Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Wall Street Journal
September 5, 2008
Pg. 6
By Yochi J. Dreazen
WASHINGTON -- Regardless of who wins this November's election, the U.S. is about to have its "Prince Harry" moment.
It's been decades since the child of an American president or vice president served in the military at a time of war. But in a historical anomaly, three of the four candidates atop the two parties' tickets have children who are likely to deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan in coming months.
That means the Pentagon will soon have to decide how far to go to keep the sons of Sen. John McCain, Gov. Sarah Palin or Sen. Joe Biden safe while they're at war. It's a particularly acute issue for Jimmy McCain and Track Palin, whose careers in the infantry mean they stand to be sent to the front lines.
American allies such as Britain and Israel have regularly seen their leaders' children performing military service in times of war. Britain's Prince Harry, the younger of the two sons of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, spent several months fighting in Afghanistan before being rushed home this year after his deployment was disclosed by the media.
The U.S. hasn't had to face the question since the 1940s and may be forced to largely make up new rules on the fly. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's four sons all served as Army officers during World War II.
The guerrilla wars in Iraq and Afghanistan pose a different set of risks from the more traditional fighting in World War II. Some U.S. commanders worry that insurgents in both countries would see a presidential or vice-presidential child as an irresistible target for kidnapping or assassination.
"They need to make a quick cameo appearance on the front lines and then find a desk job somewhere," said Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian at Rice University.
Pentagon officials declined to comment about any potential plans to safeguard Messrs. McCain, Palin or Biden, citing security concerns. "The department has not confronted this situation in recent years," said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman. "However we would certainly consider all factors should such a circumstance arise."
Mr. Whitman said the Pentagon doesn't have any policies in place granting special protections to the children of lawmakers who serve in the military. He also said that the department doesn't track the numbers of congressional offspring in the armed forces.
Army officials declined to say whether any protective measures will be put in place when Private First Class Track Palin, a member of the 25th Infantry Division, deploys to Iraq's Diyala Province in a few weeks. The Army also declined to comment about its plans for Capt. Beau Biden, a military lawyer slated to deploy to Iraq in October as part of the Delaware National Guard.
A spokeswoman for the Marine Corps said that Lance Cpl. Jimmy McCain, who served in Anbar Province for seven months last year, had the same responsibilities and faced the same dangers as other Marines there. "He didn't seek or receive any kind of special treatment or protection," she said.
During World War I, President Theodore Roosevelt's youngest son, Quentin, dropped out of Harvard to join a newly formed army aviation unit. He deployed to France, where he was shot down and killed in 1918.
Another of Theodore Roosevelt's sons, Theodore Roosevelt Jr., served as a brigadier general during the D-Day invasion of Europe in 1944. His role in the assault was later immortalized in the movie "The Longest Day," where he was played by actor Henry Fonda.
Theodore Roosevelt junior and senior are one of only two father-son combinations to receive the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military commendation.
The last presidential child to serve in the military while his father was in the White House was John Eisenhower, the son of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The younger Mr. Eisenhower served in World War II and Korea while his father was completing his own storied military career, and served on the Army's General Staff during his father's second term. He retired in 1974 as a brigadier general.
Military service by a presidential child all but disappeared in subsequent decades, a function of the military's transition to an all-volunteer force and historical accident as few recent presidents had military-age sons.
September 5, 2008
Pg. 6
By Yochi J. Dreazen
WASHINGTON -- Regardless of who wins this November's election, the U.S. is about to have its "Prince Harry" moment.
It's been decades since the child of an American president or vice president served in the military at a time of war. But in a historical anomaly, three of the four candidates atop the two parties' tickets have children who are likely to deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan in coming months.
That means the Pentagon will soon have to decide how far to go to keep the sons of Sen. John McCain, Gov. Sarah Palin or Sen. Joe Biden safe while they're at war. It's a particularly acute issue for Jimmy McCain and Track Palin, whose careers in the infantry mean they stand to be sent to the front lines.
American allies such as Britain and Israel have regularly seen their leaders' children performing military service in times of war. Britain's Prince Harry, the younger of the two sons of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, spent several months fighting in Afghanistan before being rushed home this year after his deployment was disclosed by the media.
The U.S. hasn't had to face the question since the 1940s and may be forced to largely make up new rules on the fly. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's four sons all served as Army officers during World War II.
The guerrilla wars in Iraq and Afghanistan pose a different set of risks from the more traditional fighting in World War II. Some U.S. commanders worry that insurgents in both countries would see a presidential or vice-presidential child as an irresistible target for kidnapping or assassination.
"They need to make a quick cameo appearance on the front lines and then find a desk job somewhere," said Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian at Rice University.
Pentagon officials declined to comment about any potential plans to safeguard Messrs. McCain, Palin or Biden, citing security concerns. "The department has not confronted this situation in recent years," said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman. "However we would certainly consider all factors should such a circumstance arise."
Mr. Whitman said the Pentagon doesn't have any policies in place granting special protections to the children of lawmakers who serve in the military. He also said that the department doesn't track the numbers of congressional offspring in the armed forces.
Army officials declined to say whether any protective measures will be put in place when Private First Class Track Palin, a member of the 25th Infantry Division, deploys to Iraq's Diyala Province in a few weeks. The Army also declined to comment about its plans for Capt. Beau Biden, a military lawyer slated to deploy to Iraq in October as part of the Delaware National Guard.
A spokeswoman for the Marine Corps said that Lance Cpl. Jimmy McCain, who served in Anbar Province for seven months last year, had the same responsibilities and faced the same dangers as other Marines there. "He didn't seek or receive any kind of special treatment or protection," she said.
During World War I, President Theodore Roosevelt's youngest son, Quentin, dropped out of Harvard to join a newly formed army aviation unit. He deployed to France, where he was shot down and killed in 1918.
Another of Theodore Roosevelt's sons, Theodore Roosevelt Jr., served as a brigadier general during the D-Day invasion of Europe in 1944. His role in the assault was later immortalized in the movie "The Longest Day," where he was played by actor Henry Fonda.
Theodore Roosevelt junior and senior are one of only two father-son combinations to receive the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military commendation.
The last presidential child to serve in the military while his father was in the White House was John Eisenhower, the son of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The younger Mr. Eisenhower served in World War II and Korea while his father was completing his own storied military career, and served on the Army's General Staff during his father's second term. He retired in 1974 as a brigadier general.
Military service by a presidential child all but disappeared in subsequent decades, a function of the military's transition to an all-volunteer force and historical accident as few recent presidents had military-age sons.