That banner was for that particular ship's mission and had nothing to do with the war in general. :D

Not exacty. The banner was made by White House staffers and was part of the highly coordinated PR event that included the President landing on the carrier in a deck despite the fact that the ship was well in range of his helicopter. Biggest PR blunder of our generation.

Hey man, I'm just repeating what they told me - or the last version of the official "truth" I heard, anyway.

Didn't he also tell us that same day that "major combat operations" had ended? I seem to remember that. Did that comment also refer to just that ship? ;-)

Frankly, that whole scene sickened me. It was also around the end of my first OIF deployment, so it should have been a positive thing to see. But for some reason, seeing the President of the United States wearing a military uniform complete with warfare insignia (not even the one he actually earned in his Air National Guard days) gave me Orwellian chills. That might be the first time in American history that a President has actually appeared in an official capacity wearing a military uniform, although in some other countries that sort of thing is commonplace. And knowing how little dedication he actually showed to his Air National Guard obligations, just the sight of his smirking, strutting self going to such lengths for a photo op made me seriously consider resigning my commission at the first opportunity. The fact that Saddam's fall actually marked the beginning of the war (Thank you, Mario! But our peaceful democracy is in another castle!) just adds gravy to the endless string of failures and miscalculations that we've seen over the past seven and a half years.

Resign your damn commission! How disingenuous.

1."Major combat operations" did end. What we've done since has been painful and costly and oftentimes, poorly executed, but it ain't "major combat operations". As a military officer, you know that.

2. Washington actually lead troops into Pennsylvania to put down the Whiskey Rebellion. He wore a uniform all the time. A number of presidents have worn military uniforms while in office. I seem to recall Clinton wearing a flight jacket on a carrier. While it is true that Bush didn't need to fly in the fighter to get to the carrier, he did need to wear the flight suit to fly in the fighter. And WTF is "warfare insignia"; does that mean "patches"? I've never seen any reference before to our president wearing a military award that he wasn't entitled to. If he had, I'm absolutely sure that references to it would appear on a daily basis in this forum.

Mothers told me it was really a farewell banner for a beauty queen held on the ship the night. "Miss Ion Accomplished Much In Her Year As Queen". the bottom part of the banner was torn away when a drunken Donald Rumsfeld, a celebrity A-Lister for the party, tried to swing across the deck like a pirate.

Other guests included Condi Rice, Trent Lott, and Lindsay Lohan. This was the last Miss Ion queen to date.

Can't say I'm entirely positive...but the wings he's wearing look more like Air Force pilot wings than Navy, with the big goofy star above the shield. Although, I just don't recall Air Force wings being gold....thought they were silver.

Other than that, the gear he had to wear was pretty much mandatory for flying in ejection seat equipped aircraft, even if he is the President, I doubt he would want to compromise any part of his survival just to avoid looking military. I used to fly backend in S-3's, was attached to VS-35 for a short time as a matter of fact. Flight suit to protect from fire, torso harness to strap your ass to the ejection seat....no commercial seatbelts available or recommended, an SV-2 to help him float and survive had he ended up departing the jet and landing in the drink, and a helmet.

See, your black shoe eyes don't have a knack for the details us brown shoes have....; )

By "warfare insignia" I meant the pin on his name tag. It represents your warfare specialty, and also translates into qualifications and your numeric "designator". Like a symbol of an MOS. I'm not sure if the other branches do it the same way, but they're a big deal in the Navy. I'd have been fired and sent home if I hadn't earned mine within a specific period of time. Google the pictures of the carrier landing. You'll see what I mean.

As far as not resigning, I decided that I wasn't going to lose my faith in my country just because my temporary boss was a moron. I see nothing disingenuous about that.

You may have something there. :-)

Specifically, I was talking about the pin. Obviously he'd need a flight suit and helmet and other sundry objects. Looked like Navy wings to me, but might have been Air Force. I'll see if I can find a better resolution photo. Now, if he'd actually had them invent a presidential rank pin for him, then we'd be in military dictator territory. Give him a cigar, beard and very large hat and we'd have a junta on our hands. ;-)

But given that I was fully aware just what a mess Iraq was almost certainly going to turn into and he was blissfully oblivious to the same, the swagger and smirk alone were enough to put me off. He's always treated the war like a twelve year old playing video games, with no concept of the horror that is unleashed when you go to war. Even if you have to do it, at least behave with a modicum of dignity. No maturity, no gravitas. Like when he spoke to a bunch of veterans who'd had limbs blown off by IEDs and he started going on about his own "war wound", which was a scrape on his arm that he got clearing brush on his ranch in Crawford. This was no different. Tasteless. Immature. Par for the course.

...gave me Orwellian chills.

George Bush had an entire wardrobe of miitary insigniad gear. Special jackets that said Commander in Chief and pieces that mimiced uniform components. He's layed off that stuff since Rumsfeld left.

Excerpt

Soldier of Fortune By Ian Williams

Bush's dress-up pattern was set long ago, as far back as 1970. While campaigning for his father against Lloyd Bentsen, the future President wore his National Guard flight jacket, which is, of course, an uncanny precursor to that flight onto the deck of the U.S.S Abraham Lincoln. Dressed in military duds, he would then, as now, attract approbation in a way that a less sophisticated, less well-connected, long-haired draft evader would never do, which is why it is a wardrobe choice he now returns to often, from the decks of a battleship to the parade grounds of forts and camps all over America.

A random trawl of the newswires and Defense Department White House archives produces the same dazzling pattern of military camouflage. On August 14 2003, the President was telling it to the Marines, at Miramar Marine base in California, "I am proud to be the commander-in-chief of such a fabulous group of men and women who wear our uniform." In November, he was at it again, issuing a proclamation of National Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Week, "in honor of employers across America who have shown their support for our National Guardsmen and Reservists. ... These companies have the gratitude of our nation, they have the gratitude of the commander-in-chief." Oh how he loves that title.

His speech on the first anniversary of the beginning of the war in Iraq was also before a "conscripted" audience at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. There, 20,000 men and women of the 101st Airborne paraded with little handheld flags in their hands and jumbo size banners flying overhead, to provide a backdrop to the President's latest photo-op. For the occasion, the president himself, once again, wore a signature military jacket with "George W. Bush, commander-in chief" over his heart.

Of the many military bases, Fort Hood is the president's favorite, more so since it is conveniently close to his dude ranch in Crawford, Texas. It is also the biggest base in the United States, home to over 40,000 troops. Bush went there during the lead-up to the war in January 2003 to gee up the soldiery in the huge camp, while appropriating the title he loves so much. "Wherever you may be sent, you can know that America is grateful, and your commander-in-chief is confident in your abilities and proud of your service," he told them.

The Department of Defense's web site says the speech produced "more than twenty Hoorahs" for the President, who wore a fetching olive green windcheater emblazoned with the Presidential seal and "Bush, U.S. Army" across his chest. In a way, he looked like Paddington Bear, who also had to be labeled in case he was lost, not least since the commander-in-chief blended so well with the ranks of military personnel dutifully lined up behind him.

And I'm sure he has a construction helmet from every factory, and a T-shirt from every union too.... The bastard.

Quill:

If you are so specific on matters of Presidential uniform, perhaps you might also be aware of Article 88, UCMJ.

Now Sanguine, you and I go back a ways, you further then I, when officers were apolitcal and didn't state their views amongst each other, let alone amongst the lower ranks.

We didn't have the internet, nor a Fray, to blow-off steam. Of course we didn't have any money either! You must admit, times were harry on occasion, but simpler?

I'm sure quillsinister, and a few others, I've read in this forum, aren't really contemptful or disrespectful toward officials and are careful in their deportment within the ranks..

Personally, I found my lieutenants to be, as a whole, a little brighter then when I initially entered Uncle Sam's Primier Gun Club.

I think sometimes, the exuberance of making a point on an issue, with a personal editorial, gets away from these young fire pissers!

Wouldn't it be great to take'em all to a commanding oficer's call, and hold school prior to the second round?

Why did you even bother to post that. If you of all people don't know the difference between a construction helmet and a faux uniform then I fear for the Navy.

Besides, there's something Freudian about little boy's fixations on uniforms.