William Fallon is the best friend you don’t know

The name probably does not even ring a bell to you. He sometimes goes by Bill. Sound familiar? How about the nickname or callsign of Fox? O well heck, until today I did not even know about him.

I knew or hoped their had to be still people like him. People in his line of work that felt the same way I did and had the same values. Knowing what is right and what is wrong no matter how much people around you try to distort reality. He is an admiral in the Navy. He has 35 years of military service starting as a pilot during Vietnam. He has over 1,300 carrier landings and 4,800 hours of combat flight time. Until yesterday he was in charge of all military forces in the Middle East for the United States. He has been there for a year, running things as best he could while meeting with Middle East leaders and trying to be a stabilizing force in the region.

For that the Whitehouse was reportedly livid. What crazy thing did he do? Umm he actually had the gall to say we would not attack Iran. And he said it to the Egyptian President in confidence. But our warmongering President who personally could not be bothered to go to Vietnam didn’t like that, and did not like him running the show.
So yesterday Admiral Fallon resigned. Supposedly by his own accord. But Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, said he respected Admiral Fallon’s decision to resign and “applauded his ability to recognize the responsibility before him”. He sure does not seem to sad to see him go using the word “applauded” and all.
One has to wonder why a career military person who is only 63 would retire with less than a year in his highest position?

In the past Mullen has stated that other countries, including Iran should not think the US is too bogged down in Iraq to attack another country. BTW Mullen was named Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff recently. Great! more neocons in high positions of power.

IPS News has said that this showdown between Mullen and Fallen was one of the biggest disagreements in recent years of top brass.

Esquire Magazine had stated in a widely publicized article that Fallon was the rare “good cop” in the Bush administration on Iran. Additionally they said that a war with Iran would be up to him one way or the other. Not that he had been pandering or afraid of Iran, as Fallon stated if they were really going to use nuclear weapons we have the resources to “squash them like a bug”.

And Fallon himself last year stated that an attack on Iran “Will not happen on my watch”. Umm ok, his watch is over. What does that mean exactly will happen now?

The more moderate admiral is out and the war mongering admirals and chiefs are still in positions of power. We need to be concerned, very concerned. And if you think Iraq has been a 4+ year long disaster think about Iran. Three times the population at 71,000,000 people. A beautiful country with a rich and varied cultural history. And not one Islamofascist in sight, as Iranian people are actually Persian.

So to Fox Fallon if you ever read this, thanks for your 23 years of service to our country, while respecting other countries. Thank you for having values and upholding them instead of rattling sabers.

We need to do our part TODAY by being anti-war and by writing our senators and representatives and making it clearly stated that we do not support any further escalations of the Middle East Wars and want, as did William Fallon, a reduction in the number of troops in Iraq.

Admiral William Fallon Biography
from navy.mil: http://www.navy.mil/navydata/bios/bio.asp?bioID=109

Admiral William J. Fallon assumed duties as the commander, U.S. Central Command on March 16, 2007.

He was raised in Merchantville, N.J. A 1967 graduate of Villanova University, he received his commission through the Navy ROTC Program and was designated a naval flight officer upon completion of flight training in December 1967.

Adm. Fallon began his Naval Aviation service flying in the RA-5C Vigilante with a combat deployment to Vietnam, transitioning to the A-6 Intruder in 1974. He served in flying assignments with Attack Squadrons and Carrier Air Wings for 24 years, deploying to the Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans embarked aboard USS Saratoga (CV 60), USS Ranger (CV 61), USS Nimitz (CVN 68), USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) and USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). He has logged more than 1,300 carrier arrested landings and 4,800 flight hours in tactical jet aircraft.

Adm. Fallon commanded Attack Squadron 65 embarked aboard Dwight D. Eisenhower, Medium Attack Wing 1 at NAS Oceana, Va., and Carrier Air Wing 8 aboard Theodore Roosevelt during a combat deployment to the Persian Gulf for Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Assigned as Commander, Carrier Group 8 in 1995, he deployed to the Mediterranean as Commander, Theodore Roosevelt Battle Group and commanded Battle Force 6th Fleet (CTF 60) during NATO’s combat Operation Deliberate Force in Bosnia. Adm. Fallon served as Commander, 2nd Fleet and Commander, Striking Fleet Atlantic from November 1997 to September 2000.

Shore duties included assignment as Aide and Flag Lieutenant to the Commander, Fleet Air Jacksonville, and to the staffs of Commander, Reconnaissance Attack Wing 1; Commander, Operational Test Force, and Commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. He has served as Deputy Director for Operations, Joint Task Force, Southwest Asia in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and as Deputy Director, Aviation Plans and Requirements on the Staff of the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington. His first flag officer assignment was with NATO as Assistant Chief of Staff, Plans and Policy for Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic. He was then assigned as Deputy and Chief of Staff, U.S. Atlantic Fleet followed by assignment as Deputy Commander in Chief and Chief of Staff, U.S. Atlantic Command. Adm. Fallon served as the 31st Vice Chief of Naval Operations from October 2000 to August 2003. He was the Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command and U.S. Atlantic Fleet from October 2003 to February 2005. He served as Commander, U.S. Pacific Command from February 2005 until March 2007. Adm. Fallon is a graduate of the Naval War College, Newport, R.I., the National War College in Washington, D.C., and has a Master of Arts degree in International Studies from Old Dominion University.

His awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, and various unit and campaign decorations.

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