Our standards of service are so screwed up in this country
Shortly after two idiot National Guard "Flyboys" did a 40 foot hover over protesters in DC, the spokesperson for the DC National Guard put out a statement regarding this extremely dangerous and completely insane flight maneuver.
Unfortunately, she got it terribly wrong, but, the statement did say quite a bit about those that are supposed to "protect and defend" us.
She said; "we are looking into this incident, the highest priority is the safety of our citizen soldiers"
The first thing the spokesperson went to was the safety of the National Guard.
I can't count the number of times I've heard similar statements during my time in the military, but I will say "they are always wrong".
I have helped prepare such statements for Flag Officers, and I would have lost my job if I tried to put those words into a statement.
Maybe it's just me, but it was drilled into me that the highest priority was supporting and defending the Constitution, and accomplishing the mission.
We highlight Safety, and we do at times say that Safety is a High Priority, but it was never the Highest...no matter how many times we say that it is.
One of my great bosses liked to point out, that when it came to safety, we called our methods "Operational Risk Management", NOT "Operational Risk Avoidance".
It's really pretty simple. If safety was really the Highest Priority, we would never again launch or recover aircraft on an Aircraft Carrier. Hell, if safety were the Highest Priority, construction workers would never work another day.
Words matter. What should be the Highest Priority for the military and law enforcement should be the protection of the people they are sworn to serve.
Of course, your own safety is important, but all too often, the "they have a right to get home to their family" standard is higher than the "Protect and Serve" standard.
Had the safety and protection of the citizens of DC been the Highest Priority of that National Guard helicopter crew, they never would have engaged in such a dangerous maneuver.
Had the safety and protection of citizens been the Highest Priority, then quite a lot of folks would not end up dead at the hands of law enforcement.
If you think your right to go home is a higher priority than another persons right to go home, you're in the wrong line of work.
