domestic. It was a short time after that when Iraq invades Kuwait, Operation Desert Shield becomes Operation Desert Storm, and my father’s prediction of no war in my lifetime would not come to be.

But, by having become a student of the military art by this time in my life, I always knew the likelihood of being involved in an armed conflict during what I expected to be a 20 year military career was high. I have long ago forgiven my father’s unbridled optimism regarding what might happen to his son and accepted the unfortunate circumstance that conflict amongst nations is a harsh reality for the future. All the more reason why we have to be reminded that the world remains a dangerous place, always has been, always will be.

Today you may have noticed, there are similar predictions of eternal peace made by people other then my dad. And against those who are making predictions, some people must stand and say that great nations are always living in the war years or the inter-war years. Now, I know the American people generally tend to say, "Well, so far, so good...so far, so good." "We're getting along just fine." "Don't really need much of a military anymore, don't need weapons systems ... so far, so good."

Well, "So far, so good" is not a sensible way to conduct your life as a nation. We are a nation that has to be constantly reminded of what George Orwell said, "We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm."

I want to read you something. This is a story told by a foreign diplomat who was in his own country overseas, and he had the occasion to visit the United States Embassy in the capital of his country. This is the story he tells:
“I arrived a quarter to six, after official office hours, and was met by the Marine on guard at the entrance to the Chancery. He asked me if I would mind waiting while he lowered the two American flags at the embassy. What I witnessed over the next ten minutes so impressed me. The Marine was dressed in a uniform, which was spotless and neat, he walked with a measured tread from the entrance of the Chancery to the stainless steel flagpole before the Embassy and, almost reverently, lowered the flag to the level of his reach where he began to fold it in a military fashion.
He then released the flag from the clasp attached to it, stepped back from the pole, and made an about face and carried the flag between his hands, one above, one below, and placed it securely on a stand before the Chancery. He then marched over to the second flagpole and repeated the same lonesome ceremony.
After completing his task, he apologized to me for the delay out of pure courtesy. Nothing less than incapacity would have prevented him from completing that task, the simplicity of which made the might, the power and the glory of the United States of America stand forth in a way that a mighty wave of a military aircraft or the passage of a super carrier, or a parade of then thousand men and women, could never have made manifest.”
I thought this passage describes so well the commitment of those in uniform have towards our country. We should all hope to visit one of our embassies in a far away place and to see a Marine fold our flag and turn to a stranger and say, "I am sorry for the delay, sir. I had to honor my country."

Even though we have been actively engaged in combat for the last four years, one could argue that the country is not even at war. Oh, make no mistake about it, the military is at war, but have we done all we can as a country to give our forces better odds against an enemy which doesn’t wear a uniform, doesn’t value life, and is driven purely by a barbaric ideology? Once again, our military is out in front of what must be a change in mindset of the American public regarding the importance of this struggle and why this is a war of wills which will transcend the battlefield for many years to come.

We have legitimate concerns as the armed services have become smaller and the tempo of operations has increased. Have we put a strain on military men and women, and their families, not to mention their equipment, which will cause it to break? Bearing a heavy burden are our reserve forces, which can no longer be described as “weekend warriors” – these men and women are true citizen soldiers, who have put their lives on hold during a time of need.
Unfortunately, the news for supporting veterans returning from war is not promising – just last week a report from the GAO says the Army and the Veterans Affairs Department just can’t get their act together on caring for wounded troops and getting vets the disability pay they are owed. Too many wounded troops are still without the care they need.

So we are grateful for organizations like Reserve Aid, who have the agility to fill in the gaps while the service departments get their acts together. A solider in need doesn’t understand or care why the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments still haven’t found a way to share medical records; all they know is they are met with red tape at every turn. They just need to put food on the table or buy basic necessities to keep the family going. You have seen and heard some incredible stories about the great things Reserve Aid has done for soldiers, Reserve solders in particular, who are often making a large financial sacrifice in the service of their country.

I will leave you with some thoughts of a solider who was deployed away from home during the holidays. It was Christmas Eve of 1990 and I was with my unit in a remote desert location close to a town called Hafar al Batin in central Saudi Arabia. Alpha Battery, 3rd Battalion 17th Field Artillery was forward deployed from our home base in Ansbach, Germany, in support of Operation Desert Shield. As its commander, I had the responsibility of preparing the men of A Battery for the potential offensive operation to remove the Iraqi Army from Kuwait, and we were doing all those things units do when they know they are going to war. Having studied military history, I had often read accounts of war time during the holidays, especially Christmas – stories from the Battle of the Bulge, from the pacific theater, Korea, and Vietnam. I have to admit I took a quiet pause that evening and thought what a great privilege it was for me to have that same experience as all those soldiers who came before me who served and were away from their families during the holidays. While we were not actively engaged in combat but knowing the gravity of our situation, I felt a tremendous bond with many of the soldiers I had read stories about who had served overseas in similar times. I remember looking up at the sky that night, and for some reason, it just looked different. I felt the presence of all the soldiers who had been away from their family on Christmas Eve looking down on us that night, lighting up the sky – I felt their strength of enduring the hardship at a time of the year which is more closely associated with being with our family and friends at home. But for that Christmas Eve, I was with my family – my soldier’s were my family, and while our thoughts would drift back home, we all knew we were there to do a mission, which meant heading north into Iraq and into battle in the very near future.

What I also remember about that Christmas Eve was the outpouring of support we had from people we never met, from children we had never seen, and from groups who appeared like angels on our shoulders to make the experience of living in the desert more tolerable. We couldn’t’ actually keep up with it –the cards, letters, care packages – you name it, we had it. The hard to get creature comfort items we took for granted for months prior were beginning to appear in my battery’s location. We received care packages that Christmas eve from The New York Giants, St Margaret’s School in Pearl River, and the Daughters of the American Revolution- again, just people reaching out to us in a time of need. It was the support we received then which made a difference, and it’s the support given by Reserve Aid today which makes all the difference in the world to the soldier and marine on the ground who loves their county, loves their family, and just wants to do their duty and come home.

So, thank you for allowing me to share some thoughts with you tonight, and for all your support of this great cause and to Reserve Aid, and please join me when I say may God Bless our wonderful fighting force serving in harms way this evening.

The parents of the last Soldier to die in Iraq

have not even been born yet. History proves the United States has rarely, if ever, completely left countries where we spilled blood and spent treasure in either victory or a ceasefire in the past 100 years.

When US troops arrived on the Continent of Europe on June 6, 1944 with the first wave at Normandy Beach, we began a presence which continues to today. US soldiers in Europe first defeated the Nazis, rebuilt Western Germany, conducted the Berlin airlift to save the inhabitants of Berlin, stood by while the Berlin wall went up, remained vigilant for 28 years until the wall came down. US soldiers deployed to the first Gulf war to liberate Kuwait, drew its force down while deploying to Bosnia to prevent genocide in Eastern Europe, and now support the mission in Iraq. US soldiers have been on the Korean peninsula since the Korean War, and will continue to enforce what is only a ceasefire treaty. Kuwait following the first Gulf War? Still there -- it's a major logistical center of operation for the war effort in Iraq.

Vietnam? Well, the image of the last helicopter on the US Embassy roof top shuttling people out and those same helicopters being pushed off US aircraft carriers is the last time you will ever see the United Stated completely leave a foreign country where we had a military presence. The military will not let that happen again under any circumstance. It took until the Gulf war for the military to recover from the effect of that one image alone.

It is in the best interest of the United States to stay in Iraq and the Middle East. US Army soldiers and Marines will be fighting, training and dying in Iraq for a very long time. Americans loathe war, but the reality is we have enemies who want to kill us, and they exist right there (or close enough to there). Better to fight and defeat them where they live then to do it on our shores.

Return on Success

That's the most important phrase I took from the President's speech tonight. In line with Nixon's "Peace with Honor", Return on Success will benchmark the withdrawal of US forces in Iraq. Don't expect them to be returning in large numbers at least for a year. A year from today, we will still have 130,000+ troops in Iraq fighting what I hope will be a war of attrition against an enemy on the run and out of ammo. The President has a vision of a long term presence in Iraq, similar to Korea or western Europe following those conflicts. I agree with the concept of a long term troop presence in Iraq - the world is a safer place with two US Army Tank Divisions sitting in between people who have been fighting each other since 700 AD. The President dared the Congress to "unfund" the troops, and if that happens, then the blood of the soldiers who are ill equipped falls clearly on them, which in effect is the democrats.

The strategy outlined 8 months ago appears to be working. Taking another 6 months in the grand scheme of things is the wise course of action for the US to take at this time. The only thing that needs to change is the whole country needs to be in this war, and not just the military.

I am back

After a much extend break for which there was no real excuse for, today I am officially resuming my blogging. In the coming days and weeks, I plan on reporting on important issues in Iraq, my radio spots, my new business and pretty much anything that comes up that needs discussion. I am sure at some point we will discuss hockey, and in particular, the Bronxville Blackhawks, the squirt team I coach along with my good friends Denis and John. We had an interesting last week, were we lost a goalie, but gained a forward - a very good family has decided to join our team after being invited to play with us. They will join us from another very quality hockey program. We are excited to have this very motivated and talented skater on our team next year, and just as important, a quality family.

Iraq - the surge is at full speed, but what is it going to take for the situation to really change on the ground there? I have ideas which I will share with you next time.

The downing of American helicopter is perhaps the worse possible defeat the US can have on this battlefield. Losing a tank or Bradley fighting vehicle is not as crippling to our effort as losing our advance technology helicopters. Losing one often the results is a large number of casualties. They are one way we project power on land, similar to our large Navy, which projects power with its presence in the Persian Gulf. The defeat of the helicopter could, if not remedied, spell the immediate failure of the new strategy regardless of the amount of new troops being deployed to Baghdad.

History is on the side of the resistance – the fact that this enemy has shown success in defeating our helicopters is eerily similar to what happened in the Afghanistan in the 1980s. The US provided support to the rebel fighters against the Soviet Union in the form of Stinger missiles, which back then was our first generation surface to air shoulder fired missile.

The lack of accountability of the surface to air missile such as the SA-7 Grail has always been one of the risks of not having enough troops following the run up to Iraq in 2003. If we come to find out that the enemy has gotten their hands on a large cache of these, then this presents a real, clear and present danger to US peace keeping operations. Ground convoys will be force to move in smaller formations, travel unpredictable routes, and in general take longer to get to their destination if they are not covered by the helicopters from above. We won’t be able to move troops as quickly, as we will be risk adverse to put large numbers of troops at risk from being shot down.

You could actually consider an unaccounted for shoulder fired, surface to air missile a “weapon of mass destruction”. While clearly the weapon does not have the capability to wipe out hundreds of thousands of people such as a nuclear weapon, it could cripple the US economy if one is deployed against a commercial aircraft on our shores. Should a commercial airliner came under attack by a surface to air missile and was destroyed, the impact would be far reaching beyond the passengers on the plane. Airline traffic would come to a complete halt, similar to what followed 9/11, perhaps for days or even a week. Airlines would go bankrupt, commerce would slow down, and markets would be shaken. We must accept the fact that in the new kind of war we are fighting, weapons of mass destruction go beyond the nuclear threat, but are weapons that threaten our economy and basic freedoms.

The downing of the helicopter also reminds us of what happened in Mogadishu in 1993 as told in the story of Black Hawk Down. Small arms fire combined with a shoulder fired weapon took down a helicopter during a humanitarian mission to support starving people against warring factions. We remember the bodies of the pilots being dragged though the streets; 18 brave Americans lost their lives during a 24 hour battle to make sure no man was left behind. We felt such a loss, but what most people don’t realize is that thousands of enemy were killed and wounded, so from straight military perspective, we completely destroyed the enemy. Similar to the Tet offensive in Viet Nam, while the fight was won on the battlefield, it was lost in the hearts and minds of the Americans.

The enemy uses the defeat of these helicopters to a tremendous recruiting advantage – the fact that the Great Satan’s technology can be defeated with small arms fire and available munitions gives them great hope and resolve to continue the fight. It demonstrates we can be defeated in a very narrow window. It allows countries who sympathize with the resistance to supply them with something useful to their cause. We need to investigate immediately what kind of weapons are taking our helicopters down, and counter attack immediately, or else this war will be lost before the strategy had a chance to even work.

Cool Video

I coach a bunch of Squirt hockey players

First Posting - The President Speaks!

This is my first posting, so welcome to my Blog. I am Mike Lyons, and I am a military analyst for the CBS Radio Network. I have been working for CBS for about 4 years now, since the initial invasion of Iraq, and what started out as temporary gig has blossomed into a daily interview with either the Network news desk or one of the many CBS affiliates thorough out the country.

So the President spoke on Iraq last night - here's the bottom line - not enough troops. First of all, does it feel like the country is even at war? I mean, we know the military is at war - we are sending troops back for the third time to a combat zone. But is the country at war? I am not so sure. He used words like last night such as "patience, sacrifice and resolve", but are we really doing the things a nation does when it goes to war? Have we mobilized our resources? Have we done anything to increase our war fighting effort? Nope, not one bit. 20,000 troops? Not hardly enough. If we are at war, if this is the war of this generation, the war which we started in fact, then let's finish it - mobilize the country, double the size of the active Army (or restore it to the Cold War numbers), and let's finish what we started. Sounds preposterous? Well, what are the alternatives? I have an idea - how about trying some diplomacy? That kept the great Russian horde from invading Western Europe for 50 years after WWII, perhaps it would have worked here? Of the four components required to solve this problem (Military, Diplomacy, Economic, Informational), we need less of the M, and more of the D.