A few bits of full disclosure.
- I used to write for the Pittsburgh Current but I don't any more.
- I'm not military. My dad was in the Army but the closest I can get to military culture is reading the experiences of those who've lived it.
As we all know in SW PA, Congressman Conor Lamb (a Maj on the US Marine Corps Reserve) is up against Sean Parnell (retired Capt in the US Army) to represent Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional District in the House of Representatives.
Into this mix, there's this piece in the current Pittsburgh Current, written Matt Landis (retired Army).
Landis starts here:
When you join the Army, you are issued boots, a shirt, pants, a blouse, and a cover. (That’s a hat for those who didn’t serve.) These make up the basic uniform for service. There are two additional items required on a soldier’s person at all times: your dog tags and a tag with the Army Values. This list of words is as important to soldiering as the Ten Commandments are to Christians. We were expected to know and live them at all times.
Those values can be labeled with this acronym: LDRSHIP which stands for, "Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage."
And this is some of what Landis has to say about Sean Parnell:
Sean Parnell has built his political image around his legitimate heroism in combat. Make no mistake, when he was called upon to show courage under fire, he answered the bell. It’s what Army Rangers are known for. We are lucky to have such men and women ready to put their lives on the line on our behalf, and I would never impugn his stellar combat record, but my dedication to the values we are supposed to share compels me to speak out when he violates them.
As I have watched Parnell’s campaign for Congress, it has become painfully clear to me that he no longer lives these values, and that he is just another poser disguised in a hero’s clothing. He is no longer led by senior NCOs and officers who demand he adhere to such values, or hold his soldiers to them. Instead, he is led by a man that abhors them, President Donald Trump.
Go read the piece for his reasons why.
