European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 20, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse Wednesday May 20, 1992 the stars and stripes Page 13 commentary Mike Feinsilber opponents Hope press will find Perot s warts the nations politicians Are waiting for the press to dig up some dirt on Ross Perot whose Likely Independent candidacy for president is making both parties nervous. Reduce Ross to human dimensions that a what politicians mean when they say they expect his Appeal will diminish when the country gets to learn More about him. They want the country to see Perot warts and All a especially the warts. They would Welcome something unsavoury. But they would be Happy even if the press does no More than compel Perot to take specific stands on specific issues. Once you Start getting specific you find people who disagree. Once you have to talk about cutting programs or raising taxes you lose some of your Folk hero status and begin looking like another politician. In the meantime says Bill Clinton who knows something about what can happen when scrutiny gets intense Perot is in the most comfortable position a politician can find himself a famous Ana those suggesting Perot a Appeal will Wilt assume that everyone has something in his past to make him look less lofty. And that a billionaire who based his Fortune on government contracts is not Likely to be exempt. A i think that certainly Perot would get the votes of some of the people who Are dissatisfied with government today but i also suspect that when the Media exposes and takes a hard look at Perot have second thoughts a Charles Whitehead former democratic state chairman in Florida said a few Days ago. Peter Kelly a democratic National committee member from Connecticut had this to say a Perot is reportedly very fragile Crystal like and does not Brook any kind of heavy criticism in All his dealings As a corporate Leader. When the press or the political Structure turn to him in even Light tones he will react very badly. That a the Book on the there a irony Here the same democrats who were unhappy with the press for dwelling so extensively on Clinton s past now look to it to focus the same degree of attention on Perot a past. Republicans too await the dissection of Ross Perot. Sen. Alan k. Simpson r-wyo., suggested the other Day that Perot so myth of imagery will fade when his positions Are Analysed. Clinton even offered questions that might be asked a has he in fact lobbied and made vast contributions to congressmen to get special deals for himself through the Congress a the politicians Are right. The press will examine Perot a past. That a part of its function. The process has begun. Unearthing Perot already has become a sidekick beat in political journalism just As sending reporters to Little Rock to look into How Clinton governs is an ongoing Enterprise. On the television talk shows a his stumping grounds a Perot has shown irritation when pressed to go beyond generalities on such questions of How he would Deal with the deficit. He testily complained that his associates had informed Abc before he went on meet the press that he was not ready to discuss specifics. He complained that he was not told in Advance what questions would be asked. He already had identified the deficit As the nations most important problem. A give me a Little time to get All of this nailed Down and i will give you very specific ways we will do this a he said about his ideas for reducing the deficit. A few Days later he decided to a Cut Back on interviews television appearances and he said he wanted time to develop a carefully thought out positions on each of the major that will give Perot time to think through his positions while the press searches for the real Perot. C the associated press anyhow i have the numbers that really matter Harry g. Summers their size forces must be ready the korean War veterans among us at the 1992 Armor conference at fort Knox ky., were recognized by a Parade in our Honor. On the program were listed the Armor and cavalry units of that War including my old unit the 78th heavy tank in. Although not deliberately intended its inclusion was a particularly Apt warning for the future for the 24th inf dives 78th tank along with its counterparts in the . Army of occupation in Japan a the 1st Cav dives 71st tank the 7th dives 77th tank and the 25th dives 79th tank a were perfect examples of the hollow army of the times. Formed Only a year before the korean War there was no battalion As such. In each Case Only co a was activated and instead of heavy tanks which were in fact not even in the army inventor they were equipped with m-24 Chaffee Light reconnaissance tanks armed with an ineffectual 75mm gun. These Light tanks were less Likely to damage the fragile japanese roads and besides everyone knew there was no Armor threat in the far East. Everyone that is except the North korean a a people so army that spearheaded a june 1950 Cross Border invasion of South Korea with some 120 russian made t-34 medium tanks of their 105th army brigade. Built with a Christie suspension rejected As too costly by the United states in the 1930s, the t-34s were Able to move across Rice paddies As if they weren to there. Equipped with a powerful 85inm gun they made Short work of the Republic of Korea army defenders. And they made Short work of the first . Forces to arrive on the scene As Well the 24th inf dives task Force Smith the 1st in 21st inf and a Btry 52nd Field arty. Neither the South korean defenders nor task Force Smith had tanks. But they were on the Way moving by Landing ships from Japan. Arriving in Korea on july 3, 1950, co a 78th tank and the tank platoon of the 24th recon co also with m-24 Light tanks moved by rail to Taejon and then marched to the front. In our first engagement my platoon sergeant master sgt. . Bridges who would later lose both feet to frostbite in a North korean prison Camp fired 12 rounds from his main 75mm gun into an advancing North korean t-34, Only to watch them Bounce harmlessly without penetrating the enemy Armor. The enemy tank blew out Bridges engine compartment with a single round. Within weeks we had lost All our tanks either to mechanical breakdown or enemy action. And we lost our a company commander too. A cavalry officer badly wounded by shrapnel from a German 88mm gun in world War ii he had returned to duty in 1950 and been Given command of our tank company. He was killed when the tank retriever in which he was Riding stalled after the Driver was killed by an anti tank round. Unable to get it restarted because the solenoid like most of our spare parts was on requisition he and the two crewmen cps. Tacke and Fields were machine gunned to death As they tried to make their escape. As we fell Back from the Kum River through Taejon and into the Paktong perimeter the villages along the Way stood deserted and deadly silent. It was a searing experience one Only exceeded two months later As we retraced our Steps after the Inchon invasion Only to find thousands of civilian men women and children massacred by the retreating North koreans. But As the the 1992 Armor conference made Clear this recognition of the korean War veterans was More than just remembrances of things past. The army chief of staff Gen. Gordon r. Sullivan himself an Armor officer has made a remember task Force Smith the watchword for the future. Among other things it Means no More hollow armies. Whatever the size of the future Force it will be fully equipped fully trained and fully combat ready. And never again will we be outgunned on the Battlefield. Overwhelmed by the German panzers at the Faid and Kasserine passes in North Africa in 1943 and overrun by the russian supplied t-34s in the Early Days of the korean War the United states finally gained Armor superiority with our superbly trained Crews and technologically Superior my Abrams tanks in the persian Gulf War. The Challenge for the future is to maintain that Edge. A lecturer in strategy and distinguished follow of the army War College cot Summers is author of the recently published on Stra logy if a critical analysis of the persian Gull War c los Angeles times
