We are leaving thousands in the Philippines to die while the Pentagon refuses to do what the Pentagon did for hundreds of thousands of other refugees. It is called the Air Force “TRIAD” system that dropped millions of food packages without parachutes to Afghan refugees for months in 2001-2002. I know. I helped design it. See the official Air Force video that shows this!
Air Force crews were proud of TRIAD then. But the present Pentagon generals got no credit for it. Operational crews in the air force today know they could have been feeding the Philippine refugees with food packages from the air the day after the typhoon. All the resources needed are in the Pacific area. Just ask some of the frustrated base pilots and commanders.
Lazy and insensitive Pentagon staff members are lying to congress members and their own Secretary of Defense and the White House with excuses for why we can not drop food packages the TRIAD way. They are most worried that the press will realize that they did nothing for Haiti and let thousands die needlessly there while our “TRIAD” crews and cargo planes were ready to go a few hours away in Florida. Congressional leaders and I pleaded with them to help Haiti. The Pentagon and White House advisors said “Let the UN Relief Agency be in charge. That way we can not be blamed for insufficient relief – the way George Bush was blamed after Katrina.” The president will learn someday how his advisors allowed thousands to die needlessly — and they were poor people who were of no great military value to the U.S.
As a combat veteran, secretary Hagel should be embarrassed to his socks when the truth comes out.
After seeing the TRIAD video, ask your self what you would want if your children were starving and dying in your arms while you watched planes flying overhead.
The history of how TRIAD came about is in the University Public Affairs section at www.wattenburg.us
