"Mike Huckabee says the military’s job is to ‘kill people and break things.’ Well, not quite."

2015-08-07T16:23:13-04:00

From: The Washington Post

Former Arkansas governor and former Fox News show host Mike Huckabee said some things on Thursday night. It was part of what the New York Times called a "happy warrior" pose Huckabee might be planning to adapt.

There was that stuff about taxing pimps and prostitutes. (Yes, really.) And, then there was little commentary on the military that was, well, not very attuned to the usual GOP frequency on all things military, country and flag. It was also not very accurate.

First, let's deal with the facts. Here's how those military comments came to pass.

MODERATOR: As commander in chief, how would you handle [whether to allow transgender people to serve in the military]?

HUCKABEE: The military is not a social experiment. The purpose of the military is kill people and break things.

(APPLAUSE)

It's not to transform the culture by trying out some ideas that some people think would make us a different country and more diverse. The purpose is to protect America. I'm not sure how paying for transgender surgery for soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines makes our country safer.

And, that set off a bit of a Twitter tornado, spinning across the left and the right with some large bits of Twitter-appropriate snark whirling inside.

By Friday, Huckabee's language became a trending topic on Facebook.

Part of the reason that people on the right and the left found reason to take issue with Huckabee's claims is that there was just so much there.

First, the purpose of the military has and does include killing, as Huckabee said. But there's also the defending, the peacekeeping, the rebuilding, the search-and-rescue work and the high- and low-level diplomacy that are pretty well-documented parts of most military careers.

The military also invests pretty significantly in research that has helped to develop all sorts of medical and technological advancements -- oh, like this here thing called the Internet. As a result, the military and its needs have been the impetus behind not a small share of private-sector jobs. Military contracts are also an important source of work for the disabled.

(The virtual scrum around military contracts and the intensive lobbying that happens anytime the words "base closure" come up in Congress offer a clear testament to all of the above.)

Second, on Huckabee's claims that the military has no role to play in transforming society -- and the related implication that a diverse armed forces has little to do with the military's defensive aims -- there's a lot of evidence to contradict him there too.

More than a few intelligence officers, officials and defense agencies have been clear about the need to recruit and maintain soldiers and agents who look like the population of the United States. Understand that that's a pretty common and evidence-grounded idea inside both defense and intelligence agencies -- even if not always aggressively perused -- for both for optical and tactical reasons.

The clearest example: A man who looks and sounds like Huckabee might have just a little harder time gathering information covertly right now than an American with ancestral ties to the Middle East or Africa, who speaks multiple languages with the fluency of an early-in-life learner or who is deeply familiar with the customs of other countries.

And the military has played a key role in promoting diversity. When President Harry Truman ordered the military to integrate (and in the decade or so that it took for that to become real), prohibitions on everything from which jobs, housing and food non-white members of the military could access weren't the only things that changed. Once given the chance, African Americans mastered the art and science -- and they, along with Latinos and Asian Americans, managed all sorts of ground-based military missions and engaged in complicated or perilous tasks with white soldiers.

That life-long bonds are forged between soldiers is a well-known phenomenon. But high-ranking former military officials have also submitted information in court cases involving Affirmative Action, workplace discrimination and other issues. When they did, most said this plainly: When the military opened its doors fully, it gave all kinds of people all kinds of opportunities to train, to gain skills and to travel the world. The military gained new sources of talent. And in the process, widespread notions about black intellectual and/or moral inferiority also took at least a bit of a hit.

In fairness, Huckabee's comments seem to have largely been an attempt to critique what he considers a frivolous expense. He objects, in his words, to spending on gender-transition surgeries and related health-care instead of newer, better military equipment.

While that health care is hardly a widely agreed-upon matter, it's also worth looking at the price tag of such medical care.

The Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy group, estimates that health-care services sometimes needed by transgender individuals can cost between $25,000 and $75,000. And the Williams Institute, a think tank that centers its work on LGBTQ issues, has estimated that there are about 15,000 transgender people who currently serve (mostly unknown to their colleagues) in the military. If every one of these men and women were to require, say $75,000 in medical services in a single year related to their gender identities, this would amount to about $1.1 billion.

That figure may sound like a lot off-hand. But, it doesn't even come close to the $55 billion total price tag the Pentagon put on the most recent version of the B-52 bomber around which it is making plans. That's $550 million per plane. (A subsequent estimate in 2013 put research, development and production costs on those planes at closer to $810 million each. That would boost the total cost of the Pentagon's B-52 order to $81 billion Bloomberg reported).

So, Huckabee the Happy Warrior might have scored a pithy line. And it garnered some applause. But it was also a vast over-simplification.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/08/07/huckabee-says-the-militarys-job-is-to-kill-people-and-break-things-well-not-quite/

Mike Huckabee says the military’s job is to ‘kill people and break things.’ Well, not quite.

The military has played a major role in civil rights advancements.

Response by SGT Ben Keen made Aug 7 at 2015 4:29 PM

2015-08-07T16:29:38-04:00

Gotta love how they are starting to run their mouths now...

Response by LTC Ed Ross made Aug 7 at 2015 4:33 PM

2015-08-07T16:33:47-04:00

What you say is largely true, but the principal purpose of the military is to deter aggression and when that failed, to fight and win wars. When you fight wars you kill people and break things. All these other things are what goes on off the battlefield.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Aug 7 at 2015 4:35 PM

2015-08-07T16:35:18-04:00

Just another clown. Anyone who hears about taxation of pimps and prostitutes should be prepared for some more drivel.

Response by SrA Edward Vong made Aug 7 at 2015 5:57 PM

2015-08-07T17:57:13-04:00

I always thought the military's job was to support and defend the constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Of course, killing people and breaking stuff may be involved in that....but....

Response by SSgt Alex Robinson made Aug 7 at 2015 6:10 PM

2015-08-07T18:10:13-04:00

Our job is to defend freedom and liberty and the USA.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Aug 7 at 2015 11:35 PM

2015-08-07T23:35:13-04:00

Mongo, Smash!

Response by SPC George Rudenko made Aug 8 at 2015 1:43 AM

2015-08-08T01:43:24-04:00

The mass we protect will never fully understand what we do to protect them.

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Aug 8 at 2015 1:55 AM

2015-08-08T01:55:35-04:00

Another Republican Chickenhawk that never served that doesn't have half a Clue what we really do.

Response by COL Charles Williams made Aug 8 at 2015 2:21 AM

2015-08-08T02:21:37-04:00

That is pretty true.

Response by PO1 John Miller made Aug 8 at 2015 2:54 AM

2015-08-08T02:54:26-04:00

"Vast over-simplification." It's the truth, in layman's terms.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 8 at 2015 4:09 AM

2015-08-08T04:09:07-04:00

I will just say I am not a fan of him and he really doesn't have a chance at running.

Response by SPC Carl K. made Aug 8 at 2015 10:40 AM

2015-08-08T10:40:26-04:00

Rush Limbaugh has said this very phrase for over 20 years, and the moment Huckabee said that on the debates, I said he stole that from Rush. While I agree the military's job is the protection of the country and defense of the Constitution, you have to admit that the way we execute that mission is indeed by killing people and breaking things. It is not a false statement.

Response by Cpl Jeff N. made Aug 8 at 2015 3:14 PM

2015-08-08T15:14:34-04:00

I am not a Huckabee fan. He is not my guy but in essence he is correct. It is of course more complicated that killing people and breaking things. The oped posted by Rally Point helps demonstrate what is wrong with the military today though. Many do think these very things.

It is all fun and games until we have a large conventional war we have to fight in a protracted ground war/air against an enemy such as China or Russia. All of our social policies on transgender or homosexuals or women in combat will all be for naught. We will need lots or rough men very quickly to kill lots of their men with extreme prejudice. Then you will not hear about a lot of the BS that is talked about on RP.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 8 at 2015 5:46 PM

2015-08-08T17:46:04-04:00

Find, Fix and FINISH. Close with and DESTROY.

Response by SGT Greg Gold made Aug 8 at 2015 5:57 PM

2015-08-08T17:57:49-04:00

The role of the infantry is to destroy the enemy with fire and maneuver. That's close enough for me.

Response by LTC Bink Romanick made Aug 8 at 2015 9:09 PM

2015-08-08T21:09:43-04:00

Nothing that this fat chickenhawk says means anything. What would he know?

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Aug 8 at 2015 10:12 PM

2015-08-08T22:12:27-04:00

Yes, our mission is to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution... How? By killing people and breaking their things if they are the enemies of the Constitution. Yes, we are a deterrent force. How? By the threat of killing people and breaking their things if they are enemies of the Constitution. So, yes, in essence, Huckabee is correct. He's just not very original. Sean Hannity began this line long ago during his radio broadcasts. Where did he get it from? Don't know but I wouldn't be surprised if he borrowed it too...

Response by PVT Gene Brownfield made Aug 8 at 2015 10:30 PM

2015-08-08T22:30:43-04:00

He was making a point about not cutting the military. That we need a strong Military. If you are in the Military and think he is putting you down. you been suckered by the media..

Response by SFC Joseph James made Aug 10 at 2015 7:55 AM

2015-08-10T07:55:25-04:00

Pretty much my career as a 13F!

Response by SFC Michael Hasbun made Aug 25 at 2015 7:52 AM

2015-08-25T07:52:05-04:00

He's confusing purpose and method ;o)

Response by Capt Jeff S. made Aug 25 at 2015 8:31 AM

2015-08-25T08:31:13-04:00

Am going to have to poke RP right in the eye for posting a blatantly liberally biased article and using Huckabee's words - taken out of context - in order to seed a discussion promoting the use of the military for social experimentation. BAD FORM!

Response by PO2 Corey Ferretti made Aug 25 at 2015 8:39 AM

2015-08-25T08:39:37-04:00

We are more then Killing and breaking things. Perfect example of a politician who is saying things for shock and awe. Instead of saying things with a truth.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 12 at 2016 3:26 AM

2016-02-12T03:26:41-05:00

I was in Arkansas in 2008 when there was this "swine flu" or "bird flu" panic, (i can't remember which). But I was cadre, and there were a barracks full of students that were quaranteened because a couple of them came down with it.
It was a weekend afternoon, and these guys were stuck in an open bay barracks and could go nowhere. A lone car approached, I was outside teaching another group of students. The woman stopped her car and asked me where the quaranteened Soldiers were. In the passenter seat of her car was about 20 large pizzas and several 2L bottles of soda. I asked her name, "I'm Mrs. Huckabee." She was the wife of then former Governor and presidential candidate Huckabee. There was no one around to see that. No press, nothing.
The Huckabee's love Soldiers. Period. Lot's of politicians give lip service, I know of only one political family that does stuff like this.
I led her over to the barracks, I carried all the Pizza's to the doorstep, then let them know they could step out and get them once we were clear. They had no idea who she was.

I think Huckabee's sentiment in this instance reflects empathy for a populist and a military culture fed up with all of the PC garbage they've been fed the last 10 years.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 12 at 2016 3:55 PM

2016-05-12T15:55:23-04:00

Yep because when we arent at war we are breaking our own shit. Had Marines come back on field day with a mop in two pieces. Like, how the fuck devil?

Response by Maj John Bell made May 25 at 2016 5:53 PM

2016-05-25T17:53:37-04:00

A morbid gallows sense of humor is how people deal with the inhumane or gruesome nature of what they do. You do not EVER want to be in the firehouse or on the ambulance after a truly bad run. Often there is some very inappropriate humor, callous indifference, or incomprehensible trigger for grief when far more tragic things just happened. We do not want to share our tears, rage or hopelessness. Despite the fact that it is already upon us. We want to wrap it up, put a funny little bow on it, and make it less crappy. The uninitiated can never understand that and if they did, they wouldn't want to.

The "Kill people and break things" tags is a common saw. It is an attempt at gallows humor. And killing people and breaking things IS what we do. It is the primary reason the military exists. "..the defending, the peacekeeping, the rebuilding, the search-and-rescue work and the high- and low-level diplomacy..." is what we do to find our way back to our humanity.

So if you are offended by the phrase, put on some big boy pants and learn to laugh at the unimaginable crap of "killing people and breaking things". It is over simplification because a detailed response takes our mind to places we do not want to go back to. It is a lightly humorous attempt to communicate to the uninitiated that they do not really want to see our horrible handiwork.

Response by SFC Terry Wilcox made Jan 16 at 2020 7:06 PM

2020-01-16T19:06:12-05:00