Obama Forgets Memorial to Horse Soldiers Near Ground Zero
Soldiers Pursued Taliban on Horseback in 2001
The following comments may be attributed to Elaine Donnelly, President, Center for Military Readiness:
During the debate on foreign policy on Monday,President Barack Obama talked down to Gov. Mitt Romney about "these things called aircraft carriers" and "ships that go underwater." The political consequences of that condescending, unpresidential comment will become apparent soon, but Obama's snarky observation that our military has "fewer horses and bayonets" should not be allowed to stand.
Somehow President Obama forgot that on November 11, 2011, Vice President Joe Biden was present at the unveiling of a magnificent statue in New York City, dedicated to the Special Operations Green Beret Horse Soldiers who road with Northern Alliance allies to vanquish the Taliban in the early weeks of the post 9/11 war in Afghanistan. At that time, horses were the best means of transportation in unforgiving mountainous terrain that was the home of cave-living terrorists who plotted murderous attacks against America.
Even the liberal Huffington Post was aware that the striking Horse Soldier Monument was moved to its permanent home near the new World Trade Center One last Friday, October 19. One can only imagine what would have happened if Mitt Romney had made a similar gaffe, forgetting a storied military campaign that depended on horses and occurred only eleven years ago.
During a Fox News interview on Veterans Day 2011, former Horse Soldiers described the difficulties of the mission and its importance to the war effort. Despite language barriers and a lack of modern transportation equipment, the courageous warriors fought for critically important intelligence and led the way for the air war attacks and ground military operation to come.
Years later, American soldiers and Marines are still fighting against ruthless enemies who bury deadly explosive devices in the paths of our troops. In his book Outlaw Platoon: Heroes, Renegades, Infidels, and the Brotherhood of War in Afghanistan,retired Army Captain Sean Parnell describes the tactics of enemy troops who repeatedly ambushed his infantry platoon in 2006, often with scimitar beheading swords dangling from their waists.
President Obama deserves credit for approving the successful attack on Osama bin Laden, but he would be a better Commander-in-Chief if he took the time to look beyond his own role to gain insight into the sacrifices of all Special Operations Forces soldiers who have fought so bravely in defense of America.
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