yourviews
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I will always remember accompa-
O
I
F
LIT
IC
AR
R
Y
“The mo-
nying him on public ventures and no-
ment [Chap-
ticing how the moment he spoke, the
F E B RUA RY 2 0 0 9 $ 4 .7 5 T H E O F F I C I A L M AG A Z I N E O F M OA A | O N E P OW E R F U L VO I C E® W W W. M OA A .O RG audience would give complete atten-
Legacy
pie James
dance. From the days I stood beside
Jr.] spoke, him at the main entrance to the Pen-
Lives
the audience
tagon as we faced down hundreds
would give
of antiwar demonstrators, it was
On
complete
amazing to see such a disparate audi-
attendance.”
ence immediately quiet down once
Chappie James’ son
Chappie started to speak. He could
remembers him as the
— Maj. N.T. Hatch,
dissipate an angry crowd by just his
first African-American
four-star general 44
USMCR-Ret.
appearance. In meetings with young-
sters, his favorite line was, “Be ready
when the door opens,” stressing that
SETTING PRIORITIES
opportunity would knock only if they
IN HARD TIMES
What should MOAA
ered “hooches” to brand- studied and were prepared.
push in a severe
recession? 27 new, cement three-story —Maj. N.T. Hatch, USMCR-Ret.
THINK FAST barracks and mess hall via e-mail
This ethical dilemma
requires a decision — a momentous improve-
that will determine life
or death 54 ment, to say the least. I had the privilege of serving under
To adequately celebrate then-Brig. Gen. Chappie James Jr. in
1_10 Feb
Cover_UPDATE.indd 1 1/11/09 8:30:00 AM
Memories of a Legend this happy development, then-Col. the spring of 1970, when he became a
I was in high school in Falmouth, Chappie James Jr. was invited down deputy assistant secretary of defense
Mass., next to Otis AFB when then- from Ubon RTAB to stage a patriotic (Public Affairs). Briefi ng General
[Maj. Chappie James Jr., “Legacy pep rally for the troops in apprecia- James always led to a good-humored
Lives On,” February 2009] spoke tion for their new digs. … dialogue in which both parties learned.
to our high school after his return Even now, at 85, I can still vividly —Lt. Col. F.C. Berry Jr., USA-Ret.
from Korea. One of the things he said see and hear Colonel James exhort- Herndon, Va.
during that talk [that] has always re- ing us to embrace patriotism, duty,
mained with me and helped me to get honor, and country in the most pas- What Would You Do?
through the rigors of the Coast Guard sionate terms. Then out came his Capt. Rick Rubel, USN-Ret., gave
Academy was, “There is never any guitar. He had us all singing the pa- an excellent account of the SEALs’
competition in the fi eld of mediocrity.” triotic songs that have inspired mili- Operation Redwing in Afghanistan in
I have used his words, with credit tary members for years and years. June 2005 [“What Would You Do?”,
to the general, many times in leader- Every person in that mess hall left February 2009]. [Y]ou can read the
ship discussions throughout my mili- feeling 10 feet tall. complete, heartbreaking story in
tary career, as well as with my three —Lt. Col. Joseph P. Dion, USAF-Ret. Marcus Luttrell’s book Lone Survivor
sons. If it had the same impact on oth- via e-mail [Little, Brown, and Co., 2007], which
ers as it did on me, the Coast Guard takes you through SEAL training to
and this nation were the benefi ciaries. At the time of [Chappie James Jr.’s] the Oval Offi ce.
—Capt. Peter Joseph, USCG-Ret. arrival in [the Offi ce of the Assistant —Col. Charles Miller, USAF-Ret.
Port Ludlow, Wash. Secretary of Defense (Public Af- Shreveport, La.
fairs)] as a colonel, I was the civilian
Midway through my tour at U- chief of the Audiovisual Division, Pilot Impostor
Tapao Royal Thai air base (RTAB), and as our paths crossed frequently As a retired military offi cer who has
November 1966 to November 1967, because of press activities, we be- written eight romance novels for Har-
we graduated from our canvas-cov- came close friends. … lequin Intrigue, I applaud the excel-
1 4 M I L I T A R Y O F F I C E R A P R I L 2 0 0 9
Apr_your
views.indd 14 3/11/3/11/0909 4:06:18 4:06:18 PM PM
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