Veterans for Common Sense

December 7, 2008 – Forget the time Maurice Sposato scored a draw in the ring against legendary boxer Sugar Ray Robinson.

The toughest bout this small but scrappy pugilist ever had “was fighting for my country,” he said.

Today, on the 67th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attacks, Sposato, 91, joins a dwindling number of World War II veterans in remembering a conflict that not only shaped the direction of societies, but long afterward had profound influence on millions of lives.

Sposato enlisted in the Marines because of the higher calling to serve in the U.S. military, he said. He was wounded in the Battle of Tarawa, losing two toes and having his hips filled with shrapnel.The injuries effectively ended a promising career in boxing, one that had seen him barnstorming the country for 10 years as an amateur and professional fighter and notching a 59-9 record. He earned the nickname “Kid Sharkey.”

But despite having to quit the sport, Sposato knew only to “keep on punching” – his salutatory catchphrase to friends and strangers. He stayed near the ring for six decades, training and counseling famed boxers such as Archie Moore, Doug DeWitt, Buster Mathis, Jose Torres and Larry Holmes.

Sposato also tutored countless youngsters in need of a second chance in Golden Gloves boxing.

After living in his White Plains, N.Y., birthplace for 91 years, he moved to Nashua this spring to live under the full-time care of his daughter, Judy Sposato.

He has slowed a bit, needing a walker and wheelchair and recovering from several bladder surgeries. But in a recent visit, he demonstrated the spunk and wit that often mark boxing’s most colorful characters.

“I’m not complaining. I’m 91 years old . . . after all I’ve been through,” he said.

Without question, World War II defined Sposato.

As with many veterans, he said nearly nothing about his battlefield experiences for most of his life, Judy Sposato said. But seeing and reading news accounts of the Iraq War disheartened her father, and he started recounting his experiences to illustrate that war is unnecessary, she said.

Maurice Sposato joined more than 35,000 U.S. troops in the invasion of the Pacific atoll Tarawa, a four-day incursion that’s considered one of the bloodiest in Marines history.Because of a low tide, the 2nd Division Marines had to disembark their assault boats far from shore. The waist-deep water soaked many Marines’ weapons, and many troops were shot down by about 4,000 waiting Japanese soldiers.

“I was a machine gunner,” Sposato said. But his 30-caliber gun was wet and couldn’t fire.

“I killed two guys with my bare hands. I had to do it.”

Sposato was awarded two Purple Hearts and many other military commendations for his service.

Nearly 3,000 Marines died at Tarawa. All but 17 of the 4,000 Japanese defenders died.

The experience shook Sposato, enough that it disturbs him to see politicians sending “young boys” to war in Iraq, he said. Instead of rich politicians initiating war, the public should first vote to approve any military action, he said.

Sposato used his hands to fight before the war, but it was in the relatively safer confines of a boxing ring. He was hooked as an adolescent, and eventually toured the country as a “bootleg boxer” – fighting in unsanctioned contests.

He earned the nickname that would identify him for life because he talked often about boxer Jack Sharkey, while his trainer liked another fighter named Tom Sharkey. The 14-year-old became Kid Sharkey.

In 1939, he fought an up-and-coming Sugar Ray Robinson, who is widely hailed as the greatest fighter pound for pound. The Poughkeepsie, N.Y., match ended in a draw.

“He was a fast boxer, but I used to train with him,” Sposato said. “Every time he threw a move, I knew what was coming.”

Sposato said he could box with his left or right hand. His head was his “fifth punch.”

Several times he led a reporter through the moves he used and taught others – at one point, jumping out of his chair and giving a hands-on tutorial.

His advice: Fully concentrate on the opponent to anticipate his moves, constantly shuffle your feet and shift your body to avoid the big blow and keep the other guy off balance, and throw several hooks, to be followed by an “over” punch.

These points and many others served Kid Sharkey well as a trainer and coach once he returned from the war. He helped pros and amateurs. He steered the young kids turned into his care by police to the Golden Gloves program.

Sposato used his New York University psychology degree to full advantage as a private detective for 26 years, his daughter said, but also in countless gyms.

Among the many awards he received for his ring contributions, Sposato earned the American Association for the Improvement of Boxing Rocky Marciano Award. For his 90th birthday, his family and dozens of boxing figures threw a surprise party.

Although the violence of war scarred him, the violence of boxing seemingly gave Sposato a life of purpose.

“People who know him as a kind, mild-mannered person always ask, ‘How did you end up in a sport like that?’ ” Judy Sposato said.

Instead of answering his daughter’s question, Maurice Sposato turned to a reporter to offer more insight: “Keep him low all the time. A slugger doesn’t last.”

As he later bid the reporter and a photographer goodbye, Sposato had one more nugget: “Keep on punching.”

Albert McKeon can be reached at 594-5832 or amckeon@nashuatelegraph.com

December 5, 2008 – An internal Department of Veterans Affairs investigation found that the New York regional office altered vets’ claims to make them appear as if they were being processed faster than they actually were.

Hundreds of documents submitted to the regional office in Manhattan were intentionally dated incorrectly in an internal program used in the processing of claims, and some supervisors instructed employees to alter the dates, according to a summary of the internal probe obtained by the Times Union.

Joseph Collorafi of Guilderland, director of veterans affairs, was suspended in the wake of allegations about the backdating of forms. Collorarfi, who commuted from his suburban home on Amtrak, was one of six administrators placed on administrative leave.

U.S. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand called the backdating of reports “troubling” and said she would ask the House Veterans Committee chairman to open an inquiry immediately.

“Our veterans deserve their earned benefits on time and need to be able to trust that their federal government is operating in good faith,” Gillibrand, D-Greenport, said in a prepared statement. “We need to prevent this from happening again.”

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VA performance measures track the time it takes to process a claim, and the problems in New York are “very, very serious,” VA spokeswoman Alison Aikele in Washington, D.C., said Thursday. It is too early to determine if criminal charges will result, she said.

VA officials would not discuss disciplinary action of specific individuals, but the director and assistant director of the office have already been transferred to other offices.

Aikele said backdating problems have been uncovered only at the New York office. But the VA’s inspector general is conducting a separate investigation into the shredding of claims documents across the nation. In recent weeks 41 of the 57 VA regional offices were found to have essential documents in the shredder bin.

The New York office serves more than 800,000 veterans in 31 counties across the state, including the Capital District. Last month, two veterans groups filed a lawsuit in District of Columbia federal court claiming the VA takes too long to process vets’ disability claims. The suit stated that the agency takes on average at least six months per claim and some extend up to a year.

Neither Collorafi, nor his attorney, Peter Noone, returned phone calls seeking comment.

A July audit of the New York office examining individual cases revealed that 16 of 20 claims were intentionally given incorrect dates to appear as if they were received within a week of being put into the computer system.

VA officials in New York blamed the problem on “miscommunication.” Aikele said no claims were affected because the original date on the paperwork was used for payment. The altered dates, she said, affected only internal recordkeeping. A subsequent August review of a sample of 390 veterans claims found 220, or 56 percent, were backdated.

Chauncey Robinson of Colonie, who served in the Army in 1992, is one of many veterans who have been scrambling to have their claims files reviewed after the problems surfaced in the New York office. He has been trying to track down his file for years after his claims were lost. Robinson – receiving disability compensation since 1995 for post-traumatic stress disorder – said he is not receiving money he is owed for service-related hypertension because the VA cannot find his personnel and medical files. He said transferring the VA administrators was insufficient punishment.

“They should be fired, and in my opinion vets should sue the administration,” he said. “They’re sweeping it under the rug. … They try to make you discouraged to leave them alone.”

December 6, 2008 – The chairmen of the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs committees Saturday strongly endorsed President-elect Barack Obama ’s choice of retired Army Gen. Eric K. Shinseki to head the Veterans Affairs Department.

Obama’s announcement was expected to come Sunday during an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press.” News of the appointment leaked out earlier Saturday after the interview was taped.

“Gen. Shinseki is a great choice; he is well aware of the needs of our veterans and will make an excellent secretary of Veterans Affairs,” said Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel K. Akaka , D-Hawaii. “I have great respect for Gen. Shinseki’s judgment and abilities. I’ve worked with him in the past and I look forward to working with him in the future.”

Bob Filner , the chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, echoed Akaka’s sentiments.

“His past leadership as chief of staff in the Army coupled with his brave service as a four-star general will bring a new energy to the department and bring hope to our veterans,” said Filner, D-Calif. “I look forward to working with Gen. Shinseki and the Obama administration to restore the sacred trust with our nation’s veterans and provide the care and benefits our veterans deserve.”

The nomination of Shinseki — whose name had not been floated publicly before Obama’s interview — revitalizes a career that was set back by the Bush administration in 2003, when he retired after four years as Army chief of staff. His relationship with then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld was widely regarded as cool, and he incurred the wrath of many administration officials when he publicly predicted U.S. military forces would need several hundred thousand more troops to invade Iraq, defeat Iraqi forces and stabilize the country than Rumsfeld wanted to use.

“He was right,” Obama told NBC.

Like Obama and Akaka, Shinseki is a native of Hawaii. A veteran of the Vietnam War, he also was U.S. Army commander in Europe and head of the NATO peacekeeping force in Bosnia-Herzegovina during his 38-year career.

Obama to Announce Pick for Veterans Affairs

December 6, 2008 (Bloomberg) – President-elect Barack Obama will announce his choice to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs tomorrow at a news conference in Chicago, according to a Democratic aide.

Obama’s pick will join him at the press conference scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Chicago time, to commemorate the 67th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, according to the aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Possible choices to lead the department include Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran who lost a 2006 bid for Congress and serves as director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs; former U.S. Senator Max Cleland of Georgia, a disabled Vietnam veteran who led veterans affairs under President Jimmy Carter; Republican Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska; and Maryland Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown, an Iraq War Veteran.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese planes attacked the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, leaving more than 2,400 servicemen dead and destroying most of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The surprise strike drew the U.S. into World War II.

Obama has moved quickly to fill out his Cabinet. He’s named New York Federal Reserve President Timothy Geithner as Treasury secretary, New York senator Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson as Commerce secretary. Defense Secretary Robert Gates will remain at the Pentagon, and Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano will head Homeland Security. Obama named former Justice Department official Eric Holder as attorney general.

Former South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle has accepted Obama’s offer to become Health and Human Services secretary, though the selection hasn’t been formally announced.

Obama said Nov. 26 he’s seeking a combination of “experience with fresh thinking” for his cabinet.

Cabinet secretaries are subject to Senate confirmation, once they are formally nominated, after Obama takes office on Jan. 20. Gates won’t have to undergo reconfirmation as defense chief.

To contact the reporter on this story: Julianna Goldman in Chicago at jgoldman6@bloomberg.net

December 5, 2008 – Monday’s formal announcement that Hillary Clinton will be Barack Obama’s Secretary of State, and Robert Gates will remain as Secretary of Defense, can hardly have caught anyone by surprise. Rumors were rampant that Clinton was the front-runner for the job for over two weeks, and Gates’ name was in the mix from the beginning. It is surprising, however, that President-elect Obama’s search for personnel to fill the top foreign and defense policy posts in his new administration has placed such a great emphasis on experience and continuity. Obama should revisit his apparent presumptions: Nowhere is change more needed than in U.S. foreign policy.

It should be obvious to the president-elect that experience is not synonymous with good judgment. After all, his own lack of experience did not block his path to the Oval Office, and might ultimately have cleared the way. Wisdom and insight might actually be impeded by years of working in the same field, exposed only to the canon of the profession. New faces and a fresh perspective are particularly welcome in old, tired industries that have run out of ideas. That certainly applies to Detroit automakers, but they are hardly alone: all companies are forced to change course if their products don’t fulfill customer’s expectations.

Or at least they should be. But the Washington foreign policy community ran out of ideas years ago. The clearest indication of that was is its embrace of the Iraq War, which won the backing of left-leaning think tanks and academics, and 29 of 50 Senate Democrats. Many of those same people, incredibly, will be running foreign affairs in the next administration.

Experienced Washington hands on both the left and the right have resisted calls to bring our troops home from Iraq. They clamor for new and better ways to build foreign countries and fight other people’s wars. Beyond-the-beltway Americans, meanwhile, want to build our own country, and bring an end to our own wars. Despite the fact that policy wonks are still marketing products that Americans no longer want to buy, they, like the carmakers, continue to wield great influence.

There was a chance that Obama might cut them off. He was not part of the Washington policy community in the fall of 2002 when he spoke out against the Iraq War. His outsider status may have helped him see that the war was likely to be more costly and time-consuming than the advocates for war predicted. His inexperience did not prevent him from recognizing that the war would aid al Qaeda’s recruitment efforts and undermine U.S. security.

Ever since, Obama has rightly worn his opposition to the Iraq War as a badge of honor. His principled stand, taken at a time when few people — in Washington or out –were willing to do the same, allowed him to turn his opponents’ (first Clinton’s and then McCain’s) supposed advantage in foreign policy into a liability, or at least a nullity. If experienced politicians could support a war that now two-thirds of all Americans believe to have been a mistake, then experience is overrated.

The ideal combination, of course, is both good judgment and experience. A few Washington insiders with many years of foreign policy experience had the wisdom and courage to vote against the Iraq War resolution. Anyone who was willing to challenge the dominant assumptions in the fall of 2002 should be expected to carefully scrutinize all aspects of U.S. foreign policy today.

That scrutiny is badly needed across the board, from our dealings with Iran and Pakistan to relations with Russia and China. The American people expressed their desire for change by choosing Obama as their next president, and they expected that change in the Oval Office would also translate into major course corrections at the Pentagon, at Foggy Bottom and in the NSC.

Unfortunately, the president-elect’s decision to turn to a cadre of insiders who refused to speak out against the Iraq War before it began, and who have since deflected calls to end the mission in a timely fashion, suggests that we will only get more of the same. And that means that President Barack Obama is likely to look more favorably on Iraq-style wars than he did as an Illinois legislator in 2002.

Christopher A. Preble is director of foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute and the author of the forthcoming book The Power Problem: How American Military Dominance Makes Us Less Safe, Less Prosperous, and Less Free.

6:19 PM ET, December 6, 2008, Retired Army Gen. Eric K. Shinseki will be introduced tomorrow as President-elect Barack Obama’s nominee to head the Department of Veterans Affairs, a Democratic official familiar with the announcement said today.

Obama confirmed the nomination in an exclusive interview with NBC News, taped for broadcast on “Meet the Press.” Obama called Shinseki “exactly the right person who is going to be able to make sure that we honor our troops when they come home.”

Shinseki, a 38-year veteran, is best known for his four years as Army chief of staff, and in particular his response to congressional questioning in February 2003 about troop levels necessary to protect a presumed military victory in Iraq.

Shinseki told the Senate Armed Services Committee that “something on the order of several hundred thousand soldiers” could be necessary, an assessment that was at odds with the announced determination of Pentagon leaders.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld reacted by telling reporters that Shinseki’s estimate “will prove to be high,” and Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul D. Wolfowitz called the assessment “way off the mark.”

Three years later, Gen. John P. Abizaid, commander of U.S. Central Command and the chief architect of U.S. military strategy in Iraq, told the same Senate committee, “General Shinseki was right.” And in January 2007, President Bush ordered tens of thousands of U.S. troops back into Iraq to stabilize and secure the country.

Obama concurred with Abizaid’s view in the “Meet the Press” interview, saying of Shinseki, “He was right.”

Shinseki retired in the summer of 2003, shortly after the fall of Baghdad. Neither Rumsfeld nor Wolfowitz attended his farewell ceremony.

Notably Shinseki led the Army at the same time that Obama’s nominee as national security adviser, then-Marine commandant Gen. James L. Jones. Both questioned Wolfowitz’s presumptions, before the war in Iraq commenced, about how the fighting would go, and they argued that Pentagon planning was being too optimistic and should prepare thoroughly for worst-case scenarios.

The politics around the planned nomination are intriguing. Shinseki has maintained a near-total silence since leaving the Pentagon. However, earlier this year, a letter he wrote to Rumsfeld in June 2003 leaked. In it, Shinseki criticized Rumsfeld for not letting the Joint Chiefs of Staff “express their best military judgment as often as they should.” He also said that the way Rumsfeld and other top civilian officials ran meetings was “unhelpful.”

Also, there long has been speculation inside the Army that Shinseki, who was severely wounded in Vietnam, is interested in running for the Senate when Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), an 84-year-old World War II veteran, decides to retire.

Shinseki, a 66-year-old native of Kauai, told the Associated Press in 2005, “I intend to move back to Hawaii. It’s just a question of when.”

Since retiring from the Army, he has joined the boards of Honeywell International and Ducommun, both companies focused on military contracting. He also is on the board of the Hawaiian companies Grove Farm Corp. and First Hawaiian Bank.