Interesting op-ed on Cobra Gold and COVID-19

DanaA

New Member
Joined
Sep 30, 2020
Messages
1
From an op-ed written by Marine Corps and Air Force veterans:

"It's simply baffling that the U.S. military is still clinging to the barbaric killing of live animals in the Cobra Gold training that is more reminiscent of a frat party gone wrong than a military drill. ... Given all we know about zoonotic diseases, how they originate and how many people they can sicken or kill in short order, it's difficult to fathom why Cobra Gold would encourage these cruel and risky animal killings while the world still grapples with COVID-19. The DOD is playing with matches during a wildfire."

 
In my opinion, the person who wrote the Cobra Gold article has an issue with the military killing animals which is fair. The whole issue of diseases in relation to Covid 19 seems like an exaggeration or an excuse. Its like the Vegans telling you that killing animals for food is unethical and then adding that the it raises you cholesterol. I dont really know much about this Cobra Gold but I will assume that it has been going on for a while know and there has been no instances of disease transferring. The point of the article is you could contract a disease because of it but what about all the previous years when nothing happened. This country has a huge meat butchering industry and it hasnt been an issue either. Orthdox Jews kill a chicken every year (as a Jew, not crazy about it) for some holiday and there hasnt been an issue. China has always been a problem throughout history because of large population living next to animals. Could a animal pass on a disease to humans, sure, but in the west how often does it happen. There are 90 million dogs in the US and maybe transfers between dogs and humans is impossible, but if we are going to worry about animals, I think having a dog lick us from morning to night is going to be more deadly than killing a chicken. Every year, pilots and others go through SERE training, kill , skin and eat the rabbit. Not my idea of a fun time, but knock on wood, my son came back fine
 
In my opinion, the person who wrote the Cobra Gold article has an issue with the military killing animals which is fair. The whole issue of diseases in relation to Covid 19 seems like an exaggeration or an excuse.

ABOUT THE WRITERS

Air Force veteran Ingrid Taylor, D.V.M., is a research associate in People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' Laboratory Investigations Department. Marine Corps veteran Jonathan Stainback is a maintenance technician in PETA's Operations Department. They can be reached at PETA, 501 Front St., Norfolk, VA 23510; www.PETA.org.

Every year, pilots and others go through SERE training, kill , skin and eat the rabbit. Not my idea of a fun time, but knock on wood, my son came back fine
Mine and 89 other candidates and instructors came back with Covid, which was introduced by one of the instructors.
 
PETA activists urging restraint in killing of animals. Not to be flip but. . .

giphy.gif
 
Cobra Gold as an exercise has been around for 30+ years, and was one that I went on 3 times-and yet I have no idea what the heck they are even talking about. it's no t primarily a SERE exercise- it's designed as a combined military coordination,cooperation and joint warfighting exercise between the US and Thailand and I think that Singapore and Malaysia now as well. Bunny killing isn't really a major component of the exercise. I believe OldRetSwo has it right!
 
ABOUT THE WRITERS

Air Force veteran Ingrid Taylor, D.V.M., is a research associate in People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' Laboratory Investigations Department. Marine Corps veteran Jonathan Stainback is a maintenance technician in PETA's Operations Department. They can be reached at PETA, 501 Front St., Norfolk, VA 23510; www.PETA.org.


Mine and 89 other candidates and instructors came back with Covid, which was introduced by one of the instructors.
sorry to hear that. Hope he/she is doing better now as well as the others. It was that damn bunny. Ironically enough, they picked my son to kill the rabbit.
 
When I was on Oki on my way back home from VN I was debriefed by a senior Corpsman.

What was it like , how well prepared were you, how can we make things better , sort of questions.

More field training , more realistic field training , was my response and I would guess the response of a lot of other corpsman as well.

I had no concept of using animals for the corpsman to work on but that is certainly the logical step. I also did not see a 6 or 8 week FMSS but that was the logical step as well.

That kind of training would have made me a better corpsman of that I have no doubt.

More than a total of two trips to the rifle pistol range would have helped a lot as well.
 
Back
Top