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Clipboard Czars Leave Soldier With His Loss

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By DANIEL RUTH | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 5, 2007

Once more it bears keeping in mind that this great nation won't fall because of a foreign invasion, or a catastrophic natural disaster, or an act of terrorism, or even some economic calamity - all a mere bagatelle compared with the lurking threat to our lives, our democracy, our future.

Rather our demise will come at the unforgiving hands of the clipboard czars, which have struck again in typical puckered fashion.

There is probably nothing this country does better than giving official lip service to our men and women in uniform. Politicians love to give speeches proclaiming how much we honor our brave folks in the various military services.

We give great parades. We can't wave the flag enough, or fire off those snappy salutes in tribute to our nation's ultimate treasure.
And how about those "Support The Troops" car magnets? Now there's a Yankee Doodle moment for you.

Quiet Gesture

And the funerals! The flag-draped coffins. The motorcades. The renditions of taps. We're the best at ceremonial grief. Of course, we've had plenty of practice.

But when it comes to the little things, the quiet gesture, a touch of compassion - well, forget about it, especially if a rule might be stretched a pinch to help a hero.

It was a simple enough request. Army Staff Sgt. James L. Ross III, a recipient of the Bronze Star for valor, on his second tour of duty in Iraq asked for a brief leave to return to St. Petersburg to attend the funeral of his step-grandmother, Norma Jean Kerr Reams, who helped raise him.

The answer from his pocket-protector superiors (a term used very loosely here) was no.

Would the surge implode if Ross were to leave his post for a few days?

Would hordes of al-Qaida terrorists suddenly flood across the border in Ross' absence?

Front Lines

Who knew this young man was such a vital cog in the machinery of war that it could not possibly tolerate his departure from the front lines to attend to the memory of Norma Reams?

Apparently some chucklehead with a lanyard determined that Ross couldn't attend Reams' funeral because it was decided the two weren't close enough. Army regulations don't cover "step-grandmother" relationships.

Thousands of a miles away, in a rathole of a cesspool of a country, some future condo association president armed to the teeth with rules and regulations passed judgment on the level of Ross' relationship, the role an old woman played in his life, the importance of her love for him - all out of an official U.S. Army manual.

And with that, Staff Sgt. Ross was supposed to salute and march back to the trenches to put his life on the line - again - for God and Standard Operating Procedures.

So much for all of that love and admiration for the sacrifices of our fighting men and women - unless it's convenient, unless it matters.

So much for "family values."

Staff Sgt. James L. Ross III's tour of duty ends in June unless, heaven forbid, he comes back in a box beforehand.

Then the military, doing what it does best, could really show how much it appreciated his service - all by the book, of course.

Keyword: Book of Ruth, to read and comment on Daniel Ruth's blog.

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