Indiscipline??

Monday morning at 0530 this week one of my favorite things happened. The Brigade Sergeant Major had a "talk" with the NCOs of the two companies here to discuss soldier "indiscipline." It was the standard speech outlining all the various things that occur and that soldiers do which is unacceptable behavior etc, with the basic premise being that it is the fault of the NCOs.

It is our fault because we don't watch them closely enough, we don't rigidly enforce standards, we don't get involved enough in their lives, we don't walk through the barracks enough etc. Basically the NCOs are failures and responsible for the lack of individual discipline within the ranks.

These types of speeches and accusations make me angry, and are disturbing to me on several levels, and I do in fact take them personally. Let me outline why, and perhaps readers can comment as to whether or not I am wrong.

The problem in a nutshell is accountability and individual responsibility. I disagree with the senior leadership's claims that this problems are systemic and related to low level leadership failures for this reason. Specifically, holding soldiers accountable IMMEDIATELY for their actions.

In today's US Army I have to generate such a tremendous amount of paperwork before a soldier will be punished, removed from service, or otherwise corrected that it becomes a training and mission distractor to start the process. I can't get my command (NCO or Officer chain) to support my recommendations and decisions regarding these soldiers, and therefore it becomes useless for me to try.

Instead of my training and experience being the deciding factor in the recommendation for UCMJ or other punishment, and or removal from service, I am asked what I did to rehabilitate these soldiers, and I am told that I am to hard on them, and I am "picking on them."

The argument is always presented that these soldiers cost a great deal to train and get into the Army, and that every effort should be made to make them soldier. The problem is this: Daily there are more restrictions placed on our authority, and more rights granted to the soldier. The soldiers word is often taken above the NCOs, and therefore no motivation to behave properly.

The more time I have to spend correcting a poor soldier, those that daily demonstrate they don't want to comply, is that much less time I have to spend training quality soldiers who do display the motivation and desire to be a soldier.

Post free staff duty

Well, as everyone may have guessed, I wasn't able to get any posting done. Unlike the rest of the Army, here when you have Staff Duty, its like being on extra duty, for all of the details and other BS you are required to do while on duty.

Apparently the staff at the group HQ is incapable of taking care of their own facilities and offices. Neat.

Staff Duty

Remeber the post about staff duty? The hours, lack of sleep, lack of coffee etc? Well, here I am again, and I'm not liking it at all. Perhaps I'll get a few posts in. More to follow, stay tuned.

Hopelessness

Well, once again the closer we get to Christmas, the more hopeless I begin to feel. I think I am doomed to be unable to have any successful relationships in my life. I don't even have a good relationship with my young children. I desperately want to have a more involved relationship with them, I'm just not sure how to do it. So many other things get in the way.

Many of the things that interfere are being done on their behalf, such as employment and advancement. I want them to grow up needing for nothing. This world is hard, and more so when you are forced to pass through it alone. Why can I not just have a few things be simple and easy in my life. I'm exhausted now.

Racism?

After having read the comments from several people including my favorite but apparently overly sensitive Kenyan fan, I scoured my entire blog, reading and re-reading it, in an effort to find and remove the offending racist items. I found none. I find no example or evidence of racism in any form,from posted comments OR the main body of my blog. I have determined this is a typical liberal and leftist response when confronted with what I like to call "Facts"

The entertaining thing is; he commented to an entirely unrelated post in which I was apologizing to some friends whom I feared I may have offended in word or deed, having nothing to do with politics whatsoever. It turns out that none of the friends for whom the post was intended were in any way offended, however it became apparent that my Kenyan friend was both threatened and offended.

All I can say in response to that is this: I am not a politically correct person, I believe political correctness causes more harm and ambiguity than good, and that belief has proven itself out in more than 12 years of military service. That being said, while it is regrettable that I have offended or hurt someone's feelings with any of my words, I am not sorry, nor will I stop posting facts.

The beauty of using factual information when making a point or argument is that it can be verified through researching sources in places other than my blog, and therefore making them impossible to dispute. Having said that, I fail to see or understand what travel warnings to Kenya or Nairobi issued by the US State Department have to do with his inability or difficulty to find employment within his own country.

It is neither the fault nor the responsibility of the United States Government that there are serious corruption problems within the government there, however it is a fact. It is also a fact that the United States keeps the United Nations afloat, and in fact provides 22 percent of the operating budget for the UN. No other country does that.

I will close by saying this: You are indeed entitled to your views and opinions, and may post where you choose. However, it is offensive, and you demonstrate your ignorance when you make statements about a system in which you do not participate, and when you begin your blog by listing the names of all the fallen United States Armed Service members using them to make some sort of political statement about your dissatisfaction with the US Elections.

This offensiveness is compounded when it is discovered that you aren't even a citizen of the United States, and therefore not entitled to vote or render an opinion about what may be best for America or Americans, and most certainly not when you begin by listing the names of our dead.

In the mean time, perhaps you can focus your energies on removing the corruption within your own country and government. Perhaps you can petition the UN and they will help you. Whatever you choose to do know this, if your country and its liberty is threatened in the same manner as that of the Iraqis, or any of the countries you mentioned as the US having invaded, US soldiers will willingly deploy, and die if necessary to protect and assist Kenyans.

Standard

As seems to be my habit, I have once again succeeded in making things worse by apologizing since the wrong person thought I thought they were offended. Apparently my cryptic and coded blog, in an effort to protect the identities of the innocent, succeeded in only providing more confusion.

Well... That's pretty standard for me. Just call me cant get right. In order to simplify I'm going to just say: If I have hurt or offended anyone, with anything I've said, I'm sorry.

Roger out.

Pardon Me

I has become apparent to me that some of my recent postings have in some way offended or otherwise hurt some of my friends. Please accept my apologies, you know who you are. The posting was not intended to hurt or offend anyone, nor was it intended to specifically identify any specific person with whom I am having difficulty save one. If you know it cant possibly be you, or have anything to do with you, then you are most likely correct.

The posting was meant merely as a means to express my thoughts and feelings, and things that are affecting me, especially at this time of year. I am at times a bit thick headed, and I do wish some of the things mentioned to me were made clear to me back then. Sometimes I don't read situations or body language well, not to mention having been in a state of mind that precluded any sort of permanence.

In particular someone knows where I am, and exactly how things flow a work here, and can therefore at least relate to the hell that I am in daily. I have never in my life been forced to work so hard to accomplish nothing. Here it is SOP.

When you ask just about anyone what they think of when you say the word Army, or Military, they more often than not respond with words like, "structure", "order", "organization", "uniformity" and the like. While those are normally accurate discriptives, none of those things exist in my current assignment.

The environment in which I work and live daily serves only to compound my emotional and mental state here. Being away from and out of contact with my children and family serves only to make things that much worse. Again I apologize if my previous words somehow offended or personally affected my friends. I wasn't directed at any of you.