‘We will pay the butcher’s bill in blood'

[txradioguy]

As Gen. Mark A. Milley was sworn in as the Army’s 39th chief of staff on Friday, he offered a stern warning that the United States must remain prepared to handle multiple enemies at a time or face the consequences.
 
“As America, we have no luxury of a single opponent,” Milley said. “We have to be able to fight guerrillas and terrorists all the way up through nation-state militaries. If we do not maintain our commitment to remain strong in the air, on the sea and yes, on the ground, then we will pay the butcher’s bill in blood, and we will forever lose the precious gift of our freedom.”

Milley replaced Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, who will retire after 39 years of service. Milley last served as the four-star commander of U.S. Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg, N.C., and previously led tens of thousands of soldiers with III Corps at Fort Hood, Tex., and commanded troops in Afghanistan in 2013 and 2014.

<snip>

“Our children are the real reason that we in uniform all serve,” Milley said. “Some say it’s education. Some say it’s money, or for a variety of other reasons. No. It’s for others. We serve for others, and most importantly, we serve for our children.”
 
Milley said freedom is a very expensive gift paid for with the blood of those from earlier generations. A short distance away at Arlington cemetery, he said, are so many “soldiers of freedom” who sacrificed their lives.
 
“There is no cheap way to change, and more importantly, there is no cheap way to buy freedom,” Milley said. “The only thing more expensive than fighting and winning a war is fighting and losing a war — and fighting and winning a war is what the United States Army is all about.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2015/08/14/we-will-pay-the-butchers-bill-in-blood-general-issues-stern-warning-as-he-becomes-army-chief-of-staff/

[RayRaytheSBS]

Gee sir, You are sounding like you are trying to emulate someone, who could it be I wonder?

"Liberty is never unalienable; it must be redeemed regularly with the blood of patriots or it always vanishes. Of all the so-called natural human rights that have ever been invented, liberty is least likely to be cheap and is never free of cost".

Robert Heinlein- 'Starship Troopers'-Lt. Col. Jean V. Dubois (Ret.), p. 120

Sorry sir, He said it much better than you did. And if that is true, WTF are we doing all this @#%! SOCIAL ENGINEERING at a time when we can LEAST AFFORD it.

[txradioguy]

Gee sir, You are sounding like you are trying to emulate someone, who could it be I wonder?

Sorry sir, He said it much better than you did. And if that is true, WTF are we doing all this @#%! SOCIAL ENGINEERING at a time when we can LEAST AFFORD it.

Maybe that's his warning shot across the bow that he's gonna try and un**** the know...at least to some extent that we've been tied into.

His term is for 4 years...he'll be here after this Adminstration is (thankfully) gone.

May that IS a light at the end of the tunnel.

[RayRaytheSBS]

Maybe that's his warning shot across the bow that he's gonna try and un**** the know...at least to some extent that we've been tied into.

His term is for 4 years...he'll be here after this Adminstration is (thankfully) gone.

May that IS a light at the end of the tunnel.

True enough TX, but a part of me thinks he wouldn't have gotten the job if he wasn't 'politically reliable'. Which means he won't rock the boat too much where it comes to the 'pet projects' of this adminstration. I'm sure that they have given him THAT little briefing, and I'm waiting for him to tell us that climate change is our number one enemy.

[txradioguy]

True enough TX, but a part of me thinks he wouldn't have gotten the job if he wasn't 'politically reliable'. Which means he won't rock the boat too much where it comes to the 'pet projects' of this adminstration. I'm sure that they have given him THAT little briefing, and I'm waiting for him to tell us that climate change is our number one enemy.

Yeah I'm wondering that too.  But he already caused waves with some things he said about ISIS in his comfirmation hearings too. 

He's scheduled to make a stop through here.  I'll let you know what his stump speech is.

[olde north church]

All generals, admirals for that matter, are politicians.  They haven't gotten where they were by making waves.

[JohnnyReb]

All generals, admirals for that matter, are politicians.  They haven't gotten where they were by making waves.

And therein lies the problem, they don't make 'em like they used to. Old blood and guts comes to mind.

[thundley4]

I have never understood liberal's desire to weaken the military every single time they get control.  What is the purpose of being the best country on earth if  you can't defend it?

[RayRaytheSBS]

I have never understood liberal's desire to weaken the military every single time they get control.  What is the purpose of being the best country on earth if  you can't defend it?

They don't see it that way Thundley, They see the military as a 'welfare entitlement program' which competes with their pet project of..... 'Welfare entitlement programs', so OF COURSE it has to go! No one doesn't like us, we're America! Everyone wants to be here, just look at all the illegal immigrants, I mean 'new democrat voters' they keep foisting on the rolls.

[txradioguy]

I have never understood liberal's desire to weaken the military every single time they get control.  What is the purpose of being the best country on earth if  you can't defend it?

My take on it is slightly different than Ray's.

See this is the anti-war left of the 60's not running the Dem Party.

They view U.S. foreign policy as the cause for everything bad that's ever happend in the world...ever.  So the U.S. must be taken down a notch because of this.

By extension they view the U.S. military as the execution arm of the aforementioned evil U.S. foreign policy...therefore they must be rendered inadequate to carry out those policies.

Carter just tried to gut us.

Clinton slashed the amount of combat divisions we had almost in half and then did us really dirty by transferring 48% of the combat power in the U.S. to the National Guard.  He took reserve combat units out of the Army Reserve (and federal control) and transferred them to the NG.  This slows down greatly the ability to call up reserve forces to back the active force do to the extra paperwork and readiness involved in Federalizing troops that are under control of a state Governor.

Now you've got the current CIC trying to break our will with social engineering policies while continuing the Carter era policies of low pay and budegts so thin we can't support what we've got and Clinton's slash and burn reduce the force policies.

[RayRaytheSBS]

My take on it is slightly different than Ray's.

See this is the anti-war left of the 60's not running the Dem Party.

They view U.S. foreign policy as the cause for everything bad that's ever happend in the world...ever.  So the U.S. must be taken down a notch because of this.

By extension they view the U.S. military as the execution arm of the aforementioned evil U.S. foreign policy...therefore they must be rendered inadequate to carry out those policies.

Carter just tried to gut us.

Clinton slashed the amount of combat divisions we had almost in half and then did us really dirty by transferring 48% of the combat power in the U.S. to the National Guard.  He took reserve combat units out of the Army Reserve (and federal control) and transferred them to the NG.  This slows down greatly the ability to call up reserve forces to back the active force do to the extra paperwork and readiness involved in Federalizing troops that are under control of a state Governor.

Now you've got the current CIC trying to break our will with social engineering policies while continuing the Carter era policies of low pay and budegts so thin we can't support what we've got and Clinton's slash and burn reduce the force policies.

  Well said, you summed it up better in what is really happening. I tried going with the 'Democrat feelings route' since they are allegedly more in touch with their feelings.

[txradioguy]

Well said, you summed it up better in what is really happening. I tried going with the 'Democrat feelings route' since they are allegedly more in touch with their feelings.

The only feelings the Libtards are in touch with are the feelings of contempt and hate for this country.

[RayRaytheSBS]

The only feelings the Libtards are in touch with are the feelings of contempt and hate for this country.

Very true, Why they are is a mystery to me. As it is for all normal people.

[BlueStateSaint]

The only feelings the Libtards are in touch with are the feelings of contempt and hate for this country.

Dead on, Dragoon.  H5 well-earned.