"The unwilling doing the unnecessary...."

[Stephen Goranson]

Quoting "James A. Landau <JJJRLandau at netscape.com>" <JJJRLandau at NETSCAPE.COM>:

> On Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:13:39 -0400 Jonathan Lighter
> <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> Subject: "
>
> <q>
> It's hard for me to believe that Google Books (and Amazon) turn up so
> little for this quotation, which I first heard (or more likely read) in
> the early 1970s (in the 1970 version) as applied to the Vietnam War.
> <snip>
> "We are the unwilling, led by the unqualified
> </q>
>
> I have a vague recollection that when I reported into the Pentagon in
> November 1969 this was already a cliche.  I do remember, but cannot
> put a date to, a professionally-printed placard which went something
> like this:
> "We the unwilling led by the unqualified, have been doing the
> unnecessary for the ungrateful for so long, we are now qualified to
> do anything with nothing."
>
> The quote had nothing to do with combat or politics; it was merely
> used to express frustation by working technical people (e.g. computer
> programmers) at what they considered to be idiotic decisions by thier
> superiors.
>
>     - Jim Landau

FWIW

GB gives as "v.52-1970" Labour Monthly p. 39
And one Australian armoured vehicle in Vietnam had written on its side:
"We are
the unlucky, led by the unqualified, to do the unnecessary for the
ungrateful."

GB gives as Epoch volumes 19-20 "1969" p.225:
We are the unlucky
Led by the incompetent
For the unnecessary"

Stephen Goranson
http://www.duke.edu/~goranson

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