Special thanks, from the bottom of my heart, to Lynne Morgan for a powerfully worded letter to the Editor, as posted on WaPo 17 October. I don't often hear anyone fed up with the systematic lack of priorities in DC in general, especially concerning the disconnect between all the pride, outreach & passion when political-types *talk* about service, vets, sacrifice (rah rah, shish boom bah, here's a flag) and the realities we face (sorry dude, the HMO/contractor/big-airplane-maker/Pentagon-gardener's-nephew's-union has a lobby & a ton of cash--unlike YOUR sorry ass who was merely patriotic-- why don't you just go ahead and suck it up some more?)
For all those who didn't make it that far in the Oct. 14 front-page article "A Wife's Battle," in the 43rd paragraph we learned that, in a city where the rich ride in limousines and federal workers get 48.5 cents a mile, disabled veterans are still paid the 1977 mileage reimbursement rate of 11 cents a mile...It's hard to find great examples like that! I mean, ones that actually show proportionality so the problem is *clear* to anyone with a brain... something that can't be spun so it just sounds like whiny "Yeah man, us against The Man"... (It's not like we get f'in royalties on all those political speeches, nor any of the other times troops are there in the background, smiling, staring, nodding off, adding "national security authenticity" or whatever)
Enormous priority on Bosses' well being, at the workers' expense, is the way of the world, I know. It sucks, but it's not something that keeps me up at night in the course of normal industry.
The reason it's so heinous in our, um... industry, is that we who are entrusted with ANY sort of leadership & responsibility over troops are instilled from Day 1 with the sense that we have a moral obligation--almost a sacred duty--to take care of the troops under us.
There is NO upper limit when it becomes acceptable, in our world, to live it up and let the little people fight it out amongst themselves. The E-4 in charge of 2 lives, E-7 in charge of 30, O-3 legally responsible for 120 troops + their families... up to the O-8 commanding an entire division (~20,000) & beyond: we have one basic responsibility to push ourselves to make sure we're providing the best training, equipment, environment & care available. If we don't get our staff to get its head out of its ass to take care of something, this sort of honor-code says it's us, the boss (& staff if necessary) who go without heaters, food, ammo, *whatever* until we make shit happen.
Obviously the political world works differently, which is exactly why most troops prefer to avoid anything to do with politics, politicians, policy, or anything that takes such a mental re-set button to understand, much less navigate.
No troops, except perhaps the senior leaders who interface daily with, say, the senior civilian Chain of Command, should *have* to be concerned with a single matter of politics. Now we are.
Sometimes it's easier not to know. Not because we're dumb little simpletons, but because it's too damn hard to be "in the moment" enough to function & stay sharp in military stuff, while also doubting and second-guessing. The House-Divided-Falls and all that. Focus, compartmentalize, train, mission, bring people home alive, and screw the rest-- at least for now. Yes, some officers have flirted with political issues--often to their own detriment--out of either ambition or necessity as they find the Pentagon ever more politicized... BUT, that's been widely criticized both inside the military *and* among the soldier-scholars whose work revolves around this "Professional Military Ethic" (PME)... which is a can of worms I'll definitely punt for now)
blah. i feel catharsed, or whatever the hell a "catharsis" might be in verb form. but also in need of sleep after a good laugh. E! channel had SNL's episode w/SNOOP DOG(G?) hosting the other night, and i hope to heaven that it taped ok! Is there any not-so-cheesy way to sign off?... probably not. more later.
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