By: Bob McCarty
BobMcCarty.com
Two days ago, I used this site to ask the kind of question a younger, more idealistic me might have considered anti-American and, perhaps, even subversive: Should Families of US Soldiers Be Allowed to Sue Dept of Defense? After I shared that question on Facebook, I heard from a woman with a vested interest in the question.
LCpl Greg Buckley Jr., USMC
MaryLiz Grossetto is the aunt of LCpl. Greg Buckley Jr., a 21-year-old Marine from Oceanside, N.Y., who died Aug. 10, 2012, as the result of a “Green-on-Blue” (a.k.a., “Insider”) Attack waged by an Afghan “ally” wearing the uniform of his country. On Saturday afternoon, she commented on an item I had posted on the Facebook page dedicated to her nephew. Excerpts from her response appear below with only minor edits:
Bob, if you had asked anyone in my family that question a year ago I’m pretty sure the answer would have been “NO.”
What a difference a year makes!
A year ago, I would have thought, “God forbid something happens, that’s the risk you were willing to take.”
Of course, a year ago I was under the mistaken impression that this country was doing all it could to protect & provide for our military. Sadly, today I know that is not the case. This administration is more concerned with how the Afghans will perceive things than making sure our own men are as safe as possible.
Ms. Grossetto has come to understand a lot during the year since her nephew died. Later in her response, she asked and answered some pointed questions:
Did we take measures to ensure our military would be safe? Did we order our men to carry loaded weapons at all times? Did we provide “Guardian Angels” to watch over our soldiers when they were most vulnerable? NO! WHY? Because we were too busy handing out pamphlets & ordering our soldiers to attend “culture & sensitivity training” so our heroes would not “offend” Afghans.
Did we use the best, most advanced equipment when it came to vetting these Afghan soldiers / police? NO!
Have we thoroughly investigated what happened to Extortion 17? NO!
Have we investigated & spoken the truth about Benghazi? NO!
She concluded her response this way:
So, in answer to your question, I guess we should start suing. Maybe that will help this administration get it’s priorities in order! Until Then, God Help Us All!
Most Americans, I fear, are more like Ms. Grossetto was before she lost her nephew in Afghanistan. They remain largely unaware of the hardships facing American men and women in uniform, and unaware of how many of those hardships stem from misguided decisions made by top government leaders.
After reading my latest book, THE CLAPPER MEMO, and recognizing how I had connected the dots between three memos — including one issued by James R. Clapper Jr., now the nation’s top intelligence official — and hundreds of American casualties resulting from Green-on-Blue Attacks, Ms. Grossetto offered her endorsement of the book.
Four others — among them a former U.S. Navy SEALs commander, a former U.S. Army general, the parents of a member of the U.S. Navy’s SEAL TEAM SIX and the man who served as chief investigative counsel during the impeachment of President Bill Clinton — have read the book and offered similarly-powerful endorsements.
After reading THE CLAPPER MEMO, I think you’ll find yourself in agreement with those who’ve endorsed the book. It’s available in paperback and ebook versions.
Bob McCarty is the author of Three Days In August and THE CLAPPER MEMO. To learn more about either book or to place an order, click on the graphic above.
