How I see today's Army

My discouraged self | CENTVRIO EQVITVM

[CENTVRIO EQVITVM]

I know, I know, don't make a rant your first post.

From the inside of the institution looking out.

[CENTVRIO EQVITVM]

hellooo.

[Pete53]

The Army has taken Politically Correct to a higher level.

[CENTVRIO EQVITVM]

I wrote this years ago and have only had to update it recently.

[91B]

Bump for your first post.

Oh, and as you were :-)

[razorback-bert]

A Bump and Call.

[skip2myloo]

As "they" say: "Been there - done that."

The obvious question arises, "What are Americans going to do to fix it?"

The U.S. military (not just the Army) has already gone way too far over the hill to fix itself.

Our Federal Government can not/will not fix it -- they are the ones responsible for creating this subservient olio of politically correct incompetence.

Alas, considering your allusion to the Roman Cohorts, I fear America and it's remarkable society are also doomed. This IS the period of rapid decline.

[BlueLancer]

There is now a marked similarity to the Vietnam '70's attitude in the officer corps about ticket punching and CYA. The similarity even extends to the berets. When I first joined the 1st Cav Div here at Fort Hood during that time, the Cav all wore black berets with our khakis and Class A's (except for some units who insisted on wearing the black Stetsons .. 7th Cav comes to mind). Although I am still a DoD employee, I'm glad I only had to go through that one time. I grow very uncomfortable viewing the majority of the newest crop of soldiers.

12th Cavalry - The Blue Lancers

[SunStar]

The obvious question arises, "What are Americans going to do to fix it?"

Yeah. I thought "Help was On The Way"... I haven't seen any help yet.

[Pete53]

12th Cavalry - The Blue Lancers

Curious as to where you were stationed?

3rd Armor 12th CAV 1968-70

[Cogadh na Sith]

Ugh... Too true.

I left in late 95 as a young Captain. Supposedly one's 'best years' in the Army. It was hell. I was so tired of being micromanaged to death. I was so sick of PowerPoint briefings with the attendant bells and whistles. All show and no go.

Junior leaders and soldiers expect that their superiors will unhesitatingly sell them out for personal advantage.

This point is particularly true.

I'm a 'part-timer' in the Nasty Guard now (after swearing I would never put a GD uniform on again).

Now I'm an E-5 (no officer slots in what I wanted to do)-- I'm having fun for a change and completely DGAF. I did not have a second though about resigning my comission....

[BlueLancer]

I was assigned to Company C, 2/12 Cav, 1st Cav Div, in early '75 upon its return to Fort Hood for reconstitution after the battalion had been pretty much shot to pieces. At the time, no one was sure whether the unit would be going back to Vietnam or not and so, initially, the unit was training as AirCav and I personally as a doorgunner and dismounted M60 machinegunner. The Battalion SGM was an E-7 and my First Sergeant was an E-5; the Company Commander was a Captain being medically discharged for his wounds and we had no other officers in the company.

When it was determined that the unit wasn't going back to Vietnam, they took away our helicopters and made us mech infantry (Heavy Cav) ... what a let down.

So, to be honest, I don't know whether or not we were in the "same unit" or not (although I guess, technically, your unit could be written as 3/12 Cav).

[Chemnitz]

I find this post very disturbing, especially because I hear about the same things going on in industry. I know it is true about all denominations. The ONLY church leaders who get ahead are hopelessly corrupt liars. Your post is another example of the meltdown of all institutions. I believe the parallel with Viet Nam is there because that conflict broke down (although we won) from the self-indulgent Baby Boomer attitude of the time. Then we made a tragic mistake in electing a president and co-president who exemplied the worst of the 1960's. The virus has spread rapidly.

[KitJ]

Have faith. The lump of Boomers moving through the ranks (now about O-5/O-6+) is thankfully retiring.

While their are still good leaders at high levels, it seems the 'middlin'-high' ones are largely self-serving and rotten.

What's coming up now through the officer ranks (O-1 - O-3) holds promise. The older gen-Xers (young O-4s) are the buffer, and the gen-Yers are the next hope.

They do care for the country and the Army institutions, I think, much more so than the boomers who cared about the country and institution only as far as it would serve them. (hmmmm....legacy builders, where have we seen that lately?)

As for the NCOs, they'll team with the younger officers in order to return to the days of making decisions at the lowest possible level. Many NCOs are disappointed in the responsibilities they are given, and rightly so. What used to be a buck sergeant's decision is now made by a Captain, who has to make a powerpoint brief to an LTC before anything can be done!

Just a few more years and I don't think that will be the case. My prediction is that the new crop of leaders will be refreshingly no-nonsense.

Hang in there...

Kit.

[BlueLancer]

""To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;""

I've seen this used before on different threads and know that this is the constitutional restriction.

However, as the Congress makes the Defense appropriation every year, it would seem to me .. absent anything other than the words on its face .. that this falls well within this restriction.

In other words, the "Appropriation of Money to that Use" is made every year; the Constitution requires that it be made within every two years. What's the problem?

[harpseal]

I got oout of the USN in September 1971 with the rank of chief radioman. What you state makes me both sad and angry although I thank you for stating it. SLB has often made similar comments as have many others from Army. Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard have made similar comments about their services. Unless the situation turns arround and rapidly people will die needlessly. many died in Vietnam needlessly because of the garrison attitude you describe here.

Thank you for this post. The rant needs to be heard.

Stay well - Yorktown

[harpseal]

Thanks for the flag.

Stay well - Yorktown