AMERICA’S MILITARY: A conservative institution’s uneasy cultural evolution
Disrupting the Borg is expensive and time consuming!
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I read the source article earlier today. What is most interesting about this polling is, that even though a considerable number and percent thought that individual changes in the armed forces were not so bad, overall they really think he blows.
So does Larry Sinclair.
Ah..and who was it that said military intelligence was an oxymoron? At least they know who their enemy is. Perhaps this explains the various reports of Marines being disarmed when around the O’Bomber.
It also explains why all retired Military, Secret Service, FBI, CIA… are on the ‘terrorist watch list’ — Heard from a retired Secret Service guy who was helping me at a church fair. He got the information from his active duty colleagues.
The Obama administration has quietly approved a substantial expansion of the terrorist watchlist system, authorizing a secret process that requires neither “concrete facts” nor “irrefutable evidence” to designate an American or foreigner as a terrorist,
Yes. I’m not sure what list/level they are on, but I heard a few gripes from former SF troops awhile back. It appears that if one has skills, training or experience that worry them and are retired, or self employed, someone checks from time to time to see what you are doing.
When I got out in 1992 the only ones that checked on me that I knew of were the CIA and DEA and that was for recruiting. The DEA sent a letter asking me if I would interview. The CIA actually sent a guy to talk to me at my business. As far as I know those were the only government agencies that checked up on me. I had no interest in either though there were times in the first year after I ETSed that I thought about going back into the Army SF again. At that time one could return to service within a year after ETSing and retain their rank and all qualifications they had when they left.
Funny–by the metrics the US military is Liberal. All military officers are college-indoctrinated. A military service member is far more likely to speak two or more languages. Military service members are more tolerant of different cultures–out of necessity–than any other segment of American society. Being at the forefront of social change because they’re used as a social laboratory, America’s military is ahead of the curve in equality of gender and race–and now “sexual orientation.”
One social experiment that did more damage than the “gay agenda” was a consequence of the All Volunteer Army–accepting young kids who had families. In the draft era, being sole support for a half-dozen dependents qualified for deferment because the soldier’s loyalties would be divided. When poor kids with a wife and several kids had an economic crisis, the soldier would go AWOL and get into big trouble.
There was another social experiment with Mental Category Four–http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/war_stories/2006/01/gi_schmo.html
There is a side issue involving education and English proficiency: the ASVAB is the first wide-spread IQ test and is an accurate predictor (though not perfect) of how trainable a recruit is. ‘Disadvantaged Minorities’ often have poor English language skills–and in addition are severely deficient in math and sciences. Many rated Mental Category IV can be trained–when given a good educational foundation–but putting a soldier through three or four years of remedial education BEFORE basic training or having two years of basic training that includes education under stringent conditions isn’t practical. There are enough troubles in modern counter-insurgency with Mental Category III. The reason for opening up opportunities to the lowest mental category was to provide a race-blind affirmative action program.
Militarizing police by accepting unqualified cadets (felony convictions, lack of education) will have severe consequences. There’s more than one way to “liberalize” and some methods get innocent people killed.
I would point out that they also published a poll that purported to show that the military was in favor of openly gay members that helped convince people to go along with the change. it turned out to be almost as good as a Lewandowsky paper. Hopefully this one is better.
au1corsair,
the change to integrated units was forced and there was significant violence due to the ham handed methods used. There is less violence with the gays being integrated, BUT, there has been a rather large upswing in sexual crimes that is being at least partially covered up. The suicide rate climbing and other mental health issues are at least partially attributable to enlisting ever more “sick” people especially gays. Again, the stats are being massaged.
Not a scientific poll, however. It’s like the 2009 Doran & Zimmerman “97%” survey. More telling was the rare unenthusiastic applause during the speech.
there ya go using those raw numbers again. Once we’ve properly adjusted the data those curves will swap positions.
There are long term consequences for such things. If you don’t believe me ask Jane Fonda! 1990 I was an instructor at SOMED at Ft. Sam Houston and was still finding https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1223/834101639_4c8bb905be_z.jpg Jane Fonda urinal targets. The military has a long institutional memory on some things.
My father had friends in the Hanoi Hilton, and they related to him just how damaging her flirtations with the VC were. They were all subjected to many extra helpings of torture thanks to Hanoi Jane. That may be the only human being my father ever really hated, and he did so until his last breath.
Watched the excellent movie ‘We Were Soldiers’ Monday. Of course I read the book long ago. SGM Basil L. Plumley, though now gone, is one of my personal Heroes. As far as I’m concerned his face and name should be shown where ever the terms “Non Commissioned Officer” or “War Horse” are defined.
As the wife of a Butter Bar, I was well aware that the sergeants are the ones who run the Army, thank goodness.
My father always said the most important man in his unit was his sergeant, and his sergeant was the first person to whom he went for OTJ knowledge. Dad had a general dislike, for generals.
The sergeants run the place and it can be hazardous to forget that.
Some stupid 2nd LT straight out of ROTC locked the heels on the Master Sergeant’s drinking buddy. He found himself assigned to a watch tower in a mosquito infested swamp in SC. Another idiot blew it by using a horse for bucking practice who belonged to a retired lifer sergeant. He ended up assigned to the worst duty in Vietnam and never came back. He also used my horse that I had just started training so I was very glad to see him go.
Karma can be a real b1tch!
So Mel Gibson plays Lt. Col. Hal” Moore, Jr. who was commander of the1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment during the battle of Ia Drang valley. This was the first major deployment of a regular US Army unit into direct combat with the NVA. This Battalion was BTW, the very unit wiped out at Little Big Horn under Custer’s command. SGM Basil L. Plumley was Moore’s SGM and played by Sam Elliot.
The 7th Cav was part of the newly formed 1st Calvary Div. ( Airmobile). They were put down right in the heart of enemy held territory by helicopter and almost immediately surrounded and attacked by much superior and very well trained and armed NVA forces supplemented by local Viet Cong. It was for the Americans a battle for survival. There was no ability to withdraw until they defeated the enemy because their DZs were overrun or under direct enemy fire and the only reason why those that survived did so was because of the massive artillery and close air support they received. it was an terrible 3 day battle.
Best line of the Movie. Gibson says to Elliot “Now I know how Custer felt”. Elliot replies: “Custer was a wuss! You ain’t!”
DZ should have been LZ (landing zone)
What can you say? Even Obama and Kerry can’t be this stupid. So it has to intentional. This could really come back to bite them in the ass all because of their animus towards the Jewish state. http://www.timesofisrael.com/us-consulate-in-jerusalem-arming-palestinian-guards/
It was enough for me to see Obama rendering an improper salute with a coffee cup. Soldiers have been punished for just such an act. No wonder low morale. Full disclosure – retired Officer – U S Army and also a watch list candidate.
Speaking of polls, here is a poll in which we should all participate…
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/polls/keystone-pipeline?utm_source=berniebuzz&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Do+you+favor+or+oppose+building+the+Tar+Sands+pipeline+prompt_url&utm_campaign=National+Bernie+Buzz+01-16
If we all participate it may wreck their 97% consensus.
Current numbers are 95.9%, 94.6%, 96.5%, 93.5%, 78.4% and 91.4%.
Wreck away!
Did so. Every answer I gave was the exact opposite of what they claim the results are at this time. For some reason I doubt that even a million more votes like mine would change the results of that “poll”.
Since Obummer and Vermont and California residents say they want a country that runs on nothing but Wind Power and Solar, I am thinking of suggesting that California and Vermont do a proof of concept.
https://suzjones.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/dog-smile-2.jpg
The performance sucks. He must have had the same clown design it that did the obamacare website.
OT but I had to share this, and this was the latest military related post. Here is an excellent photo series of the preparations to change the world. The preparation and loading of Little ‘Boy and Fat Man. To sum it up. The crude efficiency shown here may come as a shock to some. It made me wonder how many people that will see this wonderful set of photos would not be here today if it had not happened. http://www.alternatewars.com/Bomb_Loading/Bomb_Guide.htm