Could it happen again? A brief review of history and the origins of World War I, as well as the Soviet incursions into East European countries in the 1950s and '60s, contains some ominous signs in the 21st century. As I write this column, Russia is “offensively” –with a couple of meanings here – engaged in an attack, looting, destruction and occupation of the small, neighboring, democratic country of Georgia.

For the past five years, Georgia has been a growing democratic nation fully aligned with the West and seeking membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. As one of the former 15 republics which made up the Soviet Union, Georgia lies geographically adjacent to the large Russian Bear to the west and north. One of Georgia’s provinces, South Ossetia, is more inclined to Russian than Georgian rule. South Ossetia has a large Russian ethnic population and has been basically self-governing for the past decade and has refused to accept Georgia’s...

Want a job? Want an education? Want a career? Want exceptional benefits and a potentially excellent retirement package? If you answered yes to any, many, or all of these questions, please read on.

Your U.S. Army and Marines especially, and the other services, reserves and National Guard as well, are looking for bright, healthy, young men and women to join their ranks. Please note up front that I am not making an urgent appeal because of any recruiting troubles. In fact, all of the active duty services and reserve elements are doing quite well.

In June, the latest available statistics, all of the active duty components – Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force – met or exceeded their monthly goals by recruiting over 20,300 young men and women. The reserve components – Army, Navy, Marine and Air Force Reserves, along with the Army and Air Force National Guard – recruited another nearly 12,000 members. While the Army Reserve recruiters fell short by a...

Much has been said, written and reported on the many successes of the “surge” of forces in Iraq initiated in 2007. The additional ground forces have made a significant difference, and as reported, the surge forces have been and are returning stateside from the conflict in Iraq. We are now hearing of the potential of an even greater drawdown of ground forces later this year and into 2009. All of this is great news!

What hasn’t been reported on is something akin to a “top-down look” at the surge. Maybe we should call it an aerial view – and even more specifically, an Air Force view. While clearly there was a dramatic increase in ground forces and the concomitant ground successes, there has also been a significant surge in aerial activity.

In fact, there has been an incredible surge in air power activity. For example, the number of aerial sorties (flights) is up by 85 percent. Air strikes are up over 400 percent, with an increase in ordnance...

It is simply too tough as an American citizen – and as a retired military officer – to sit idly by in this wild and wacky political season. So I won’t. I am gravely concerned that politics is forcing our candidates for high office to make some alarming statements without fully appreciating their impact on our citizenry and our friends and enemies abroad.

Consider this: Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican candidate for the presidency, says it would be OK with him for us to remain in Iraq for 100 years. He clarified this statement by adding “as long as there were no American casualties.” And frankly, that may be the case – 100 years. After all, we have been in Germany and Japan for over 60 years already following World War II, and there is no likelihood that will change anytime soon. Imagine the impact of this statement abroad if not carrying the qualifying phrase. Here at home, McCain’s comments fired up his liberal opponents and...

Dig down and gas up. Sounds like what we are all talking about these days as gas prices have reached the four bucks a gallon average. To “gas up” our trucks, SUVs and autos, we have to dig down deeply in our pockets to pay at the pump. A quick look back shows that gas prices have jumped 40 percent in the past six months. And it is taking a terrible toll on our national economy, not to mention our individual family budgets.

Most of us have a favorite target to blame for the prices, such as the major oil companies, OPEC countries, etc. While these oil companies and oil-producing nations might share some of the blame, I have my own targets to blame. First, as you drive around each day, look at the abusive manner in which far too many drive – excessive speeds and jack-rabbit starts. These driving habits result in significantly decreased mileage per gallon and contribute to the demand we place on this valuable commodity we call oil. And it is universally accepted...