Hagel Says

01/31/2013 05:55 PM CST                               Fri, Feb 1, 2013 at 5:46 AMVietnam Shaped Perspective on War
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press ServiceWASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2013 - Having seen war "from the bottom," President Barack Obama's nominee to be the next secretary of defense said today, that experience informs him as he looks at policy.

Former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel spoke about his experiences in Vietnam during his Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing.

Hagel and his brother Tom served together in Vietnam in 1968. It was the year of the Tet Offensive, and the young infantryman was wounded twice during his tour. "I saw it from the bottom," he said today. "I saw what happens. I saw the consequences and the suffering and horror of war."

More than 16,000 Americans died in Vietnam in 1968. Hagel said his experiences in Vietnam informed the decisions he made as a senator, and will continue to inform him if he is confirmed to succeed retiring Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta.

Hagel used his stance in regard to the surge in Iraq as an example. As a senator, Hagel opposed the surge. He felt it was a mistake, he told the Senate panel today.

"I did question a surge," he said. "It wasn't an aberration to me, ever. I always ask the question, 'Is this going to be worth the sacrifice?' Because there will be sacrifices."

The United States lost almost 1,200 service members during the surge and thousands of others were wounded, Hagel said. "Was it required? Was it necessary?" he asked. "I'm not sure. I'm not that certain that it was required. Now, it doesn't mean I'm right. It doesn't mean I didn't make wrong votes. But that's what guides me."

Questioning the need for a surge goes back to being an Army sergeant walking point in the Mekong Delta, Hagel said. "I'm not shaped, framed, molded, consumed by that experience," he said. "But it's part of me. ... We're all shaped by those experiences."

Hagel said he hopes his experiences in Vietnam will help him if he assumes the top job at the Pentagon. "I hope if I have the privilege of serving as secretary of defense, it will put someone in charge at the Pentagon ... who understands the realities and consequences of war," he said. "It doesn't mean I'm better. But that's who I am. I don't walk away from that."

The United States is the greatest military power on Earth, Hagel said, and America has been judicious and careful with its power.

"I want to make sure we continue to do that, as you all do," Hagel told the senators.

Good people can have honest differences, he told the committee.

"All I can do is my best based on my own experiences," Hagel said, "and ... reaching out, listening, learning, never knowing enough, understanding that circumstances change."

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National Day of Service

01/20/2013 03:38 PM CST                                                                  Mon, Jan 21, 2013 at 3:18 AM
Volunteers Come Together For The Event

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr. American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Jan. 20, 2013 - In conjunction with tomorrow's observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, about 10,000 people from all across the country traveled here to participate yesterday in the national day of service. Vice President Joe Biden stops to smile for a photograph while packing care kits for deployed troops during a national day of service event at the District of Columbia Armory in Washington, D.C., Jan. 19, 2013. DOD photo by Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.  Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, were among many people who came out to support troops overseas by packing care kits to send to them."We all get what is so important today," the vice president said. "We still have 68,000 troops in harm's way. ... They're not looking for anything, but knowing that those of us here at home remember them and know what is going is an important piece of the equation." Dr. Biden expressed her gratitude to the many volunteers who came out to pack care kits as a part of the national day of service, noting that she and First Lady Michelle Obama began the Joining Forces initiative to rally the nation behind military families. "I'd like to thank each and every one of you for volunteering today to assemble these important care kits," she said. "Our military families have done so much for our country, and each of us can do something in return. [This] is why the first lady and I created Joining Forces -- to encourage all Americans to support and honor our military families." John Adams, a former Marine Corps captain and a Milwaukee native, works with an organization called Operation Gratitude, which helped to sponsor the event. "It means the world to me," he said. "I believe strongly in having everybody's efforts focused on supporting the military. For everybody to come here together and assemble care kits for Operation Gratitude to send to troops overseas is very special and very meaningful." Adams also was able to speak from a service member's perspective, having served as an infantry officer, leading rifle and mortar platoons for two deployments – one in Afghanistan and another aboard a Navy vessel in Southeast Asia. "It meant the world to me [then as well]," he said. "We received much needed items such as the hygiene kits and some letters of support that helped raise morale. So it meant the world to everybody, and I'm speaking on behalf of all the sailors and Marines that I was with. We really felt a connection with people back home." Two volunteers, Paquilla Jones and Sajedea Chin, both sophomore students studying civil engineering at Howard University, said they enjoyed volunteering. "It's a good thing to do for the troops," Jones said. "I just like giving back, so this is an opportunity to give back and be with friends," Chin said. Chin added that she enjoyed meeting new people and had volunteered previously, but nothing like the national day of service, where the event's goal was to pack 100,000 care kits. "I think it's a good opportunity for us to get together with different people – meet people we don't know – and do something good," she said.

Related Sites: Joining Forces  Special Report: Military Family Support