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Victor Olshansky
200 E Broward Blvd. Suite 1200
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301
954.343.2100 / 954.343.2600 fax
volshansky@studley.com
Ed Fischer did the honor of introducing a true American
hero.. .
One would have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to be aware of the controversy
over our military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan . . . or of the
comparisons being made between this war and the Vietnam War. As in the Vietnam
era, peaceniks are denigrating everything from the Commander-in-Chief and
Secretary of Defense, down to the troops in the field.
Most of us, too, may be familiar with a very popular saying that emerged from
the military and dates back to World War I; which goes, “Ours is not to reason
why, ours is but to do or die!” This adage evolved because every member of the
military is taught to unquestionably follow orders as it may mean the difference
between life and death on the battlefield.
Whether you are in favor of, or against, military action in the Middle East, it
is not America’s military that started the fight – it was the politicians. So
blaming the soldier, sailor, airmen or marines for our involvement there is
folly. At the same time, we can learn more from those who have served there and
have observed and experienced the local attitudes in Iraq. And that’s what our
speaker will share with us this afternoon. Through his eyes and from his
personal observation, you can better assess the righteousness of America’s
involvement in Iraq.
Our speaker is Victor Olshansky. Victor graduated with honors from the United
States Military Academy at West Point in 1997. He earned a master's degree in
economics from the University of Hawaii and a Certificate of International
Leadership studies from the East-West Center where he won a fellowship.
During his eight-year career as an Infantry officer, Victor served in various
positions of responsibility ranging from platoon leader to theater level Army.
During his unit's 13-month deployment to Iraq, Victor served as the assistant
operations officer for the 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment – which some of
you may know as the “Wolfhounds.” Victor also served as a liaison officer to the
207th Iraqi Army Battalion where he was responsible for recruiting, training,
and equipping a 1,000 man Iraqi Army unit. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal
for his service.
Upon leaving the military in August, 2005, Victor joined the Ft. Lauderdale
office of Studley, a national commercial real estate firm. He is currently
responsible for business development efforts in the downtown Miami, Brickell
area, Coral Gables, and the Doral office markets as well as for Studley's
Industrial Services Group.
Victor is married and he and his wife, the former Orit Friedman of
Hollywood, Florida, and are the proud parents of their new daughter, April Eve.
Too often the media portrays such a limited view of Iraq, that it’s very
difficult for many Americans to gain a true perspective, unless you speak
directly with the people on the ground, our fine U.S. servicemen and women.
An infantry battalion is made up of roughly 450-500 infantry soldiers. When a
battalion organizes for combat, it may take on an additional 100 or more
soldiers from various combat support and logistics areas to form a battalion
“Task Force.” Victor’s task force was named the Wolfhounds.
Here are some statistics from the Wolfhounds’ 13 months in Iraq:
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Roughly 650 soldiers controlling an area of 1900 sq.
miles
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Over 4500 combat patrols conducted (that’s roughly 10-12
patrols a day).
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160 Enemy combatants captured.
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More than 100 IEDs (bombs) encountered.
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35 schools built or improved upon.
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17 roads paved.
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1000 Iraqi Army and 1600 Iraqi police equipped and
trained.
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24 Awards for Valor.
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64 Purple Hearts (roughly 10% of the unit)
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3 two-time Purple Heart winners
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1 three-time Purple Heart Winner, SPC Joseph Herndon,
who never made it home.
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7 soldiers and one U.S. interpreter from our unit never
made it home…
To understand the full breadth of the Iraq situation, you
have to divorce yourself of our Western way of thinking entirely. Iraq today is
still a primitive tribal culture, where people are identified first by
ethnicity, and secondly by family. Self-determination and meritocracy are
concepts as foreign to an Iraqi as suicide bombing is to an American. The idea
that something works for me, so it will work for you too, just does not apply.
Nevertheless, there are some specific areas where Iraq and the U.S. share
similar desires, focusing on the areas of economics, government, and security.
There’s a steep learning curve here that many of us take for granted.
To achieve democracy in our country…from the arrival of the Pilgrims in 1620 to
the Declaration of Independence in 1776 took 156 years with another 11 years to
convene a Constitutional Convention, a year to ratify it, and then 10 amendments
and 2 more years before all the states agreed! Then, 74 years more and a Civil
War to finally resolve what some say was the slavery issue, but was really an
issue of states rights vs. that of a strong central government. 386 years after
the Pilgrims, and we’re still trying to get it right!
Iraq is a county that at its most basic level comprises a vast array of small
villages and city-states where power is vested in tribal sheiks and elders. The
average Iraqi is about as inclined to support a strong central government as he
is to returning Saddam’s regime to power – which, when you think of it, is not
all that different. Needless to say, the new Iraqi government is still far from
achieving popular support or effectiveness. Perhaps the area in which the
Americans and the Iraqis agree most is the need for security.
Regrettably, our armed forces are neither trained, nor manned to effectively
develop the Iraqi security forces. The basic infantryman, tanker, or just about
any other soldier in the U.S. Army, short of a Military Policeman, receives zero
training in law enforcement procedures. The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 strictly
forbids the U.S. Armed Forces from engagement in law enforcement activities
within our own country.
Nevertheless, our military has been given this mission, and we are executing
with a good deal of progress in Iraq. In terms of economics, government, and
security, Iraq has made great strides. But clearly, it still has a long way to
go. It will take a strong international commitment to truly make this effort
succeed. |
