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From: Army Aviation Officer
Date: 05 Jun 2001
Time: 07:02:32
I can appreciate some of what you are saying in regards to the life of enlisted persons in the military. Coming from the Air Force, you may have a slightly different view. Once again, I can only comment on the Army.
Indeed, in some of our middle management and higher we have a mindset that we need to "look good". Trust me, I know it and I see it daily. But, we also have a Chief of Staff that is going to tell it like it is. Have you seen the results from the junior officer survey that were released last week? They paint a bleak picture. More significant than that, is that this is the first study of it's kind in 15 YEARS! That's how long the Army has been disregarding those of us at the ground level. GEN Shinseki didn't try to spin the results, rather he acknowleged the problems and set out to fix them.
Unfortunately, the "look good" crowd is still in control, but there is a growing culture of junior officers that aren't buying it. Many of these junior officers are leaving in droves because they are disgusted with the deception and the bureaucracy. Some of us, though are given hope for the future because the tone is slowly shifting. The Chief of Staff is making us bolder. He is taking slapshots in the chest as he takes steps to pull us out of the awful situation we find the Army in.
Many of the problems you described exist, though perhaps not on the scale you imply. I'll tell you that there is a war going on right now inside the military. The "look good, can do" crowd is running up against resistance from those of us who would question the system and ask the tough questions. We won't accept "because we have always done it that way" as an answer.
I have been on the business end of many an ass chewing because I would not fudge the reports to make personnel and equipment readiness reports look like my superiors thought they ought to rather than the truth. I have spent many a night in the woods or in the desert setting up tents and digging foxholes because we were so undermanned and I refused to sacrifice my soldiers' sleep just so I wouldn't have to dig. I have seen my NCOs do the same. THIS is the reality of my world. We have an operational pace that is undisciplined and unrelenting, which is mostly for the purpose of providing certain officers "bullet comments" for their evaluation reports. Meanwhile, the same soldiers suffer the time away from home and the accompanying troubles that invitably stem from such a life.
In all, as far as the Army is concerned, your descriptions of the institutional problems and leadership culture are in some ways very true, but in others only partially. You description of the behavior and life of lower enlisted is true in RARE cases, but for the most part it has been my experience that many of the problems enlisted people (as well as officers) suffer are due to their own stupidity.
I can't tell you how many soldiers I see buy a $30,000 SUV like a Ford Expedition, put $4000 worth of wheels on it, buy a bigscreen TV, stereo system, and cellular phones (all on credit), then they wonder why they are on food stamps and have no money.
Of course, many soldiers do everything right and still have problems, but it's important to avoid lumping the two together and declaring an emergency. In truth, our enlisted pay problems could be largely solved by a substantial increase in housing allowances, a significant percentage of which would still be recieved by those soldiers living on post to help with misc. living expenses.
I'm sure you'll agree that we need leaders who will tell it like it is. That cuts both ways. While I agree that you have some valid points, I cannot accept that they are as wide-spread or severe as you imply. To paint military life as you have with such a broad stroke does a disservice to those who are trying to change the military for the better.