[jwalsh07]

"We've become too specialized," said General Byrnes, the head of Training and Doctrine Command here. "Ask a junior enlisted who they are, and they'll tell you, `I'm a mechanic,' not I'm a soldier. We need to change that culturally in the Army."

So beginning next year for soldiers and in three years for officers, the Army plans to formally inculcate what it calls a "warrior ethos" throughout the ranks.

General Byrnes seems to get it.

[AmericaUnited]

Huh? This makes so much sense it's scary.

[PatrioticAmerican]

So, first we let little girls into the ranks of front line troops, calling them "non-combatants", now we call them "combatants".

This was predicted years ago when the issue was first raised. First, call then "non-combatants" then switch the title. Social experiment concluded: Women are now in combat.

[Hugin]

A reaction to the Jessica Lynch incident?

[Prof Engineer]

And, he said, it is time the Army borrowed a lesson from the Marines.

This is right up yer alley.

[Bogey78O]

'So beginning next year for soldiers and in three years for officers, the Army plans to formally inculcate what it calls a "warrior ethos" throughout the ranks.'

Anyone see the humor there?

[Natural Law]

As one who spent time in combat arms in Vietnam and time in a technical MOS afterward I can attest to the severe drop off in warrior ethos in the army in rear echelon (REMF) troops. The current move is long over due. Not since the end of the Korean conflict have we had a sustained traditional battle-line conflict. This should just be the beginning, there are many functions like cook, mechanic (reporter like Al Gore) that can and should be done by civilian contractors.

[joesnuffy]

back door Waccowitch (Dacowits) mooove...

Disband and cut off tax payers dollars to this wacco bunch of bovine tyranical gynosaurus femanazis NOW - imo

DACOWITS

[Congressman Billybob]

Everyone in the Army has to be able to fight.

In December, 1945, my uncle, Col. Arthur Parker, was 30 miles behind the German lines, in charge of a support unit that contained cooks, truck drivers and the like, in a small town in Belgium. Then, the Germans began the Battle of the Bulge.

Within two days, the Germans reached that crossroads in the center of Belgium. Then Col. Parker and his cooks and truck drivers held that town for three days, until the German attack could be broken and thrown back. That town is now known as Parker's Crossroads, and there's a statue there of Col. Parker.

After the war, he returned to Alabama, and became for the balance of his life what he had been before the war, a hard-working dirt farmer.

Yes, everyone who wears the uniform has to be able to fight. Sometimes the fate of wars and nations rests on that simple base.

Congressman Billybob

Latest column, "We Are Running for Congress -- Maybe," discussion thread on FR.

[Dane]

In Hillary's army the motto will be "the person pointing that gun at you is your friend, you have no need for a gun".

[dts32041]

bfl

[Jeff Gordon]

Does this mean the non-infantry that find themselves in combat will not be eligible for the CIB? Should it?

[Cogadh na Sith]

I'm pleased that they recognized the problem and may have a chance of fixing it. I'm sorry the problem ever existed.

[CARepubGal]

The Army is learning from your Corps? About time they did that. Semper Fidelis!

[tophat9000]

Army has too many soldiers who have lost touch with their inner warrior, said Gen. Kevin P. Byrnes, the Army's top training general.

OK first using the terms "lost touch with their inner warrior"... is part of the problem

[JoeSixPack1]

"The question is, do they think they feel like a soldier?"

Feelings?? Fastest way to a body bag. Or did I miss something at NonCom school?

[LibKill]

If they can do this it will multiply their force, as in when the shiite hits the fan they can draw on the cooks and mechanics to fill in.

The problem is what to do with all those female soldiers.

[montag813]

They should just make every single Army recruit go through Parris Island.

[Long Cut]

Let's hope this mindset makes it out to ALL services. When I first reported to Navy Boot Camp in 1993, I was apalled that there was NO instruction or training on the M-16 or M-14 service rifles, OR on the shotguns which Navy people are commonly issued when standing watch on board ship.

Instead, we got to fire two whole magazines through M1911's, which were converted to .22! Oh, and your final score was NOT recorded, and you could "opt out" if shooting bothered you (no one did, fortunately).

We were told that if we needed to be armed heavier, we would recieve appropriate training at that time. It was 6 years before I got to qualify on the Beretta pistol (having over 2,000 rounds through my own .45 helped), and TEN before I was trained on the shotgun, with only ten rounds fired. Good thing I grew up bird-hunting.

Two things: Guess who was President then, and could incidents such as the COLE disaster have been prevented?