5-30-2023
For Better or For Worse
I know you’d expect from this heading it to be about getting married or getting buried. Well I hate to disappoint you but it can’t get much worse, or so I thought.
I’m writing about Presidents (#33 – #46) of the United States during my lifetime. I hadn’t given much thought about the office of the President during my early years until #35 came along and then I wanted to be a Democrat just like him. That was also long before I knew what Democrats and Republicans actually stood for. If I only knew back then what I know now I’d have to have said “Not Much”.
If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.
Let me take the President in the order they served.
33rd POTUS – Harry S. Truman (1945-1953) Democrat (Farmer, Captain Army WWI, businessman, judge, (writer). 34th VP
Harry was Franklin D. Roosevelt’s VP and when FDR died, he inherited getting WWII finished. And then just when everyone thought the really bad stuff was over, along came the Chinese invasion of Korea, called the Korean War. Almost overnight it became clear that some serious stuff was happening. Although the fighting was bloody, there has never been a declaration of peace, since the North Korean aim is to unite Korea under the banner of communism.
34th POTUS – Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961) Republican (General SACDR Europe WWII), (writer)
The next hurdle for America was two-fold: Cuba and Vietnam. Nobody noticed when the motorcade of Eisenhower’s VP was attacked in Central America. At this time Richard Nixon was an unknown political entity.
35th POTUS – John F. Kennedy (1961-1963) Democrat (LCDR WWII, Journalist, Sen MA) – Assassinated in Office
It was this newly elected President who had toured Southeast Asia and authorized Army SF advisors in Laos and Vietnam in order not to send combat troops into Vietnam. While he issued instructions to his advisors that would insure no deployment would happen, those instructions were not followed and he was assassinated before he found that out, or was able to take action.
November 22, 1963 was a pivotal date in my life as it was for most Americans. I was a student at South Junior High School in Boise, Idaho when we got the news about the assassination of President Kennedy, and school was let out early that day.
36th POTUS – Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969) Democrat (Teacher, LTJG WWII, politician), (rancher, writer), 37th VP
It was LBJ’s goal to get the US involved in Vietnam and oh boy howdy he accomplished that.
Soon after graduating from Kuna High School (Class of 1967) in Kuna, Idaho I made the decision that forever changed my life – I joined the Army in September 1967. After completing Basic and Individual Training my first duty station was in Southeast Asia (February 1968 – July 1970).
37th POTUS – Richard Nixon (1969-1974) Republican (Lawyer, LCDR WWII, 36th VP, politician), (writer)
I had been in Thailand for 11 months when Nixon took office. I remember writing a letter to President Nixon about moving all of our troops out of Vietnam and nuking the place. Little did I know or realize just how close I actually was to Vietnam (less than 100 miles). Had he read my letter and done what I suggested I and millions of other people wouldn’t even be here.
It was during this time that I met and married my wife of now 52 years in Thailand and started a family when our first daughter was born in Nampa Idaho during my break from military service.
I rejoined the Army and continued building my military career without giving any more thought to the office of the President or about politics. I wasn’t a Republican or Democrat per say but I do remember voting absentee a few times.
38th POTUS – Gerald Ford (1974-1977) Republican (Lawyer LCDR WWII, politician), (writer), 40th VP
I spent most of these years (74 – 77) stationed in the Canal Zone of Panama. I had enough to keep me occupied and didn’t think about politics.
39th POTUS – Jimmy Carter (1977-1981) Democrat (LCDR WWII, Peanut farmer), (writer, humanitarian), 76th governor GA
I remember bits and pieces of political debate speeches, especially the one made by then candidate Reagan who wanted to give the canal back to Panama the same way we got it (filled in).
40th POTUS – Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) Republican (Actor, Captain Army WWII, 33rd governor CA), (writer)
I had no political persuasion at this time and was questioned about politics not long before President Reagan sent bombers from England to bomb the Libyan President Kaddafi hoping to erase him from the face of the earth (They missed their intended target).
I guess the world saw Reagan as a cowboy when he told Russia’s Gorbachev to take down the Berlin Wall.
41st POTUS – George H. W. Bush (1989-1993) Republican (LT JG WWII, Businessman, politician), (ambassador), (Dir CIA), 43rd VP
The first 2 years of President Bush’s administration I was stationed in Japan. I retired from the army when I came back from duty in Japan and watched my first presidential debate on TV. I was sorely disappointed over the outcome and began to take a bit more interest in politics since I was no longer in uniform, having served six “Commander and Chief’s” during my military career.
42nd POTUS – Bill Clinton (1993-2001) Democrat (Lawyer, politician), (writer, 40th & 42nd governor AR)
Who can forget the Oval Office escapades of “Wild Bill”, but alas he was not the first. Those honors belong to #35 & #36.
I was pretty happy to see the political change in the White House and began to see (what was reported) about the condition the West Wing offices and equipment were left in – computer keyboards super glued and much more and even the unauthorized removal of presidential china when packing up household belongings of the outgoing President.
43rd POTUS – George W. Bush (2001-2009) Republican (Captain TX ANG, Businessman, 46th governor TX)
When 9/11 happened I was shocked as I watched the planes hit the towers. Then I went to work where our company was handling conference calls from offices in the towers. I watched as the President, Vice President and key members of congress were whisked away to undisclosed locations. It was unexpected that the media began to call the president a coward who ran away, when they either didn’t know or didn’t care about protocol during an attack on the United States.
I was proud as the President launched the War on Terrorism and began attacking our enemies abroad. I knew then that he was the right person for the job at that time in history.
I watched as the DNC conducted debates and saw how the Democratic nomination went a political unknown, as it had been expected to go to Hillary Clinton.
44th POTUS – Barack Obama (2009-2017) Democrat (community organizer, Lawyer, State Senator & US Sen IL)
The world was thrilled that the first black American had taken the White House and he was awarded the Noble Prize as great things were expected from him. What America got, was quite the opposite. The most disastrous was Benghazi. Then there was Obama Care, financial bailouts, Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac, and Acorn just to name a few.
I was asked by a young black man, “Who is the greatest president?”
I answered, “It depends on who you ask. Some will say the greatest was the last president, while others will say he’s the worst president.”
The political world was turned on its head when a real political outsider went into the White House.
45th POTUS – Donald J. Trump (2017-2021) Republican (Real Estate Developer and entertainer)
The “War on Trump” began in earnest with allegations, investigations, Impeachment 1, the Chinese Virus, Impeachment 2 and casting forth allegations of election interference, followed by the events of J6 (with investigation still ongoing).
The accomplishments of the Trump Administration (Abraham Accord, Funding Traditional Black Colleges, and more) didn’t matter as the “last man standing” announced, from the “Office of the President-Elect” (basement in Delaware), before the Electoral College had even cast their ballots on January 6th, that Trump should concede. Every vestige of political protocol was ignored as the election was finally called and contested for a Biden Administration.
46th POTUS – Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (2021 – Present) Democrat (Lawyer, US Sen DE)
Even as J6 continued to be investigated, Americans hunted down, arrested and imprisoned, the single most dramatic event was the capitulation debacle of exiting Afghanistan (turning and running while leaving American’s and our allies to fend for themselves).
Stopping Trump approved drilling and oil production, opening the US borders (Southern and Northern) to unvetted migration, ignoring existing immigration laws and transporting illegal migrants to various parts of the US have severely crippled national security and migration control.
The biggest problem facing the United States is not enemy states, nor is it White Supremacy as we are told, but it is American Politicians and their back door, dirty dealings that tear apart the very fabric of America. The campaign season of a presidential election year (2024) is upon us and it remains to be seen if there are any patriots of any political persuasion with the political/business savvy and/or common sense to put the interests of the nation ahead of their own political agenda.
I guess the way to gauge a president is by his record. Is/was he a man of his word? Did he do what he said he would?
Did he put his money where his mouth is? By that I mean did he suffer great financial loss or did he gain financially during his term in office?
Did he put America first?
I really hate to say it but the President of the United States is my (and your) president for better or for worse! – RTM
The Real Truckmaster 