An Imaginary Scenario:

Late February 1945, Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima

A familiar voice comes over the walkie-talkie as Marines look up at Old Glory fluttering in the wind, placed there earlier in the day by Cpl. Harlon Block, Pfc. Harold Keller, Pfc. Franklin Sousley, Sgt. Michael Strank, Pfc. Harold Schultz, and Pfc. Ira Hayes.

“This is Admiral Nimitz, acknowledge.”

Lieutenant Colonel Chandler Johnson replies, “Yes, sir, acknowledged.”

Admiral Nimitz continues: “The Japanese commander on the island, General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, has contacted me to complain about the flag your men raised on Mount Suribachi, which he considers insensitive to the memory of Japanese soldiers who died.  I agree with him.  Let’s not rub it in.  You are to take down the flag immediately.  That is an order.  Acknowledge.”

Ltc. Johnson replies, “Yes, sir, will do.”

The flag comes down.  Joe Rosenthal never takes the famous photo, and the Marine Corps Memorial based on the photo is not dedicated in Arlington in 1954.

It is unimaginable for Admiral Nimitz or any other officer under his command to have issued such an absurd order.  But these days, who knows?  Joe Biden’s military is more worried about alphabet-soup sensitivities, global warming, and white supremacy than making sure war-fighting capabilities are top notch.  How times have changed.  Well, maybe not much longer.

A Real Event:

Something eerily similar to the imaginary scenario described above did in fact occur in Israel after the horrific events of October 7, 2023, when some 1,400 Israeli civilians were murdered by invading Hamas terrorists.  Hundreds were kidnapped and taken back to Gaza as hostages.  I won’t describe the stomach-churning details, but note that we are seeing on college campuses across this country what Robyn Dolgin aptly called “atrocity denialism.”

According to a Caroline Glick video, highlighted in Andrea Widburg’s 1 December blog post, while Gaza operations were unfolding, Major General Yaron Finkelman, commander of the IDF’s Southern Command, ordered his troops to cover up graffiti they had painted on walls informing hostages they were coming to their rescue.  The general was evidently more concerned with Hamas’s tender sensitivities than the safety of his own troops, who must have come under fire as they lugged cans of paint around to carry out a patently absurd order.

Let us recall that three of the six Marines who raised our flag at Iwo Jima, Sgt. Michael Strank, Cpl. Harlon Block, and Pfc. Franklin Sousley, were subsequently killed in action.  Let us recall also that, ten days after the Pearl Harbor attack, commanding officers Admiral Husband E. Kimmel and Lieutenant General Walter C. Short were relieved of command.

Prime Minister Netanyahu cannot fire General Finkelman because the prime minister of Israel is not commander in chief of the Israel Defense Force.  That job belongs to Lieutenant General Herzi Halevy, chief of the General Staff of the IDF and the highest-ranking military officer in the IDF.  If General Halevy declines, defense minister Yoav Gallant can, and should, step in.  The sooner, the better.  

Arnold Cusmariu is the author of Logic for Kids, available at Amazon, and the author of articles on technical topics in analytic philosophy, available at here, the most recent of which, “Prolegomena in Plato,” appeared in the October 2023 issue of Symposion.  Dr. Cusmariu worked for the Central Intelligence Agency during 1986–2010 as an analyst, analytic methodologist, and analytic tradecraft instructor.  Details about this work may be found in “Philosophers at CIA?,” published earlier this year in the Journal of Intelligence & Analysis.

Image via Pxfuel.