Messy camp costs troops calls to home (kuwait)

gomemphis.com ^ | 20 APR 03 | By Cox News Service

[KineticKitty]

Messy camp costs troops calls to home

By Cox News Service

April 20, 2003

CAMP UDAIRI, Kuwait - On the eve of Easter, Fort Hood's sons and daughters couldn't call home from this miserable desert outpost because the place has been declared too messy.

The perhaps aptly named "Mayor" Bosse closed the phone tent "until further notice" and created an uproar among thousands of 4th Infantry Division troops waiting here for convoys into Iraq.

Dubbed the mayor because he is in charge of administering the camp, Mayor Bosse is actually Lt. Col. Peter Bosse, a reserve officer from Minneapolis, Minn.

It's not as though this is a scenic site. There is no vegetation - only sand and rocks and tents and tanks and Humvees and soldiers. There are also very few trash cans. Litter consists mostly of empty plastic water bottles.

The trash piles are possible breeding grounds for rodents and fire hazards, Bosse said.

The phone tent opened only a couple of days ago. Lines for a call home are hours long but soldiers willingly wait to hear the voices of loved ones.

Bosse said when the camp is clean, the phone tent will "absolutely" re-open immediately.

"I suspect that will happen soon," said Bosse.

[Krodg]

I didn't notice this on the first read..

The phone tent opened only a couple of days ago.

They gave them a bonus and then look what happened....

Lines for a call home are hours long but soldiers willingly wait to hear the voices of loved ones.

Who was doing their duty???

Bosse said when the camp is clean, the phone tent will "absolutely" re-open immediately.

Good grief... who made the mess? Sounds like they were waiting in line for concert tickets and dumped their trash on the ground so they wouldn't leave their place in line..

"I suspect that will happen soon," said Bosse.

Sounds like they were given a privilege that they abused once... won't happen again on his watch....

[Illbay]

I'm afraid the original poster was presenting what I consider to be the "typically female viewpoint."

[Krodg]

Yea, an RPG zooming at you can provide a remarkable amount of motivation.

True ... and God bless the leaders that keep our troops ready.

[PatrioticAmerican]

""typically female viewpoint.""

You mean phone calls to firends over duty?? Say it ain't so!

[PatrioticAmerican]

"If you want to complain about the command in this issue, that's great... but please leave off the religious excuse."

Needs repeating. Just because it was Easter doesn't mean that their duties should suffer. Besides, how many were contacting their families and friends out of concern for Jesus?

[Darksheare]

Illbay.. I, a former soldier, can tell you that this is the case.

Family support doesn't do anything, the left over brass that was 'frocked' under Clinton still tries their darndest to screw the troops over. (I am speaking from experience.)
No-one wants to be bothered taking care of the troops.
The ones who DO take care of their troops get panned.
Rule one is that you do not require your troops to perform a task that you yourself would not do.
Rule two is that you take care of your troops.
That LTC didn't do that.
Logpac is supposed to come and pickup trash.
Obviously, they didn't.
So much so that the bottles piled up.
That's on the LTC's head, not the troops.
The LTC is supposed to make sure Logpac knows they're needed and gets there.
He's the guy in charge there, it's HIS problem.

This has nothing to do with 'towing a load' and 'highschool', this is about simple basic taking care of the troops.
If you do not understand that, but instead want to flame our troops, that's too bad.
"Oh, the whiners do, the ones who think they have a right to privileges..." "...but most understand that they signed up for the MILITARY."

So, all those troops in that camp are whiners?

[Illbay]

So, all those troops in that camp are whiners?

I seriously doubt that all the troops complained.

[Darksheare]

Just responding to your post #4.
That IS what you said.
If that's not what you meant, do clarify it please.

[Darksheare]

Illbay, the LTC is supposed to make sure Logpac is called to take away the trash.
That's on the heads of the senior officers and NCO's.
Has nothing to do with policing one's AO.

[flyer182]

Where in the article did this come out about Logpac?

[Darksheare]

Trash removal is by Logpac.
The LTC is supposed to call Logpac to make sure the trash is removed so that it doesn't pile up.
He didn't do that, apparently.
Heisn't doing his job, so he takes it out on the troops.
Sounds like my old Captain.
"Very few garbage cans"

That LTC better get his head outta his keister and make sure that is remedied quickly and that Logpac makes a showing.

[Darksheare]

My question is "Where was Logpac to pick up the trash?" and "Why were bottles 'allowed to pile up' in the first place?"

The LTC, since he's in charge of the camp, is supposed to maske sure that Logpac is notified to come and get the trash.
If that wasn't done, that's his problem.

[Darksheare]

I am a former soldier.
Logpac is teh guys who are supposed to come and get teh trash.
Not in the article.
But that's procedure.
The guy in charge is supposed to stay up on that.
I was in artillery, and Logpac had to come and get our dunnage and trash.
If they didn't, it was usually because one of our higher ups screwed up.
Hope that explains it for you.

[Darksheare]

teh = the.

[sit-rep]

Why are you upset? He thought the place was un-sat. End of story. Clean the place up and you'll get the phones back...

That is the way it is in the military. If you want to blame anyone for this, blame the E-6's and E-7's. They should have been on top of it...especially in base camp.

[Darksheare]

The LTC is in charge, yes.
However, if there aren't enough garbage cans, and things have piled up -then it's time to call Logpac to come and get the trash.
Obviously, since things piled up, that hasn't happened.
That's on the LTC's head.

Why screw the troops when it's his own fault?

[sit-rep]

Do you have any idea how often this happened to me? Not justa phone call, but R&R in general? This is a military tactic! It happens all the time for a variety of reasons. You do not get upset about it, you don't right your Congressman about it, you don't have a mutiny over it. You deal with it and carry on.

For these guys to get phones secured, from the 4th, who just got there, DEAL WITH IT!! How the hell ya think the guys up in the 1st or 3rd feel? You think they got to call home when they wanted to? You're in the military for Christ sake!

[sit-rep]

right = write...sorry.

[Darksheare]

I was in artillery.
I know.
But we got screwed because the CAPTAIN didn't do his job.
This happened several times until our LTC got wind of it and stomped him flat.
The article sounds like Logpac wasn't called.
The bottles piled up, and the lack of garbage cans doesn't help at all.
If the LTC really wants to make a good showing, he'd remedy both situations PDQ.
Unless he's a Clinton style 'frocked' officer who is only interested in screwing the troops any way he can.
I've met way too many of those.