The Folly of Youth

Oh to be young again. To act with foolish disregard and savor every moment of life, but one must ask, when does that time end? For one young man, former Pfc Bradley Manning it ended the moment he took it upon himself to break a solemn oath and reveal the secrets of the state to outside influences. Some claim he is merely a whistle blower but upon close examination, the young man took the same oath we all took when we entered the service. An oath that clearly states “I do solemnly swear to support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic and to obey the orders of the President and the officers appointed over me, so help me God”. During my last year on active duty I served as a recruiting operations officer and gave this oath to many soldiers each and every day. While not required, I always asked “do you really understand what this means?” and when they were not sure, I explained it basic and clear language. None every walked away, in fact most were so proud of that oath and what they had promised, they spent a good deal of time telling friends and relatives.

Manning went even further, having received a high security clearance and was entrusted to work on and with some of the nation’s most closely guarded secrets … a degree of trust that few receive. And he didn’t just leak it to a few friends or relatives, he leaked it to the world. So the question, is Manning at fault? Well of course he is, but he certainly didn’t act alone and part of that military organization was responsible for his actions … yet, we have not seen any of them. What of the senior NCO’s that were to lead him, guide him, teach him the gravity of his responsibilities? What of the officers that were in charge of where he was, what he was entrusted with, and how he behaved? And what of a system that measured his trustworthiness, maturity, and ability to conduct his duties in a trustworthy and responsible manner?

Perhaps, in the push to do more with less we have simply extended our expectations beyond what can reasonably be achieved. From what we have now seen, there were signs, many signs that this young man had maturity and stability problems. Who was responsible for seeing that and doing something about it? Certainly not Manning …

Lastly, in all fairness to the system and citizenry, perhaps a fair question is … how do we point the finger of blame at a young man that, 230 years ago, in a fight against the British, would have been hailed as a patriot and a hero? It certainly is all a matter of perspective and least we forget that History is always written by the victor. No doubt the young man broke laws, violated oaths, and in general used some very poor judgment. On the other hand, as a private citizen, I am appreciative of the exposure of so much double dealing and dishonest conduct of our elected and appointed officials and their subsequent embarrassment. Should we not be holding a few of them accountable? Again, a matter of perspective.

There was a time when every American could hold their head up high, secure in the thought that their government always did the right thing, the just thing, the moral thing. If surveys and polls are correct, with a approval rate rapidly approaching single digits, it would appear that our Congress has all but destroyed that trust that Americans hold so dearly.

There are certainly a lot more questions than there are answers, but when we see so many inappropriate deeds being done by so many people at all levels and the “bad guy” continues to get away with it at a frequency that his pocketbook will support …. We got trouble folks, deep trouble and if we don’t stem this tide of dishonesty and deception, Egypt isn’t going to be the only country that is embattled in a civil war.

I hear far too many good Americans talk about this every day. It is on the minds of many citizens and that, dear friends is a powder keg we cannot afford to ignore!