What am I not getting here? US Senator serves military duty in Afghanistan....for 5 days?

[FrenchieCat]

It appears that Senator Graham served for 5 days in afghanistan and so he is now a soldier?
I don't quite get how he can serve just 5 days? This looks like a desingeneous PR ploy to me, but maybe I'm wrong. Seems like this was orchestrated to give this man some kind of kudos for not very much. I am wrong? :shrug:

US Senator serves military duty in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan – The men around Lindsey Graham ignored his powerful political title — U.S. senator — and instead addressed him by rank — colonel.
Graham, a Republican from South Carolina and the only U.S. senator in the military's Guard or Reserves, donned the Air Force's camouflaged uniform for five days last week to serve in Kabul.

The senator enrolled in the ROTC in 1973 and has been in the Air Force Guard or Reserves as a military lawyer ever since. In Kabul, he worked with the staff of military lawyers at the U.S. base Camp Eggers. The office is helping to train military judges and defense lawyers, and to write Afghanistan's uniform code of military justice.

Graham said his experiences in the military taught him how difficult wartime deployments can be on families.

"One thing I learned is that when a soldier, airman or a Marine is away, the more we can take care of the family, the better they're going to be able to do their job because there's nothing worse than being deployed and having family problems," said Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

snip
The politician said his service in the military has made him a better senator.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081214/ap_on_re_as/as_afghan_senator_soldier

[Fleshdancer]

1. This is complete BS

I call BS on the "The men around Lindsey Graham ignored his powerful political title" part. I would bet money on the fact that he got special treatment.

[panader0]

2. What a tool

I'll bet a lot of our real service people wish they could serve only 5 days. We should throw the 'stop-loss' deal on gramm and make him stay.

[SoxFan]

7. He's a JAG, not an infantry officer

With the exception of JAG officers who are organic to brigade or higher units, JAGS often train in short bursts where they are attached to other units for a particular purpose.

Beau Biden is the staff JAG officer for an engineering brigade. Graham does not appear to be part of a specific line unit's MTOE.

[SoxFan]

3. Not as uncommon as you might think

Graham has been a JAG lawyer for a long time. He isn't saying that his week in Afghanistan is what makes him a soldier.

JAG lawyers are a very "low density" position. Unlike, say, infantrymen, MPs or engineers, there usually aren't platoons of lawyers drilling or deploying. Often, even in peacetime, these folks receive constructive participation credit through mini-deployments, where they are attached to a unit for a specific task, such as pre-deployment/readiness screening, Geneva Convention training, or foreign partnership programs.

[firedupdem]

4. Definite PR Ploy! n/t

[SoxFan]

8. Gary Hart had a similar arrangement in the naval reserve

[Clio the Leo]

5. Isn't there some way that President Obama can deploy him permanently? NT

[uppityperson]

6. 5 days taught you how difficult wartime deployments can be on families.

Right. If you didn't have a clue that "when a soldier, airman or a Marine is away, the more we can take care of the family, the better they're going to be able to do their job because there's nothing worse than being deployed and having family problems" before doing this, you are a fool.

[PresidentObama]

9. Positioning for 2012? n/t

[blm]

10. "NEVER being on the front line or under fire has informed me how EASY it is to lie about war."

Yep - the corporate media will always side with turning a Republican ZERO into a hero while feeding the perception that REAL MILITARY HEROES in government are treated with lies against their records of service.