Stripes letters: Bring back higher standards; Too much time apart

[lebkuchen]

Bring back higher standards

It has become obvious that the senior leaders in our Army have become disassociated from the realities of the rank and file. We need to admit that there exists an extreme disconnect. Not convinced of the divide? Let’s have a refresher:

The 2004 divorce rate for Army officers has increased 290 percent since 2001; for enlisted, the increase is 52 percent (Stars and Stripes).

We have missed our recruitment goals for four months in a row. By April, the top five Army training centers were at 50 percent capacity, down from 92 percent last year, (The New York Times).

The Army is getting rid of bases in Germany despite the fact that this is a dream assignment and that units in Germany have higher retention rates.

If Acting Undersecretary of the Army Ray Dubois had his way, spouses would redeploy themselves back to the States (Stars and Stripes). Let me nominate Gen. B.B. Bell for the next chief of staff for his exceptional commitment to soldiers and families.

We have watered down our standards across the board. Officers in the rank of captain and below no longer have the “Above Center of Mass” and “Center of Mass” boxes checked on their evaluation reports. This breeds mediocrity by shielding lower-quality officers and hampering the due credit deserved to high-performing officers. The Warrant Officer Educational System is no longer tied to promotions, also breeding mediocrity. Enlisted soldiers no longer need the Primary Leadership Development Course to make E-5 and the Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course to make E-6. How can we expect to have highly trained junior enlisted soldiers when we have untrained NCOs?

The Army is increasing the number of “feel good” awards. The Combat Action Badge will now be awarded to dental hygienists who get shot at during a convoy trip through Iraq. Just like the black beret was supposed to raise morale (it failed) by associating everybody with elite Army units, the CAB will have a similar effect. If everybody is special, nobody is.

Raise the standards back up, recognize excellence, challenge mediocrity and, for goodness sake, quit treating soldiers like widgets on an assembly line.

Capt. Chris Ellis
Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=29826


Simply too much time apart

I am responding to the June 9 article “Divorce rate rises for active-duty soldiers” (Mideast edition; “Divorces rising for active-duty GIs,” European edition). It sickens me how people fail to see how deployments can break a family.

I am an active-duty soldier; by my being deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom III, it has taken a toll on me and my family.

Before this deployment, I really wanted to stay within the ranks of the military. I was one step away from re-enlisting, until the career planner told me that I would have to go to South Korea, and probably get deployed back to Iraq for a second time because of my military occupational specialty. This tour would be a tour without my family, and that would make almost three years away from my loved ones.

If this isn’t a problem, then there is no hope for the Army. There are many soldiers out there in the same situation. This is just my opinion of the Army and the high divorce rate among soldiers.

Sgt. James Miller
Camp Anaconda, Iraq

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=29753

[gratuitous]

1. "Quit treating soldiers like widgets"?

That, Sgt. Miller, would require a sea change in the people commanding and deploying the Army. And I don't see much chance anytime soon of George W. Bush or anyone in his corrupt administration suddenly growing a heart and treating soldiers, marines, sailors, or anyone -- military or civilian -- as anything other than disposable commodities.

[BrotherBuzz]

4. "Come on, people are fungible....

You can have them here or there..." - Rumsfeld

[lebkuchen]

5. Or you can't have them at all, which is what Rummy has done to army #s

Training facilities are down to 50% capacity. In the past, training would have been held up until the company was full, but the army can't wait that long, for more recruits to sign up. It has to get people trained and into the battlefield now!

[BrotherBuzz]

6. Wow, the military is so busted....

This draftee that "added no value, no advantage, really, to the United States armed services over any sustained period of time", didn't know about disruptions in the training cycles. Kinda adds a new twist to the dandy slogan "Army of One", no?. But then, "As you know, you go to war with the Army you have. They're not the Army you might want or wish to have at a later time." - Rumsfeld .

[lebkuchen]

7. Rummy believes recruits with drug charges & low IQs are of great value

to the Army.

The drill SGTs have their work cut out for them. They'll be lining up behind the recruitment officers for psychological counseling before too long.

[BrotherBuzz]

10. Hmmm, sounds like Rummy lifted a page from Robert McNamara's playbook

I seem to remember something about "McNamara's Moron Corps".

lebkuchen, my friend, it will take years to repair all the damage BushCo has inflicted on the military!

[lebkuchen]

11. Agreed. The soldiers are figuring that out now. Here's another letter

Note the sarcasm.

Suggestions for Army

For those who favor allowing women in combat arms, I heartily agree. In this day and age, most types of combat are mechanized or automated, so strength and stamina are not important. For that reason I think we should bar anyone, male or female, under age 40 from serving in combat arms. It makes sense for another reason: The folks back home will have a lot less reason to feel badly about “young lives cut short.” Nobody really cares if us old farts get greased — we’ve already lived and our kids are grown. Heck, my wife would probably dance in the streets and throw a party with the cool half a million dollars she’d get from Uncle Sam. How about the old saw “let the old men who start the wars fight the wars”? You kids don’t vote; we do. Therefore, we elect the people who send us over here and so should be the ones fighting, right? I also have a more fully developed personality than the average 18-to-25-year-old. I don’t mean that as an insult; I’ve just been through an extra 19 to 26 years of life experience. I can handle the fear, loss and trauma without as much permanent psychological damage. And if I do get screwed up, so what? I’ve already got one foot in the grave, so I won’t be suffering too long anyway. Lastly, I advocate restarting the draft, but only drafting those over age 40. This will give us another shot at getting all the people who ran to Canada during Vietnam to do their duty.

Capt. Andrew Shumway Logistics Support Area
Anaconda, Iraq

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=29827

[Doctor_J]

2. Soldiers are nothing but photo backdrops to Smirk

Since you can't tell by looking at those photos about morale, marital problems, depression, battle fatigue, or non-combat injuires like DU contamination, * doesn't give a rats ass about those problems or the people who suffer from them.

[AndyTiedye]

8. The Soldiers In Boosh**'s Photo Ops All Seem To Be Missing their Weapons

I guess our Dear Leader isn't taking any chances.

[HuskiesHowls]

3. Of course, its all Clinton's fault.

I've never been in the military, but I hung around the American Legion hall when I was growing up, so I was around veterans a lot. I don't think they'd recognize the army as it is today.

When the people in charge don't care about the underlings, it all goes to hell in a big hurry.

[tabasco]

9. The Captain and Sergeant make some great points.

The Bush corporate cabal has treated our military like expendable slaves. What should we expect? The flag-waving propaganda of the right-wing only goes so far to raise morale.

Maybe some more Purple Heart bandaids to show respect and support for our troops ?

I hope the current administration convinces many of my military colleagues that republicans do not support the military. Republicans exist to support corporations and the rich people that own them. Period.


edit typo