Some have disappointed, some had bad policy, some made big mistakes. But I’ve never in my life been ashamed of American leaders. Until today.
Mark Hertling
40.8K posts
Mark Hertling
@MarkHertling
Retired soldier. Loves family, dedicated to nation. Student of leadership, nat’l security.
www.markhertling.com
Joined December 2015
- I know this sounds weird, but @JoeBiden just said the Justice Department wouldn’t be his personal law firm.
- As bad as we thought it was…it was much, much worse.
- Something you learn when taking command of any Army unit, no matter size or scope of reaponsibility: You own it, on day one. No matter what your predecessor did or didn’t do...you own it. If you don’t like those rules, don’t take command.
- After one of my @CNN appearances, one of the anchors asked me off-air why I had confidence in Ukraine's army to push back agains the illegal Russian military onslaught. I used a bit of "battlefield math" to explain my rationale. 1/16
- Seeing @POTUS chewing on pizza and BS’ing with @82ndABNDiv troopers - after spending the last two days coordinating with all major leaders of @NATO - reminds me of how real leaders communicate. 1/2
- As a former military guy, I’m trying to figure out how a commander can refuse an illegal order from someone who is issuing it as an official act.
- Anyone: explain how a missile attack on a shopping center is anything other than a war crime. -A commander decided on the target -Another commander gave the order to shoot -Soldiers pulled the “triggers. The target was civilians. Extreme violations of the laws of war.
- I said it yesterday on @CNN, I'll say it again today. Having worked w/ UKR's army, I expected them to be very good. And they have been better than I expected. Having seen Russian forces in training & exercises, I expected them to be bad. They are worse than I expected. 1/10
- Ukraine's strike of the fuel depot at Belgorod was MUCH more than a bold tactical move. While 1.5 M gallons of fuel is certainly a critical target & will be significant in this logistics war...there's more. This is what's called a "deep strike" in US military parlance. 1/6
- Hey, @mattgaetz, see those stripes on Gen Milley’s right sleeve? Each one represents 6 months in combat. SecDef Austin has more, but they aren’t on his suit. You really want to do this?With Generals like this it’s no wonder we’ve fought considerably more wars than we’ve won.
- Ummm...there’s this thing called the President’s Council on Fitness, Sport, and Nutrition. Been around 60 years. Used to have 25 appointees...I was one of them. @MichelleObama helped & generated momentum in this area. No one is on the Council now. @FitnessGov. Check it out.We need to promote healthy lifestyles for America’s youth. In a recent survey, 9.5 million U.S. children reported that they did NOT once participate in any of over 100 sports or activities listed. #YouthSports @AspenInstitute
- Putin's announced mobilization of 300,000 "reservists" was jaw-dropping to me this morning, but not for the reason some might suspect. Why? Because know how Russian soldiers are trained, in basic training & in their units. A brief 🧵 on some fun facts. 1/
- Was a “tanker” all my Army career; commanded a Bradley during Desert Storm. What makes me smile and think of “freedom” on 4 July are kids with face paint, ice cream sundaes, flags on front porches, baseball & beer, fireworks and a never-ending belief in E Pluribus Unum.
