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The Vindman Brothers – Two Peas in a Pod
I was going through my X feed, and I ran across this. What’s with these two about military rank?
The link includes a video segment of an interview with Eugene Vindman who is running for Congress. And he won’t answer the questions, even though it makes him look bad not to. The interviewer asks him if he was a Lt. Colonel (he apparently has been referring to himself as a retired Colonel in the Army).
I don’t really have a problem with that, Lt. Colonels are routinely addressed as Colonel informally. But why wouldn’t he answer the question? The same with the question about his combat experience.
When Alexander Vindman testified before a Senate committee over the Ukraine/Trump controversy, he corrected a senator who called him “Mister Vindman” instead of Colonel.
And as a former enlisted member of the armed forces, I tend to be jaundiced about those things. The most honorable thing to call yourself, if you have served in the U.S. Army is “Soldier.” Not your rank. That is especially true if you’re talking to a civilian, or, even more importantly, running for a civilian elective office.
And I’m not going to hold it against someone who says his military service was modest, but he’s proud of it.
Published in General
I think you know the answer – he’s been masquerading as a warrior and doesn’t like being shown to be a POG or NOF. Or broke…. Useless in other words. And not proud of it.
One Lt Col I worked for said he was a phone Colonel. If he answered the phone, “Lt Colonel”, too many people would just hear Lt, so he answered the phone “Colonel”. You’re right that Lt Colonels are routinely addressed as Colonel. The brothers are both weasels.
My rank on paper was Lt Col. In direct address, I was addressed as Colonel Herring. It isn’t a snob thing but a convenience thing. On the other hand, if someone were to address me (even today) as the longer Lieutenant Colonel, I would not correct them.
Ah Geez. And I thought his brother was a d**k.
It would have been good if the lady would have asked him, “Did you have eagles on your shoulders or silver oak leaves”? As arrogant as the guy is he would have probably repeated his assertion that he was a colonel.
Ditto in the Navy with Commander vs. Lieutenant Commander, and Lieutenant vs. Lieutenant JG (junior grade). Don’t even get me started on Admirals:
Rear Admiral, Lower Half
Rear Admiral, Upper Half
Vice Admiral
Admiral
Fleet Admiral
I guess I did get started . . .
Or an AF officer calling Navy billeting reservation for a captain.
” telephone colonels”.
When I was in the Air Force, I called to reserve a room at NAS Corpus Christi.
I reserved the room as ” Captain “. An AF Captain is 03 rank.
When I got there my room was ocean front suite with a full size fridge stocked with food and liquor. My my, Navy sure was hospitable.
When I signed in to the Visiting Officers Quarters, the NCO behind the counter desk took one look at me and swore under his breathe ” oh, an AF Captain”. Naval Captains are 06.
Next time I tried to reserve a room another question had been added , “what branch?”.
The guy sounds just like Kamala Harris or Tim Walz in interviews. The Vindmin brothers are the epitome of sleazy leftist liberals who refuse to be truthful. How can these guys even pretend to be real men? I’m a frigging artist with no military career and I think I’m more manly then them.
Then there is the matter of a ship’s commanding officer being called a captain, and the rank of captain – two different things . . .