Posted on 05/27/2021 4:49:04 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
For Stephanie Davis, who grew up with little, the military was a path to the American dream, a realm where everyone would receive equal treatment. She joined the service in 1988 after finishing high school in Thomasville, Georgia, a small town said to be named for a soldier who fought in the War of 1812.
Over the course of decades, she steadily advanced, becoming a flight surgeon, commander of flight medicine at Fairchild Air Force Base and, eventually, a lieutenant colonel.
But many of her service colleagues, Davis says, saw her only as a Black woman. Or for the white resident colleagues who gave her the call sign of ABW – it was a joke, they insisted – an “angry black woman,” a classic racist trope.
White subordinates often refused to salute her or seemed uncomfortable taking orders from her, she says. Some patients refused to call her by her proper rank or even acknowledge her. She was attacked with racial slurs. And during her residency, she was the sole Black resident in a program with no Black faculty, staff or ancillary personnel.
“For Blacks and minorities, when we initially experience racism or discrimination in the military, we feel blindsided,” Davis said. “We’re taught to believe that it’s the one place where everybody has a level playing field and that we can make it to the top with work that’s based on merit.”
In interviews with The Associated Press, current and former enlistees and officers in nearly every branch of the armed services described a deep-rooted culture of racism and discrimination that stubbornly festers, despite repeated efforts to eradicate it.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
As a young E5 Motor Sgt / Platoon Sgt in the late 70s I turned back E4 stripes because they HAD to go to Black soldiers. I had already promoted every Black soldier deserving and refused to promote scumbags I was trying to throw out just to get “White” stripes.
Just above this AP screed we have: “For Native Americans, Harvard and other colleges fall short
5/27/2021, 4:53:52 AM · by Oldeconomybuyer · 3 replies
The Associated Press ^ | May 27, 2021 | By PHILIP MARCELO
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - When Samantha Maltais steps onto Harvard’s....” For AP there is always something wrong with America. Its articles should be shunned like the plague.
Deep rooted b.s. from the AP.
Total Bull Shirt. I was a military brat, grew up in military culture and then spent multiple enlistment in the Navy.
Nope, not a racist culture at all.
Marxists live to create racial divides in those they subjugate.
Total BS...never saw it during my time in.
I’m 63 years old. I have held some color of military ID card for all but six years of that time. I grew up an Air Force brat (orange ID), spent 6 years AD (green ID) and 24 in the reserves (red, then green, then CAC card). I call complete bullshit on this. It sounds to me like she DESERVED her call sign.
Colonel, USAF TJAGCR (Ret)
I entered the Navy in ‘87...the article sounds like complete Bravo Sierra. What I experienced was exactly opposite of what Lt. Col. Davis describes.
The Navy, at least, was hyper-vigilant about discrimination of any kind. I saw reverse-discrimination, as women and minorities were given every break and opportunity, and highly preferred for advancement. The Navy went out of its’ way to help POCs and women...even to the point of lowering standards...to the detriment of better qualified PONCs.
I even observed the race card being thrown down to deflect from poor performance. Commands were so afraid to be accused of racism, a career killer for Commanding Officers, that the rule was if you were accused of any kind of discrimination, you were guilty until and unless you could prove yourself innocent. They would let people skate from accountability, just so they wouldn’t have to deal with the issue on their watch.
The real sad part is, the vast majority of blacks I served with were some of the best people I have ever known. I wouldn’t give a thought about laying down my life for them...such is the essence of a military brotherhood. It was just a few troublemakers. One of the great lessons of life I learned then was how to sit back and read someone’s character...which informs one how to deal and get along with different people, with minimal trouble. Oh how I wish that was a specific subject of military training.
Doc should’ve let everyone know the Gen was a sniveling anxiety-filled coward. Presented to the hospital thinking he was having a heart attack, turned out to be an anxiety attack. What kind of general has an anxiety attack?
Anecdotal incidents are not evidences pf “systemic” causes or conditions.
I see a lot of serious accusations in this article. What I don’t see is evidence.
AP= Associated Pravda
She worked up to Lt Col. Apparently command along the way didn’t throw too many obstacles in her path.
Perhaps she earned the ABW because she was an ABW.
This article does not resemble my experience in the military. While I am not African-American, I am Jewish and in the 1960’s when I served not many of my fellow airmen were co-religionists. I was a medic assigned to a large AF Hospital. The commander of my unit was a Black Lt. Colonel, and one of the nurse Lieutenants, a Viet Nam vet, also was Black. Both Officers were treated with respect, something both had earned. Not even once did I hear anyone make derogatory comments about these Officers because of their race. Rather, among the enlisted, Officers uniformly were seen as good or bad, depending on how they dealt with the troops. Again, nothing to do with race. Finally, as a Jew, and thus a distinct minority, never once did anyone attack me for my religious beliefs. So, in my view the AP article is just another effort by the Left to destroy and then remake our military into a “woke” organization.
I was in the Navy for 21 years and experienced just the opposite. Minorities always got preferential treatment.
The article is pure BS and this Col should be ashamed of herself for participating in it. It says a lot about her, none of it good. I am willing to bet she is a poor leader, and piss poor mentor. She saw racism where there was actually contempt for her as a leader. The military is the most diverse, non-racists institution in the United States.
I have roomed with men of all colors, ethnicity's and religions. We laughed at each other's stereotypes and we protected each other against real racism from the outside. I was training a group of Marines and Sailors. music was playing and I told the white Marines they were embarrassing me because they had no rhythm. Everyone started laughing, try that around a group of civilians. I once offered a black Sailor who worked for me a piece of Japanese gum, named “Black Black.” He looked at me held up the stick of gum and said “Chiefs, are you trying to tell me something?” The look on my face must have been priceless, because he laughed about it all day. We could joke like that because we knew there was no racism involved. Try it today and you will be pilloried by the new woke leadership.
More Lib BS.
““angry black woman,” a classic racist trope.”
Racist maybe, but not incorrect.
AP = Always Propaganda
Having served with colored people, orientals and unmarried women during my tours of duty, the only prejudice I ever observed was against those silly civilians who tried to disrupt our mission.
Promotion was by merit, by test scores, and by the needs of the military. No consideration was given to hardship, looks, marital status or level of education you might have achieved.
Equality was never on the plate for discussion, of course. You want equality then stay out of the military, where RHIP and always has.
Davis said. “We’re taught to believe that it’s the one place where everybody has a level playing field and that we can make it to the top with work that’s based on merit.”
That was probably true 50 years ago, when I was in the Navy. It isn’t anymore, thanks to liberal agendas.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.