Commander in chief

In his letter (10/31) G. Curtis Boswell quotes President Eisenhower as saying, “God help the nation when it has a president who doesn’t know as much about the military as I do.” Mr. Boswell closes with, “May God save our nation.”

I am wondering, did Mr. Boswell also pray for God to save or nation when Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush and dozens of others were president? 

All of them knew far less about the military than General Eisenhower did.

We are country that, by design, has a civilian as the commander and chief of our military. Out of 19 president who have served in the 20th and 21st century, only Eisenhower has been a general. So, according to Mr. Boswell and President Eisenhower, we needed God to save us from all of them. 

What a disturbing way to think.

Jeffrey Reese

Liberty

G. Curtis Boswell (10/31, Letters) perhaps misunderstands the meaning of President Eisenhower’s words, “God help the nation when it has a president who doesn’t know as much about the military as I do.” Eisenhower said this because he knew the real costs of war. He personally witnessed the misery, destruction, sorrow and pity of war. He feared for the nation should someone ignorant of the actual burdens of war obtain the power to wage it. 

President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney both knew just enough about war never to serve in one. “Five Deferments Dick” Cheney and George W. “I like the bomber jackets but not the meetings” Bush were the leaders Eisenhower dreaded. They are tragic proof of Eisenhower’s prescience.

Joan Hancock

Raytown

Comments

[NoMoreMrNiceGuy]

Military service is not mandated according to the US COnstitution of course neither is being a deadbeat lawyaer or community racist organizer. Technically so long as you meet the age and citizenship requirements, nothing else matters.
I tend think the smarties with thier fancy paper hangings seem to be the one's that screw things up the most for common citizens. I can only name maybe a dozen Presidents that were worth anything and only about two or three since the 50's.
Obama failed to make that MERIT based list.

[Kee]

And as I recall none of those actors in WWII condemned or criticized our military.

[whispering_to_kc]

Ronald Reagan spent his war years stateside in a motion picture unit, making training films. His near-sightedness made him fit for only limited duty.

Truman was a battery commander in an artillery regiment in France, under German fire in WW1. His near-sightedness should have made him fit for only limited duty but he memorized the eyechart and faked his way along so he could go to France anyway.

[Kee]

In defense of George H.W. Bush, we was a decorated WWII Vet, and W. did serve in the Guard. Truman too as I recall was in a Guard artillery battery. I also seem to recall that Reagen served as well in some capacity.

While not in combat they at least served in the military. On the other hand consider Obama.

[ggbridge]

Oh man, what a gyp! I did like those good stories...stupid facts. Thanks for the Eisenhower lesson, guys.

[T. Hanson]

Silly to allow facts to screw up a good story.

[whispering_to_kc]

The actual [private] Eisenhower quote as related later by an aide ...

Eisenhower: "Sanctimonious, hypocritical bas tards. If you tell a commander Ike says he'll give him an extra star if he cuts his budget, there'll be such a rush to cut costs, you'll have to get out of the way. God help the nation when it has a president who doesn't know as much about the military as I do."

Eisenhower was being critical of military spending, the arms race and the military-industrial complex. Boswell was trying to twist Ike's words into meaning something they never did.

Eisenhower was, at the time, attempting to throttle military spending (against the wishes of Congress and corporate America) and direct the funds to balancing the budget and boosting foreign aid instead.

Eisenhower was recommending military experience in the White House to ... protect America from the military-industrial complex.

Eisenhower was an American. Who all these other people like Boswell are, is anyone's guess.

I looked it up, Mouseketeers.

[Marctnts]

Pub's right on this one.

Eisenhower faced a tough situation, one in which many Democrats and Republicans used the fear of an escalating cold war with the Soviet Union to stir public cries for huge increases in military spending. Eisenhower, who was privy to the secret X17 spy plane intel that indicated the USSR wasn't nearly as advanced as it let on, couldn't explain why he knew we didn't need to escalate spending and spent much of his terms defending his positions against being "weak".

[Pub 17]

Actually, you're both wrong.
Eisenhower said that, in private, after a really bad session in beating back the efforts of both Congress and industry to ramp up defense spending. He clearly meant what he said: God help the nation when it has a president who doesn’t know as much about the military as I do, BECAUSE OTHERWISE THE COUNTRY'S DEFENSE SPENDING WOULD GO OUT OF CONTROL.

Look 'er up, Mouseketeers.