Thursday, September 11, 2008

Passing The Parent Test
Putting their money where their mouth is

Here's some of the article from The Independent (UK); (Emphasis mine) With ABC "World News" cameras in tow for the first of several back-to-back interviews, Mrs Palin is flying back to Alaska to see her son off from the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team at Fort Wainwright.

It's the sixth anniversary of the 11 September attacks and a year to the day since Private Track Palin enlisted in the US Army. After flying to Kuwait for training he will be deployed in a few weeks time, performing security duties guarding his commanders, in Diyala province.

He's just like any other infantry soldier here," said Army Col. Burt Thompson, in Alaska. "He tries to remain as anonymous as he possibly can."

Adding to the Pentagon's problems, both Jimmy McCain and Track Palin are both in the infantry and thus more likely to face danger. But the deployment of Joe Biden's son Beau should help the Democrats as they push back at the perception that they are less patriotic than Republicans because they oppose the war in Iraq.

"Republicans always seem to imply that Democrats are somehow unpatriotic or want to be easy on the terrorists," said James Pfiffner, a professor at George Mason University. "But I think that Biden's son demonstrates that you can disagree with a policy and still support doing your duty."

Beau Biden, who is Delaware's attorney general, is a captain in the Delaware National Guard and will work as a military lawyer in Iraq. John McCain's son Jimmy, a Marine, has already completed a tour of duty in Iraq. Another son, Jack, is soon to graduate from the US Naval Academy.
And before anyone gets sucked into the Liberal charge that Gov. Palin is "campaigning" at her son's departure ceremony... let me remind them that Track is a member of the Alaska National Guard.

As Commander-In-Chief of the ANG, it's her JOB to see them off.

Lastly, all the interservice rivaly stuff aside for the moment, may God protect ALL those, regardless of billet or Branch of Service, who enter into the fray.

7 comments:

  1. Um...Track Palin is not in the AK ARNG. As a member of the SBCT he's an Active Duty Soldier.

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  3. Bill,
    I was going off what was reported (him being in the ANG). I've done an internet search w/ key words "Track Palin National Guard", and more than a few news reports state he's in the ANG.

    Possibly his NG unit has been attatched to an Active Duty unit?

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  4. Track is definately active duty Army. When he enlisted a year ago it was a major news story up here in the state. I'm not sure where some of the news agencies got their information...but as an Alaskan only a few miles from Ft. Wainwright I'm positive that he's in the Army and not the Guard.

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  5. No, he's an active duty Soldier and part of an active duty unit. I am in the same bn.

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  6. Padre and ACM,

    Here's just a couple of sources that say he's ANG. (http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/09/08/politics/fromtheroad/entry4424910.shtml)
    (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/bush-eases-back-on-iraq-troop-withdrawals-as-palin-son-heads-out-924269.html)

    But either way... ANG or active Army, the kid's got the guts to do his patriotic chore.

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  7. Vir,

    Considering the two sources you cited, it doesn't surprise me that they got the information wrong. Darn near EVERY story that is done about Alaska by the national media is riddled with errors. Alaskans get a kick out of ANWR stories especially...the media has a tendency to run the same stock footage of Gates of the Arctic Nat'l Park. The images you see on TV are several hundred miles from any of the proposed drilling areas on the North Slope.

    Army or Guard...it's par for the course with the media.

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