Decorated Vet Rips General for 'Hide the Uniform' Order

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http://www.newsmax.com/showinsidecover.shtml?a=2003/4/18/145428

Decorated Vet Rips General for 'Hide the Uniform' Order

Members of the U.S. military, in San Antonio and everywhere, should be able to wear their uniforms with honor, pride and dignity.

But they've been warned against wearing them in public by their own commander, Maj. Gen. Darrel R. Porr.

Yes, you read that correctly. Our heroes can't wear in public what should be the finest piece of clothing any American could don.

And one Purple Heart veteran of an 18-month combat tour in Vietnam as a 101st Airborne Division paratrooper and a Green Beret with the 5th Special Forces Group, who is also a former Special Agent with the U.S. Treasury Department and has a master's in military history, thinks it is an outrage.

"There is absolutely no excuse for a general officer ordering our service personnel out of uniform. He had several options open to him other than this namby-pamby approach to giving in to the thugs," wrote Lonnie Shoultz, whose son is in the Coast Guard and on assignment right now in the Middle East.

"I hope that my son never has to serve under a gutless officer like the one in San Antonio. These are the timid leaders who get good men killed in combat."

Mr. Shoultz was in fact so angry that he mailed off some letters with a few choice words in them.

He told NewsMax: "I just sent my Congressman's office a copy of my letter to the San Antonio newspaper story about the instructions to the service personnel to take off their uniforms, a copy of my letter to the reporter who wrote the story, the reporter's message to me this morning asking to print my letter and my permission statement to him."

"I told my Congressman's Chief of Staff that I never wanted to be accused of going behind anyone's back about something as serious as calling a Major General a coward.

"I asked him to get a copy of all the documentation to the Inspector General of the Army so that the paperwork will be on his desk when my letter hits the street in San Antonio on Tuesday. I just will not have a gutless bastard like General Porr defiling a post like Ft. Sam Houston where brave men are honored.

"The name that came to mind was Roy P. Benavidez, a Medal of Honor winner in Special Forces in Vietnam. Read his medal's citation sometime [you can read it by clicking here - Ed.].

"I attended Roy's funeral in San Antonio at Fort Sam Houston and I want the commanding general [Maj. Gen. Porr] to explain to the Inspector General of the Army why he took the coward's way of telling his subordinates to conceal their membership in the U.S. Armed Forces.

"He has besmirched every man and woman who ever wore a uniform of the military in this country."

Yes, it's bad enough that we have to put up with the blame-America-first leftists in Hollywood, and the communist-supported appeasement activists who burn our flag and denigrate our country, but the heroes of our military should never have to hide their uniforms.

So, Americans, if you see a soldier, sailor, airman, Marine or a member of the Coast Guard on the street, remember to tell them that we support them, honor them and thank them for our freedom.
 
Just why were they ordered to not wear them? Not for public backlass,as most support the war.So why?Maybe this guy needs to ask a few question first......
 
Sad

That's what it looks like, Matt...here is a copy of the original story





Category: none

Roddy Stinson: 'Avoid wearing of uniform' general warns local soldiers


Web Posted : 04/13/2003 12:00 AM

"If possible, avoid wearing of the uniform when dining in public places."
— From a "Protective Measures Awareness" notice sent to San Antonio's U.S. Army personnel by Maj. Gen. Darrel R. Porr on Friday

April 11, 2003, will be remembered as one of the saddest dates in Alamo City history.

Because of recent instances of harassment of uniformed personnel, Porr, the commanding general at Fort Sam Houston, felt compelled to warn the men and women who serve under him to use caution when traveling, shopping and dining in San Antonio.

"Two separate incidents against military personnel have occurred," Porr reported. "In the first incident, two males on the city's Northeast Side made threatening gestures and pounded on the car window of a drill sergeant and his spouse while they were on their way home.

"The second incident involved two sailors, in uniform, who were accosted by several males who said, 'You'd better not go to war,' as they departed a River Walk restaurant."

Porr provided this possible explanation for the hostile actions:

"There has been a significant increase of demonstrations throughout the United States in opposition to the ongoing U.S.-led military operations in Iraq.

"As individuals voice their opinions against military operations, they tend to direct their frustrations toward governmental and military symbols."

On receiving a copy of the notice from an anonymous e-mailer, I called Fort Sam to ask for more details about the incidents, in general, and the harassers, in particular.

A post spokesman indicated that more information was available, but declined "to go there."

He then made a point of emphasizing:

"Soldiers here in San Antonio have always proudly worn their uniform because of the support for the military.

"Previously, there has never been any perceived threat. This is quite unusual.

"Even during Vietnam, San Antonio was one community that supported the military forces.

"That's one reason the general put that notice out ... because (such harassment) is so unusual in this community."

The notice included cautions other than the warning not to wear uniforms when dining in San Antonio restaurants.

Porr also recommended:

"Be cognizant of people who gather and voice their sentiments against the military efforts in Iraq. Do not get involved."

"When in public facilities, soldiers should avoid conversations related to work or military operations in general."

"Always practice the 'Buddy System' when traveling."

"When in uniform, minimize the number of stops when traveling from home to work or vice versa. Wear civilian clothing when possible."

There you have it: San Antonio, Texas, anno Domini 2003, in all its un-glory.

What's worse ...

Community leaders continue to show pitifully little support for U.S. soldiers.

Example in point:

City officials have been mute as mice since troops entered Iraq. (The San Antonio City Council, which regularly passes resolutions honoring everything from the Dallas Cowboys to Hike and Bike Week, has deigned only to observe "a moment of silence" for the troops and their families.)

Add to that palpable hush the rants of the town's Saddam Hussein apologists, and "Military City USA" can easily degenerate into a South Texas backwater, where men and women in uniform can't safely wear their uniforms in public.

"Sad" hardly describes such a miserable state of affairs.

Fortunately, all of the news surrounding the recent threats isn't dreary.

One unofficial source I talked to said he had seen the police report of the incident on the River Walk, and he provided this description of the confrontation:

"Some Marines who were nearby saw what was happening and went to the sailors' aid.

"The matter was then taken care of by combined military action."



Sad indeed.
 
This is an old story.

The problem isn't the general. The problem is the circumstances that made his order at least seem to be necessary.
 
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