There are many terms and words that are bandied about in Washington D.C. One word that is heavily used by the media talking heads and politicians is the word “SWAMP.”
DEFINITIONS:
TRADITIONAL MEANING AS A NOUN: a tract of wet, spongy land, often having a growth of certain types of trees and other vegetation, but unfit for cultivation.
CURRENT USAGE AS A NOUN: an area of land inundated with murky water (or slime-ball politicians) filled with garbage, snakes, alligators, mosquitoes and other vermin. Referring to spineless politicians who will do and say anything to retain power. Elected or appointed federal, state or local officials that hire family members and friends, all working in concert together to line their pockets by lying, cheating, stealing and passing laws that only benefit themselves and other family members. “You can’t get rich in politics unless you’re a crook.” Harry S. Truman
BACKGROUND: Air Force Colonel Jason Beers at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota was removed from command of the 91st Security Forces on May 23, 2018, allegedly for a “loss of trust and confidence” in his ability to command his unit. Colonel Beers was responsible for making sure the 91st Security Forces Group was trained, organized and equipped to secure 150 Minuteman III nuclear missiles and launch facilities (missile silos) and 15 missile alert facilities.
If North Dakota ever seceded from the Union, it would be the third or fourth most powerful nation on earth because of the sheer numbers of nuclear missiles concentrated within the state.
On May 1, 2018, a container with 32 – 40 mm grenade rounds for an MK 19 automatic grenade launcher went missing when the back hatch of a Humvee allegedly opened and the container fell out while the vehicle was traveling on a road west of Parshall, North Dakota. The container and grenade rounds are believed to have been lost on 76th Avenue NW, between 33rd Street NW and N.D. Highway 23, four miles west of Parshall and south of Highway 23 for six miles. Ground searches failed to turn-up any of the missing grenades.
On May 16, 2018, an M240 – 7.62mm machine gun and a pair of night vision goggles were also missing during a standard weapons inventory check. Neither the grenades or the machine gun were ever found. It’s possible of course the missing equipment and munitions were innocently lost or misplaced, but it’s more likely the equipment sprouted legs and walked away, meaning they were stolen.
UP DATE:
On June 21, 2018, Air Force investigators found the missing machine gun at off-base home of an active duty airman. What his name is, how he got the machine gun and what he planned to do with it has not been disclosed by Air Force officials.
AIR FORCE SECURITY PERSONNEL
ALLEGEDLY PROTECTING OUR NUCLEAR WEAPONS
WHILE HALLUCINATING ON LSD
And, if it will make you feel any more at ease, at least 14 airmen assigned to a similar Air Force security unit which also guards nuclear missile silos were disciplined for consuming and distributing LSD and other illicit drugs. The “drug ring,” for lack of a better expression, was discovered in March 2016 by Air Force investigators, involved airmen from the 90th Missile Wing responsible for overseeing dozens of Minuteman III nuclear missile silos across the northwestern United States that are supposed to be on constant alert for inbound threats. Whether any of the airmen in Colonel Beers unit were hallucinating on LSD or getting high on something else is unknown.
Most people think LSD went away with polio and other ills that plagued our society decades ago. Unfortunately, LSD is enjoying a popular comeback on college and high school campuses throughout the nation. Apparently, its also back in the military.
As a refresher course, LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), commonly referred to as acid, is a psychedelic drug known for its psychological effects, which may include altered awareness of one’s surroundings, perceptions, and feelings as well as sensations and images that seem real though they are not.
So, we Americans should feel safe knowing that our military commanders cannot keep weapons/munitions from disappearing and personnel guarding our nukes occasionally hallucinating on LSD. One airman told investigators that he “felt paranoia, panic” for hours after taking a hit of acid. Sleep well America knowing we have such people “guarding” our nuclear missile silos who occasionally feel paranoid.
THE FIRING, THEN HIRING OF COLONEL BEERS
PROVES OF THE EXISTENCE OF A MILITARY SWAMP
After he was fired at Minot AFB, an announcement came forth that Col. Beers has been assigned as “Chief of Facilities” at Hurlburt Field in Florida for the Air Force Special Operations Command.
The United States Air Force relieves Colonel Beers for “loss of trust and confidence in his ability to command.” But then, suddenly gets their confidence back and rewards Colonel Beers with another command saying, “We are fully confident in the colonel’s ability to manage our Security Forces and Civil Engineer programs for the command.”
The military SWAMP came in to protect one of their own. Folks, can you hear the echo of National Security Advisor Susan Rice (the person advising the President of the United States) telling the American people on June 1, 2014, that Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl served with “honor and distinction.”
You mean to say that no one has been held accountable for the loss of military equipment and munitions at Minot AFB? We know the Air Force better than that. They will always find someone they can hang out to dry, a whipping boy. The Air Force leveled their guns at Chief Master Sgt. Nikki Drago, who was fired as the unit’s superintendent and probably was given career-ending performance evaluations.
Whether the colonel should have been punished for his failure to keep weapons and munitions from disappearing is debatable. No one really knows the degree of his culpability, but for the fact that he was the commander of the unit and is therefore ultimately responsible.
Colonel Beers may have been derelict in his duty which is a offense as prescribed by the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Unless there was malice or gross negligence, administrative sanctions for Colonel Beers would have been enough. But there were no sanctions against Colonel Beers, not even a slap on the wrist.
Instead, the Air Force rewarded Colonel Beers with another command, this time in sunny Florida. This would indicate someone in the Air Force is protecting Colonel Beers and his career. Clearly, there is a SWAMP that needs to be drained, and a SWAMP in the military is far more dangerous than mere Congressmen and Senators spending like drunken sailors and keeping our borders open to anyone who wants to come in.
In this case, we are talking about Air Force units tasked with guarding our nuclear weapons (and other weapons/munitions from loss or theft). When a commanding officer is carelessly negligent in performing his assigned task, then the United States Air Force rewards him with another command, something doesn’t smell right.
Sometimes, there are “no spanks for certain ranks.” Where there is no accountability, there is no integrity.
