In defense of Eric Fanning
I take issue with the unflattering letter by Andres Chang speaking out against the US Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning (Letter, Aug. 29, page 6). The hidden fallacy of the letter’s argument lies in his loud, but silent message of “Trust me, I am Taiwanese, not American.”
Well, I am both Taiwanese and American. Nevertheless, I am a very proud citizen of the US, and the many service members in the US Army are dedicated to the protection of Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act.
However, a Republic of China (ROC) soldier just does not share the decades of combat experience of a US Army soldier, and I am quite adamant about pursuing the return of the US Army to the island of Taiwan.
Since 1973, US service members have been a professional all volunteer force, but ROC military conscription is not even able to transition into a volunteer system. The ROC military is never really combat ready, but this Taiwanese letter writer insists the ROC military could stop the Chinese People’s Liberation Army invaders in their tracks.
Securing the best defense for the future of Taiwan requires the actual presence of US service members with their platoons of combat boots on the ground in Taiwan. The honorable Fanning has laid the foundation for the eventual return of US soldiers to my homeland, and I am looking forward to the imminent opportunity to support the US service members when they return to Taiwan.
US soldiers are true professionals, and they are also subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. If an army private misbehaves, they are subject to Article 15 nonjudicial punishment by their commanding officer, but they are also guaranteed the constitutional protections of the US Bill of Rights when criminally prosecuted by a US military court-martial.
Non-commissioned officers maintain discipline over the soldiers, but the US legal system also prevents the kind of physical abuses that are too commonplace in the ROC military. This is a stark contrast between the two armies.
Fanning is the first openly gay person who is the highest serving member of the US Department of Defense. The very long history of strong professionalism of the US Army is quite remarkable for achieving the full repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Its big military organization has social problems, but the organization advances the social agenda faster than many civilian employers in the private sector.
In addition, the ROC military just pales in comparison with the US military for the numerous opportunities for education and experience. The US Army is an incredible equal-opportunity employer for Taiwanese-Americans, but such xenophobia by my fellow Taiwanese is very destructive to rebuilding more professional relationships with the US Army in Taiwan.
Andres Chang’s poor letter does not reflect the professionalism of US soldiers, and I am quite disappointed by the lowering of the standards by that Taiwanese writer on this topic.
The US Army senior leadership should be able to expect better displays of professionalism from their Taiwanese counterparts in the defense matters of Taiwan.
Tom Chang
Alhambra, California
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