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.

[Poohbah]

Can you give us the Fed. Regulation number or Code section that you are referring to?

No, he can't.

[Darksheare]

Really?
How would you react to being told by your Captain that you're lying about teh death of your only child- that you weren't at her funeral, didn't see her in a casket and by the way we're AWOLing you for being at a non-existaent funeral?
Oh, and the funeral was real and I could prove it, even had a death certificate.

This on top of the same Cptain doing something similar to teh LTC in teh article.
Letting stuff pile up and tehn geeking teh troops.
Stand up real quick. That popping sound will be the sound of your head coming from your forepoints of contact.

[Darksheare]

My former Captain has a black mark in his record, on top of my unit being reflagged, shut down, and moved to Queensborough.
How's that for insult to injury?

I always get 'edgy' when I see something that looks like someone is screwing the troops. Especially considering the crap my unit and myself went through under that captain.

[flyer182]

May guess is that you had developed a reputation for being a pain in the butt and of dubious character. Once you had a real problem your command was influenced by your poor past actions. Shouldn't have mattered that you were such a slacker. Why did you not call the red cross? And before you said step-daughter, not only child. Horrible situation. What does that have to do with garbage in kuwait? Sorry about your past but you are stretching way out of reason. If you whined this hard about garbage no wonder a slow witted CO made such a mistake and was unable to trust you when you needed it.

[Darksheare]

Actually, no.
Everyone from the First Seargent on down said I was an outstanding troop, even sent a letter to the Major saying so.
I take it that you didn't get it teh first time, and that your understanding isn't what it should be.
Here, read:
http://www.th-record.com/archive/2000/12/30/bsnfatal.htm

http://www.th-record.com/archive/2000/12/31/obituaries.html

[Tailback]

Well after 4 years active army and another 10 army guard I decided to try a branch of service that treats it's people like adults. Maybe when you grow up you can try it also.

[Darksheare]

"May guess is that you had developed a reputation for being a pain in the butt and of dubious character."
Up until the death of my daughter, I never missed a drill unless I was outstandingly sick.
I trained people who were supposed to replace me on advanced party. (Field artillery, somewhat different from what you're used to.)
Everyone that I trained up were promoted to seargent or ended up chiefing in FDC or filled seargent slots while still in lower ranks.

Doesn't that reflect on the one who trained them?

"And before you said step-daughter, not only child."
I also said that I can't have children of my own.
My step-daughter was the only child I'll ever have, and for all intents and purposes she was my daughter.
You may want to try and nitpick that all you want, but she called me "Father."
She also said, and I firmly believe, "There are no 'steps' in the family except those on the front porch."
You have no idea what it's like to never be able to have children.
Buy a clue and listen to me on it, if you don't hear anything else.

"What does that have to do with garbage in kuwait?"
Here, let me spell it out for your low wattage vacuum tubes:
Officer does not care for troops.
Officer does not perform tasks that are his to perform, I.E. does not make sure that there are enough trash bins present nor does he call Logpac to make sure nothing piles up.
Officer geeks the troops instead of redeeming the situation.

That is what my former Captain did.
My former Captain preferred those who kissed up to him.
I didn't.
I told it like it was.
You see, this was under the idiocy of Bill Clinton, and our units budget was cut back by 50%, then a further 75%.
We had no budget for spare parts, so if something broke, it didn't get fixed.
Instead of taking it up with those in charge, the Captain ragged on us about it.
You have no idea what it's like to bury your only child and be told that you didn't.
You have no idea what it's like to have a Captain that is an embarrassment to teh uniform.
He got us 'killed' several times during AT because he got into a Peeing contest with the OC's and HQ.
Then he had a tantrum on US because he lost.

I jumped the chain of command and spoke directly to the Major.
Especially since the Captain decided that since in his fantasy world I didn't bury my step-daughter, that bereavement leave wasn't needed.
No, he was going to AWOL me for being at a funeral, that I was already excused for, and could prove it.
Why don't you actually read what's in front of you.
As far as being a slacker, I guess that you're remembering getting slick legged by the flightmaster.

"If you whined this hard about garbage no wonder a slow witted.."
No, I didn't whine this hard about garbage.
I'm trying to get you to understand something obviously way beyond your potential to grasp.
Follow carefully, The LTC is in charge.
The LTC makes sure there are enough garbage bins.
The LTC is supposed ot make sure Logpac makes it's rounds to pick up things so that piles DO NOT form.
Which of the above obviously didn't happen from reading the initial article?

We had a soldier have a heart attack IN THE FIELD, and honest to God heart attack.
The Captain refused to medevac him.
The XO went over his head and did it himself.
Now, how trustworthy is a Captain that does that?

We had a soldier whose son ended up in the hospital with a 104 degree fever. He was excused from drill to be with his son.
The Captain decided arbitrairily to revoke it.
But didn't bother telling said soldier to appear at the formation.
How trustworthy is that Captain?

You seem to like defending bad P!$$poor officers, maybe you were one yourself.

[CWOJackson]

You really should try decaf.

[CWOJackson]

"My patience is wearing thin with you..."

Matches your understanding of ranks and rates, thin and disappearing fast. Cry me a river next time.

[Eagle Eye]

Matches your understanding of ranks and rates, thin and disappearing fast. Cry me a river next time.

Hey, chiefy, if you could read with understanding, you'd know that I'm not referring to differences in ranks, but in duty positions. Rather like the fact that for a long time in the Army warrants had no command authority and could not administer USMJ. I now personally know of a situation where the most senior officer of a unit is not the commander.

When guys like you think you know it all it leads to the second false assumption that no one else knows anything.

It's probably good that you got in early when the mirror test was prevalent so that you wouldn't have to pass the ASVAB. Undoubtedly one of McNamara's 100,000.

[CWOJackson]

"When guys like you think you know it all it leads to the second false assumption that no one else knows anything."

In your case no one need make any assumptions, you demonstrate your ignorance at world class levels.

[CWOJackson]

Aw, what the heck, why not:

"Hey, chiefy, if you could read with understanding, you'd know that I'm not referring to differences in ranks, but in duty positions."

The real factor here is your inability to understand that regardless of method of commission, all the officers serving in theater (which is their place of duty) are on active duty and, by law, those junior to them are subject to their orders. That is both a fact of law and of rank.

"Rather like the fact that for a long time in the Army warrants had no command authority and could not administer USMJ."

Which might have some bearing on Army "history" but absolutely no bearing on today. It might shock you to know that Coast Guard warrant officers are actually commissioned and that a significant number of commanding officers in the Coast Guard are warrants and have been for many years.

"I now personally know of a situation where the most senior officer of a unit is not the commander."

So? It's very common, particularly when you have reservists performing their annual active duty. They are often senior, by law, to those who do in fact have command authority over them, yet there are clear distinctions between command authority and rank. I've yet to see a situation where all didn't handle it in a mature manner. It's even more common with Executive Officers.

"It's probably good that you got in early when the mirror test was prevalent so that you wouldn't have to pass the ASVAB."

It must be awfully embarrassing for you to have not been able to rise to any rank of significance even with such low standards; missed your chance. I'm sure glad that the Coast Guard maintained it's own tests and standards, otherwise we might have actually had to suffer fools like you.

"Undoubtedly one of McNamara's 100,000."

Naw, just for five years and up to SSgt but I'm glad to say there is a whole new breed of trooper in the Army today...as for their warrants, they would use you for a toothpick, even the reserve ones.

[flyer182]

The AF is famous for it's treatment of it's member. I am sure that you are doing great know that you are treated like an adult.

[flyer182]

Well. Now that you seem to grasp what it is like to have your reputation placed in question over something that little is known about, maybe you should stop doing it to others. Of course you chose to make it a forum over a Captain you used to work for. Seek help.

[Darksheare]

How about this:
The LTC is in charge.
The LTC is supposed to make sure there are enough trash bins there for teh volume of troops.
The article states that there aren't that many trash bins.
Now who does THAT reflect on?

Besides, you saw the articles on my step-daughter's death.
There was enough info put out.
You just never listened.
You really aughta pull your head out of your forepoints of contact.
The methane seems to be affecting you.

[Darksheare]

You seem to have no grasp as to what a bad officer is.
Think General Shinseki.

[flyer182]

Call a whambulance, you need it. Hope someday you can get past your Captain. How sad to let someone else define your charecter.

[Darksheare]

I hope sopmeday an actual thought will dawn on you.
Have a nice day.

[flyer182]

And I think highly of you too. Good Luck

[Darksheare]

I love you too.
*smooch*