I need to apologize to SSG Fitts immediately. Oda Mae just received an email from a soldier downrange, someone who knows SSG Fitts (Oda Mae took out some names, but email left as-is, in all its soldierly glory, i.e. warning: swear words):
You are correct SSG Fitts is a great NCO and very positive guy. He was misquoted. We all hate some of our enbeds.. and the Brit times guys a real cock. VERY annoying wines alot and writes misquotes just to get his points across. However . . . that when these guys write fucked up shit, he won't kick them out.. even when we've asked him to boot them out. I didn't want [Mrs. Sims] to hear about that article, because sean was doing the right thing, and leading from the front, the fucking stupid brit got it all wrong.
My apologies for being down on SSG Fitts (and my apologies for this soldier's dirty mouth). I'm leaving up the post below this one because I don't believe in making the past disappear. But I have no beef with SSG Fitts. Keep that in mind when you scroll to the next post.
Posted by Sarah at November 17, 2004 09:24 AMbecause I don't believe in making the past disappear
Right, except for comments.
Posted by: Sadly, No! at November 17, 2004 09:58 AMOh please, Seb. Like you should lecture me about integrity.
Posted by: Sarah at November 17, 2004 10:59 AMI do believe she is referencing her posts, not your comments on her space. Grow up.
I've read the past few posts about SSG Fitts. After the first post, I wasn't quite sure what you were on about, so I re-read it a few times until I felt I understood your point of view. My initial reading was a of SSG trying to impart a battlefield lesson, a hard cold one to be sure, and I didn't see it as a degredation of the CO. The misquoted option had occured to me, that and not much context for the quote was given.
As far as enlisted bitchin about officers.... that extends back in time as long as there have been officers and enlisted. They still jump when ordered to do so, and ask how high later.
Posted by: John at November 17, 2004 01:04 PMMy thoughts were the same as John's, although it was not the kind of thing you would want the man's widow to read.
NCOs are known for their toughness. Sometimes that comes across wrong. But it certainly doesn't mean they don't love that LT or CPT.
Posted by: Mike at November 17, 2004 01:23 PMSarah - I am so disenchanted with the press I just can't express it enough. Kevin Sites and his video of the Marine is another example. I go to Kevin's blog often and never would've thought he'd put out for pool video of this nature which he had to know would cause a firestorm and be misinterpreted by ALL of the MSM. I'm not saying to bury the issue but he could have given it to the Marine higher ups and let them deal with it instead of putting this soldier and his family thru hell. The MSM ignore the mutilation of the blonde women by the terrorists and focuses only on the "atrocities of the US Military" against the terrorists. They really do 'hate' the US Military.
Posted by: Toni at November 17, 2004 01:51 PMOh please, Seb. Like you should lecture me about integrity.
I'm not lecturing you about integrity -- I'm pointing out that your behavior is (or has been, given that my first comment is still there) inconsistent with the "principle" you claim to follow in this post about making the past disappear.
Still, it's nice to know I lack integrity in your eyes. ;)
Posted by: Sadly, No! at November 17, 2004 02:32 PMSeb, I feel a sense of duty to leave my own words unaltered. I feel absolutely no responsibility to give you free reign here on my website. You post plenty of nasty comments about me on your own blog; isn't that enough?
Posted by: Sarah at November 17, 2004 02:55 PMAfter reading SSGT Fitts' words myself, my mind immediately flew to Tom Hanks' CPT Miller in "Private Ryan", just after their raid on the machine gun nest by the radar station, and his squad's medic gets killed.
Certainly he was hard. He was cold. Brutal, even. Until he removed himself from his men. Then do we see what he (and ALL Soldiers, Marines, Airmen, and Sailors) is really made of. It really is about love. Fitts loves those for whom he is responsible. I have no doubt that he also loved CPT Sims (I speculate, admittedly). But he merely applied the lesson 1LT Tommy Franks had to be taught so long ago: A leader cannot aford to show emotion until the battle is over. May the Lord be with Mrs. Sims and her (no, THEIR) son; may He continue to be with SSGT Fitts, and ALL those who are laying down their lives for us.
Posted by: Jim Shawley at November 17, 2004 06:44 PM
What I read sounded remarkably like the Sergeant in Basic who kept drumming on the theme "You people spread out; one hand grenade will get you all."
No meaning other than don't get careless.