Lt. Col. Orson Swindle, Vietnam POW, on Kagan's Military Views
Today, Orson Swindle, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Marine Corps and a decorated Vietnam prisoner of war, as well as a former Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission and Assistant Secretary of Commerce during the Reagan administration, spoke with the RNLA about the Kagan confirmation hearings and specifically on the issue of military recruiting while she was Dean of Harvard Law School.
Swindle noted that as he listened to Kagan's testimony this morning, one thing kept cycling through his mind: "To bind this, it takes a willing suspension of disbelief."
Swindle noted that in over the 6 ½ years he spent serving and as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, soldiers heard over and over again – "We oppose the war, we don't support the mission, but we support the troops." "We abhor that kind of pandering," Swindle said, and noted his disdain for Kagan's repeated statements that she supports the troops. "Her actions show something entirely different, they show a high level of disregard for the military and its mission." Moreover, emails show that "Dean Weber [assistant dean for career services at Harvard Law School] expressed that though Dean Kagan had made her position (opposition) to military recruiting very clear, the university president felt differently." Thus, had Kagan had her way she likely would have significantly reduced, if not completely banned, military recruiters from Harvard Law School. However, the university president overruled her and prevented this from happening.
Swindle noted that this is the attitude of too many in the current administration – they do not have a respect for the culture of the military, nor do they understand it. Moreover, he explained that despite her discussion of the rule of law and the rule of law that applies to military, Kagan does not fully grasp the fact that military law is distinctly different from civilian law and different rules are necessary to pursue the extraordinary and incomparable mission of the military.