They Never Learn

Ha Ha! We have a whine wine critic named Matthew DeBord critiquing General Petraeus for--get this--wearing all of his ribbons and badges! As if the wear of them were optional.

There he sits in elaborate Army regalia, four stars glistening on each shoulder, nine rows of colorful ribbons on his left breast, and various other medallions, brooches and patches scattered across the rest of the available real estate on his uniform. He even wears his name tag, a lone and incongruous hunk of cheap plastic in a region of pristine gilt, just in case the politicians aren't sure who he is.

That's a lot of martial bling, especially for an officer who hadn't seen combat until five years ago. Unfortunately, brazen preening and "ribbon creep" among the Army's modern-day upper crust have trumped the time-honored military virtues of humility, duty and personal reserve.

My Lord.

The official uniform of the Army is to be worn in a very specific manner, and the brass have an obligation to live up to their billing by showing plenty of ... well, brass. On the other hand, if you're wearing four stars, you surely have some say when it comes to matters of peacockery.

(All emphasis mine.)

There are a few things that I find more barf-inducing than some little pu--...er, yappy-dog male nipping at the heels of some Real Man over things that the former couldn't begin to understand, let alone discuss--but not many.

And the twit couldn't even be bothered to find out that wear of all military uniforms is strictly prescribed--from the lowest slick-sleeve to five-star generals--because he was just itching to find a reason to sniff at someone who made him feel...microscopic. And I mean microscopic in all senses.

That said, I'll let Uncle Jimbo and Fred Schoneman take care of this pantywaist.

Fred:

Memo to anyone contemplating the purchase of one of Mr. DeBord's books on wine: They could not possibly be as breathtakingly stupid and mean as what you just read.

Jimbo:

Do the planet a favor Mr. DeBord and STFU about real men. Your attempt to portray Gen. Petraeus as a chickenhawk is the weakest of all arguments especially coming from someone who could only charitably be called even a girly man. Go back to your fern-filled loft and compare notes on the latest swill turned out by the grape-stompers. You need to leave the important business of who shall lead our country in war to those whose concept of it has progressed farther than fashion commentary about a man whose glass you are not fit to fill.

I lift my glass of Two-Buck Chuck to all Real Men out there--one especially. You know who you are.

MORE: From Drew M. at Ace.

I know to a guy like DeBord everything is about fashion and proper place settings but allow me to offer this pimple on the a** of humanity a bit of advice…when it comes to the men and women wearing their nation’s uniform, here are the only two words you really need…thank you.

Comments

[Wry Mouth]

I am fortunate enough not to have lived through a time when my service in the armed forces was called for (high school and college between Vietnam and Iraq), but at least I know enough to let the armed forces arbitrate amongst themselves. Anyone who's listened to more than two of Petraeus' sentences strung together can easily get a sense of what sort of man he is, and isn't.

Or so I thought.

He's one of the guys I want on *my* side, for sure.

[Mike]

Oh for the days when we could just decide what to wear on our uniforms. let's see, when was that again? The civil war? We could wear beards then, too.

Just another example of a wanna-be pundit. He needs to stick to wine.

[Mike]

J,
Here's a copy of the letter to the editor I sent to the LA Times.
Cheers,
Mike

Dear Editor,

Mr. DeBord is in serious need of a research assistant. With a simple internet search he would have found Army regulations covering uniform wear. Point by point:

1) One does not earn a Bronze Star with Valor device except by heroism. In other words, "military action." Even more to the point, the Army does not give out the Combat Action Badge except in cases of, yes, combat. But I know he said "most of them." But look at the time he did most of his company- and field-grade service. It was the Cold War then. There was little to no fighting on the level of today's Iraq or Afghanistan. And once you've made general, you're a manager of the Army. You're not going to be crawling around in the mud if you're a general. Despite what the movies show us.
2) One cannot put himself in for a medal, even if he is a general. Medals must be approved by superiors, and not just one's direct superior. Even in the case of a general. So Gen Petraeus's distinguished service was recognized and awarded by his superiors.
3) He still has to follow regulations, even as a four-star. If he were to show up with a single row of ribbons, he would be out of uniform. His aide and other subordinates would make sure he doesn't show up in front of Congress out of uniform. And yes, if you show up on the Hill or at the White House, regardless of your rank, you're wearing your service dress.
4) Regulations for uniform wear were different in all the times Mr. DeBord described as inspirational. Gone are the days when you could wear your service dress with no ribbons and medals, or just one row. Now you must wear them all. Period.
5) I hope Mr. DeBord is not trying to say that Petraeus, or any of his comrades, is responsible for the "deaths of millions." If so, then he should read a history book. It's simple. Go to amazon.com and type in "Hitler biography" or "Stalin biography" in the book search box.

[IronMike]

J,
SOnja brought up a good point about this no-nothing moron. He's probably just jealous and a little shamed that he didn't join the military. The wine world doesn't give him any medals or "bling" to wear while he's drinking wine.