Tom Cotton - Ranger or no?
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Backstory: Salon published an article asserting that Senator Cotton was "Not really an Army Ranger."
https://www.salon.com/2021/01/26/tom-cottons-army-ranger-dissembling-goes-back-at-least-eight-years/
"Were you straightforward with voters about your military service?" Baier asked.
"Yeah thanks, Brett. I graduated from Ranger School and wore the Ranger tab in combat with the 101st Airborne in Iraq. This is not about my military record; this is about my politics," Cotton replied. "Ranger Regiment legends like Gen. Scotty Miller or Gen. Craig Nixon have used the term to describe both alumni of the Ranger Regiment and graduates of the Ranger School, as did the secretary of the Army. As did most of my buddies in the Army. As did most of the liberal media, until a conservative veteran was using the term that way. But if some people disagree, that's fine; I respect their views. What's most important, I respect the service of all Rangers and indeed all soldiers who serve our country."
That resembles a coherent answer. But Cotton has in fact suggested that he served with those Rangers. A 2014 campaign ad from his first Senate run, for instance, features Cotton telling the viewing audience that he "made tough decisions as an Army Ranger in Iraq." Perhaps most egregiously, a 2012 congressional campaign ad approved and paid for by Cotton even claims that "as a Ranger, Tom Cotton earned the Bronze Star."
"Were you straightforward with voters about your military service?" Baier asked.
"Yeah thanks, Brett. I graduated from Ranger School and wore the Ranger tab in combat with the 101st Airborne in Iraq. This is not about my military record; this is about my politics," Cotton replied. "Ranger Regiment legends like Gen. Scotty Miller or Gen. Craig Nixon have used the term to describe both alumni of the Ranger Regiment and graduates of the Ranger School, as did the secretary of the Army. As did most of my buddies in the Army. As did most of the liberal media, until a conservative veteran was using the term that way. But if some people disagree, that's fine; I respect their views. What's most important, I respect the service of all Rangers and indeed all soldiers who serve our country."
That resembles a coherent answer. But Cotton has in fact suggested that he served with those Rangers. A 2014 campaign ad from his first Senate run, for instance, features Cotton telling the viewing audience that he "made tough decisions as an Army Ranger in Iraq." Perhaps most egregiously, a 2012 congressional campaign ad approved and paid for by Cotton even claims that "as a Ranger, Tom Cotton earned the Bronze Star."
So, I gather the gist is that though Cotton graduated from Ranger School, he didn't serve in the army as a Ranger.
That's probably a fair dispute: Can someone who graduated from Ranger School call himself a "Ranger."
Okay. Fine.
Here's the interesting part. Back in 2015, Newsweek published a story about women in Ranger School. Here's the screenshot:
This week, Newsweek edited the story:
Amazing. They went back almost 6 years to "fix" a story when Cotton's story became, well, a story.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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@george-k said in Tom Cotton - Ranger or no?:
That's probably a fair dispute: Can someone who graduated from Ranger School call himself a "Ranger."
No, they can't. If the tab doesn't have "75 RGT" on either side they're not a Ranger. They have the two tabs for a reason.
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In May 2006, Cotton was deployed to Baghdad as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) as a platoon leader with the 101st Airborne Division. In Iraq, he led a 41-man air assault infantry platoon in the 506th Infantry Regiment, and planned and performed daily combat patrols.[12] After completing his first tour of duty, in December 2006 Cotton was promoted to first lieutenant and re-assigned as a platoon leader for the 3d Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) at Fort Myer in Arlington, Virginia.[13]
In October 2008, Cotton was deployed to eastern Afghanistan. He was assigned within the Train Advise Assist Command – East at its Gamberi forward operating base (FOB) in Laghman Province as the Operations Officer of a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT), where he planned daily counter-insurgency and reconstruction operations.[12] His 11-month deployment ended on July 20, 2009, and he returned from Afghanistan.[12]
In July 2010, Cotton transferred to the Army Reserve (USAR). In May 2013, after almost 8 years of service, Cotton was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army. During his time in the service, Cotton completed two combat deployments overseas, was awarded a Bronze Star, two Army Commendation Medals, Combat Infantryman Badge, Ranger tab, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and Iraq Campaign Medal.[12][14][15] Cotton spent five years on active service.[16]
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If he was a platoon leader in the 101st, why in the hell did he feel compelled to say he's an "Army Ranger"?
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At some point, we need to ask the media to subscribe to a set of standards and recommend ignoring sources that don't. I frankly wish CNN engaged in no commentary at all - just the news - like the good old days. There's plenty of news to cover. Word is WGN may be taking on that role with further investment in News Nation.
We have more people providing commentary than news. It makes me nostalgic for the days when news was 30 minutes at the end of the day with perhaps 2-3 minutes of commentary - if that.
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@aqua-letifer said in Tom Cotton - Ranger or no?:
If he was a platoon leader in the 101st, why in the hell did he feel compelled to say he's an "Army Ranger"?
It was a shorthand way of combining two interest facts - finishing Ranger School and being a leader in combat. He should have said, "I applied my Ranger training in Iraq where I headed a platoon..."
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@kluurs said in Tom Cotton - Ranger or no?:
He should have said, "I applied my Ranger training in Iraq where I headed a platoon..."
That would have been unambiguous, of course.
Looking at Goldberg's tweet, there seems to be some controversy as to who can, properly, called a Ranger.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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Returning, for a moment, so Salon's "reporting," there were other times when they referred to soldiers as "Rangers."
https://www.salon.com/2020/05/25/celebrated-to-death-memorial-day-is-killing-us-_partner/
Erik Edstrom is the author of the new book Un-American: A Soldier's Reckoning of Our Longest War (Bloomsbury). He is a graduate of West Point and the University of Oxford, was an infantry officer, Army Ranger, and Bronze Star Medal recipient who deployed to direct combat in Afghanistan.
Mr. Edstrom's web page: "Erik graduated from West Point in 2007. He was then deployed to Afghanistan, where he served as an infantry platoon leader. Erik spent the remainder of his service as the Presidential Escort Platoon Leader during the Obama administration.
He is a graduate of U.S. Army Ranger School, recipient of the Rippetoe Trophy during The Best Ranger Competition, was selected for the U.S. Special Forces (SFAS), and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal. "
Doesn't specify if he was a member of the regiment. If he was, I'd guess he would have said it.
And another guy who passed the school, but didn't deploy "as a Ranger."
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@george-k said in Tom Cotton - Ranger or no?:
@kluurs said in Tom Cotton - Ranger or no?:
He should have said, "I applied my Ranger training in Iraq where I headed a platoon..."
That would have been unambiguous, of course.
Looking at Goldberg's tweet, there seems to be some controversy as to who can, properly, called a Ranger.
Not to mention that he essentially did what he alleged, served the country with honor and without exaggeration. Compare and contrast to Blumenthal in Vietnam.
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@george-k said in Tom Cotton - Ranger or no?:
Looking at Goldberg's tweet, there seems to be some controversy as to who can, properly, called a Ranger.
It's controversial only for those who aren't familiar. Cotton was familiar. Therefore he knew better.
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Always remember, Operation Valkyrie was an act of sedition.
Warning: I post things that interest me. Read and comment at your own discretion. -
@jolly said in Tom Cotton - Ranger or no?:
fully qualified to wear ranger tabs,
There are two tabs. One for completing ranger school, one for actually being a ranger.
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In the sins that people tell, this doesn't move the needle much for anyone. It may be more embarrassing for Newsweek to scrape this up - than for Cotton's overstatement of qualifications.
It is a fun game when played for humor. I had an older friend who liked to share that he was a classmate of A. Einstein at Harvard. His friend's name was Alfred Einstein.
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