[Dan Evans]

While I'm reading this I'm think, "Sometimes little things really, really piss me off". But then I think, "Maybe there is a reason we expect high standards of honesty in the military services. Maybe the armed forces are the very, very last arm of government that we should allow the slightest speck of corruption to exist. Maybe we should apply the same standards to the Pentagon that those housing inspectors apply to a urine-stained carpet -- if it stinks, get rid of it!"

[bayourod]

Another area of extreme corruption is in purchasing for military commissaries and exchanges. The military gets goods that can't be sold to civilian stores.

[niteowl77]

Even while continuing to blur the line between being concerned about important things and being a bitchy old maid about nuisances, David Hackworth manages a nice, big subjective urine stain or two of his own in this article.

I suppose I should lighten up... it's just that I'm still waiting for him to demand absolute and total shame from JF-in'K over that silver star "V" device.

(insert solitary chirping cricket sound)

[headsonpikes]

Every institution of government since the Dawn of History has exhibited these same tendencies.

What boggles me is that given that historical fact, people still want to entrust government with yet more societal tasks.

Governments always tend towards socialism and corruption. Chisel that in stone.

[mountaineer]

Memo to Hackworth: Other men have served longer and more distinguished careers in the U.S. military than you. Shut up, already.

[SmithL]

It's not just the O-Gangers that get ripped off. When we left Pearl Harbor, a lot of married enlisted guys on the boat had outrageous cleaning bills, for really petty items. The only thing that saved me was being inspected late in the day on New Years Eve day. The inspector sure didn't want to be there, and he certainly didn't want to come back. I paid my $37 and gave a little prayer of thanks for small blessings.

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

If the brass can't remember the hard lessons of the Vietnam War, with its many scary parallels to our bloody quagmire in Iraq

Shove it Hack. We learned our lesson and that's why we rolled over Afghanistan and Iraq. Further if you think this is a quagmire you're nuts, if not you're an ass and a liar for writing it.

[OldSmaj]

...service members are forced to use the post's or base's preferred cleaning team. No amount of do-it-yourself scrubbing will pass the housing inspector's crooked white-glove inspection.

Bullcrap.

I've lived in quarters from Fort Rucker, Al to Fort Hood, TX and a few overseas.

We never hired a team and we passed inspection first time, every time.

Perhaps, the fact that I was an MP had something to do with it, but I doubt it, since I was departing the post, and obviously not going to be around to influence anything or anyone.

If you clean in accordance with the instructions given, no one can argue with it.

Hackworth is a hack.