Posted on 09/17/2005 8:29:20 AM PDT by DogBarkTree
NAPLES, Italy The Navys message on drug use and alcohol abuse is clear: no second chances.
With the service drawing down its forces, and no worries over meeting retention and recruiting goals, the Navy can afford to be picky about the quality of sailors it keeps around, officials said.
Theyre weeding out the fungus that threatens to infect the services garden of beautiful flowers, said Lt. Cmdr. Tony Kapuschansky, officer-in-charge of the Norfolk, Va.-based Center for Personal Development Detachment, Drug and Alcohol Program Management Activity.
Commanding officers not only are giving the boot to those who violate anti-drug use and alcohol abuse polices, but theyre doing so in the quickest and cheapest way possible through the administrative separation process, Kapuschansky said.
That means commanding officers have the discretion to forego lengthier and costlier courts-martial, in order to expedite a sailors removal.
Wheres the justice in that? Kapuschansky said. The justice is: how would you like to stand watch with someone who was high?
Sailors seem to be aware that they stand to lose so much a guaranteed income, housing allowance, and health care benefits if they violate policies, Kapuschansky said.
Navy officials report a steady decrease in the number of sailors testing positive for drugs, even as the number of tests has risen. In fiscal 2001, of the 799,537 samples taken, 6,251 yielded positive results. In the first seven months of fiscal 2005, nearly 1.4 million samples yielded 3,841 positive results.
Marijuana is the most popular abused drug, accounting for 55 percent of the positive hits, followed by cocaine at 21 percent, methamphetamine at 19 percent, Ecstasy at 3 percent and other drugs at 2 percent.
Youth is no excuse for violating the rules, Kapuschansky said. If an 18- or 19-year-old sailor, for example, can be trusted to man multi-million dollar weapon systems, he or she can be trusted to follow drug and alcohol policies.
Do drugs, even once, and youre out, he said.
Alcohol is a legal substance, but sailors are expected to drink responsibly and never drive after drinking, he said at this weeks Navy Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention summit at Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy. NADAP officials are taking the Navy message to the fleet in a series of summits held globally.
The policy itself isnt new, just officials repetition of the message, said Tim Suich, Navy Personnel Commands legal representative.
The target population of possible drug users in the Navy has been defined as males who are E-3 and below, have 2½ years of service or less, are 19 to 22 years of age, with an average of 14 to 24 months onboard their first duty station, and are nonwarfare qualified, according to Navy documents.
But they arent the only violators, and even senior sailors should beware, Suich warned. There is no such thing as sanctuary for those with 18 to 20 years of service behind them, and the days of commanders turning a blind eye or cutting a break to lifers are over, he said.
The warning sits just fine with Petty Officer 1st Class Herb Scott, the drug-and-alcohol prevention representative for his Naples unit of Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station, or NCTAMS.
When I first came in, there seemed to be a lot of dead weight, said the sailor with 12 years in. Now, theyre not just letting anyone in and thats a good thing. Now we have people who take care of their responsibilities, do their jobs
and others dont have to pick up their slack.
Back in the early 80s there were pot-partys on base...a legacy of the 60s NCOs, it amazing what went on back then....This is of course anecnotal from what I saw when Air Force and Army mixed...
It's getting to be like the old, old Army (I was in the old Army). And that's a good thing. He had a SSG in his platoon in A-Stan who had made a mistake a few years ago and went from E-6 to E-4 and was back up to E-6. My son says he's a good man.
Mail comin' at ya.
I take it you haven't served.
BTTT
Sounds like a real cushy job. I've done 20 years active duty and spent more than half of it at sea.
>Yeah, the North would have finished the Civil War sooner without that ole drunk U.S. Grant.
What was the story (perhaps apocryphal) about Lincoln, regarding Grant? Something along the lines about upon being told Grant was a drunk, Lincoln asking what he was drinking, so he could send cases to his other generals. . .
A phrase that is hard to take. Using a term like that during my time in the U.S.Navy could have gotten one booted out.
Same here.
Garden of beautiful flowers?? Sounds pretty gay to me.
Sounds like the Navy's really changed (I retired in 97)
I've even heard they did away with thing like Shellback initiations. When I went through it back in 87, shillelaghs were put in good use.
Tailhook 91 killed the Traditional US Navy. All of the drunk OFFICERS(NO ENLISTED) were replace by WIMPS, WUSSIES, FEMALES and CRYBABIES!
We cannot surivive with future politicians allowed to remain in the service once discovered.
This all happened during Der Schlickmeister's Asministration.
Although there will always be exceptions to the rule, a kid who could not tell a girl "no" to cocaine, even though he knew the potential consequences is not someone I would want on my flank.
He lacks strength and personal courage. Never let this kid around classified information of any kind. And yes, I was young, dumb, and full of *** once myself. I, however, did not take the toke of the joint when the girl asked me to.
I mean administration (dang typos).
Tailhook 91 didn't! There was a serious downward spiral in the US Miltary on Pres Reagan left and "Pres" Bush 41 "took over". 41 was not up to the task for alot of things(bet you can't even think what I think of Klintoon and 42% of the "American People(morans)"), the military being one of them. Pres Bush 43 has not went deep and fired "General" and "Admiral" Politicians(officers). If 2/3 of the "Flags" were fired then I think that the military would be alot on it's way to rightening itself.
During Reagan, we had one of the best SECNAV's (John Lehman).
Also, during Kintoon, lots of old traditions were being gradually done away with (like Shellback and CPO initiations), since it is now considered "hazing".
I joined in 1976. Don't lay this one squarely on Jimmy. Don't get me wrong he was a horrible POTUS but I think your memory is a little off on a few things related to timelines.
In very early 1977 all the conditions you listed were true. But who was the previous Sec of Defense? Was it not actually Rummy?
I went onboard my ship in early Febuary 1977. Not one single Bosuns whistle was heard. Not at the yards, NOB, or anywhere from any ship. In late 79 they were Navy wide loud and clear. Morale in 77 was zilch and discipline was a joke as well. Yea I remember the crappy dress blue uniform too. But I got out in October of 1980.
A couple of months before I got out in 80 our divison officer pulled a sea bag inspection. I did not have my Cracker Jacks and had done sent my old issued uniform home as I was under 60 days to EAOS and we were still in overhaul in Portsmouth. I had to buy a uniform and it was the cracker jack because I still have it.
From late 79 on through my seperation the division retention chief taunted me with re-enlistment incentives. I was offered MM2, $15,000 and reduced sea rotation if I would sign up again. Also keep in mind that in 1977 all you had to do to get out was walk away for 30 days and report in elsewhere for a discharge. Remember that? Carter ended that as well. You got a BCD, plus you had to do you AWOL and remaining service time as well. If you did decide you made a mistake in most cases an enlistment extension after you got squared away would earn your your Honorable DC again.
Carter's Navy was by no means a piece of cake but the man did in fact start the process of change that Reagan built upon. It was Carter who had Fleet Reserve Chiefs volunteer to return ifrom late 79 on and restore morale, tradition, and discipline. My last chief was such. He came onboard in mid 80.
As bad as things got at times we never missed a deployment, we never flunked INSURV, ORE, PEB, or failed Light Offs. Remember also the physical requirements? How about mandatory drug testing? That started under Carter also. Been there did that. I remember that also.
I was on the east coast out of NORVA. Sorry but placing the entire blame on the 70's Navy woes on Carter is like placing the blame for the USS AMERICA being conventional on Sec of Defense McNamara. It just wasn't so as these conditions in both cases existed before they took over.
I'm not flaming you and don't mean it that way at all. I'm just saying what happened. I was shipboard from Feb 77-Oct 80 ships company. I remember the good and the bad. I remember manpower shortages and shortages in some supplies. I remember canceled schools also. But we stayed mission ready through it all.
Not supporting / encouraging drug / alcohol abuse, but how does this rack up against don't ask don't tell for sodomy?
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