Archived Military Matters
The About.com U.S. Military Newsletter
Note: Newslinks contained in this archived newsletter will take you to the discussion area of the U.S. Military Forum, but links to the stories from there are probably no longer valid. Online news-sources normally leave links active for only a few days.
MILITARY MATTERS
Newsletter #14
10/19/99
Howdy all, and welcome to the 14th edition of Military Matters, the weekly newsletter for About.com's U.S. Military Page. If you know anyone who is interested in military matters, please feel free to email them a copy of this newsletter.
To subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, go to:
http://usmilitary.about.com/gi/pages/mmail.htm.
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SPECIAL NOTE: Issue # 13 was skipped for silly superstitious reasons.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Marine Captain Charged in Death of Recruit.
http://usmilitary.about.com/library/weekly/aa101599.htm
ALSO IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Did U.S. Servicemen Steal from Jews in WWII?
http://usmilitary.about.com/library/weekly/aa101699.htm
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Last Poll: Should the Government release medical information about Dr. Neilson, (The Doctor at the South Pole) against her wishes? 71 Percent of you said "No!"
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/start/?msg=159.1
This Issue's Poll: Should we investigate the WWII "Jewish Gold Theft Charges," (Above Spotlight Article) or just let history alone?
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/start/?msg=187.1
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NEWS AND COMMENTARY:
To read the full stories, click on the link below. If you are not a member of our Forum, and don't wish to join, you may still read the story by clicking on "Enter as a Guest" when you see the login screen. Members, of course, may post responses to any of these story items.
FUTURE ARMY WANTS LIGHTER ARMOR: The Army vision announced by Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki Oct. 12 is the first step on a path service leaders hope will lead them to an "objective force" completely different from today's Army. This force likely will be based around an all-wheeled family of vehicles that weigh more than two-thirds less than today's 70-ton Abrams tanks. Its logistics demands will be much less than those of today's heavy force, and it will be light enough to airlift anywhere via huge tilt-rotor aircraft.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/start/?msg=174.1
NOT ENOUGH MONEY FOR ALL PILOT BONUSES: The 2000 appropriations bill includes only one-third of the $300 million the Air Force says it needs to improve the pilot bonus program this year. With the extra money the Air Force hoped to pay pilots at least half of their contract upfront, allow colonels to take the bonus and pay pilots through their 25th year of aviation service, compared with the 14th year now.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/start/?msg=178.1
NAVY SECRETARY WANTS TO PROMOTE MORE ENLISTED: Advancing more sailors into paygrades E-4 through E-7 is a top priority for Navy Secretary Richard Danzig in the year ahead. Danzig told a group of top personnel and fleet leaders Oct. 6 that he wants to look at options for improving sailors' advancement opportunity.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/start/?msg=172.1
HACKWORTH SAYS U.S. MILITARY "THIRD-RATE": Most of the good troops out there are tired," Retired Army Colonel David Hackworth said in a telephone interview last week. "Our troops are being tasked with too many missions without the right stuff to do them. We have a defense budget of $300 billion per year, but our military is third-rate because the morale of the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines is at the lowest level I've ever seen."
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/start/?msg=186.1
NATO INCREASES KOSOVO TROOPS AFTER MURDER OF SERB: Frustrated over rising crime and persistent ethnic violence, the NATO-led peacekeeping command announced today it would put more troops and military vehicles on the streets of Kosovo's capital to maintain order. The announcement came following the shooting death Monday of a Serb man in Pristina. A statement by the NATO-led command, known as the Kosovo Force or KFOR, said a suspect was arrested but it did not say whether he was an ethnic Albanian.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/start/?msg=180.1
AIR FORCE TROOP WHO DROPPED DUE TO HEAT EXHAUSTION NOT THE FIRST: SAN ANTONIO -- A month before an Ohio Air Guardsman died of heat stroke during basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, a military training instructor there was relieved of duties after another recruit collapsed during a run. The trainee, Rebecca Bice, later was medically discharged Aug. 19 because of the damage her body sustained from the heat stroke.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/start/?msg=179.1
AILING C-5'S HURT READINESS: As the Air Force retires its aged fleet of C-141 long-haul cargo planes, it is relying increasingly on a fleet of unreliable C-5 cargo planes to rush warfighting equipment and troops to conflicts. But because the giant planes have a mission-capable rate of less than 60 percent, the U.S. Transportation Command tries to make two of them available for each mission to ensure it has one plane that works, said Air Force Maj. Gen. Charles Coolidge, the command's operations and logistics director.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/start/?msg=177.1
MILITARY SHOULD RECRUIT ON INTERNET MORE: For kids who have grown up accustomed to the accessibility and anonymity of the Internet, interfacing with an actual human being -- a military recruiter, for example -- is, like, totally lame. So if the military wants to connect with these people -- and considering the current recruiting crunch, it must -- it needs to use the Internet.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/start/?msg=176.1
MARINES TO GET NEW COMM TECHNOLOGY: The Marine Corps is looking at a new communications system that would allow war fighters the flexibility to build an "Internet-based" network in the field that's mobile and doesn't break down as easily. The technology could improve communications greatly, backers said, by allowing Marines to stay in touch with commanders no matter where they go.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/start/?msg=173.1
KOSOVO WAR EFFORT HAMPERED BY LACK OF AIRCRAFT CARRIER: The absence of an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean Sea at the start of the Kosovo air war probably helped the Serb army carry out its campaign of rape, terror and ethnic cleansing, the commander of the Navy's 6th Fleet said. The air war was under way for two weeks before a carrier arrived to join the fight.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/start/?msg=171.1
DIGITAL DOG TAGS COMING SOON: WASHINGTON -- In the future, service members may wear two kinds of dog tags instead of one -- the traditional metal ID tags and a new plastic tag bearing digitized medical information.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/start/?msg=168.1
NERVE AGENT PILLS CANNOT BE RULED OUT AS CAUSE OF GULF DISEASE: WASHINGTON -- Anti-nerve agent pills given to troops during the Gulf War cannot be ruled out as a possible cause for some of the illnesses veterans of the war have reported.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/start/?msg=167.1
PENTAGON AND HILLARY AT WAR WITH EACH OTHER: NEW YORK -- Hillary Rodham Clinton is calling for an immediate and permanent end to use of a Puerto Rican island for U.S. military exercises, a position that puts her at odds with the Pentagon.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/start/?msg=185.1
ARMY MOTHER PUTS BABY IN TRASH: A 19-year-old soldier at Fort Lewis is under investigation by Army authorities for allegedly abandoning her infant son in a large trash container shortly after she gave birth, officials said. Two soldiers emptying trash Thursday morning discovered the 6-pound, 12-ounce infant in the trash container and alerted medical personnel, who took the baby to Madigan Army Medical Center where he was in "very good condition" yesterday, said Fort Lewis spokesman Joe Hitt.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/start/?msg=182.1
MARINES LOCK UP WRONG MAN: ATLANTA (AP) -- Arrested for jumping a commuter train turnstile, Martin L. King was shocked to find himself shackled and taken to the brig at Camp Lejeune, N.C., charged with deserting the Marines. King said he told authorities they had the wrong man; he'd never been in the military. Still, he was held for 40 days, during which he claims he was sexually assaulted by another inmate.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/start/?msg=184.1
PRESIDENT APPROVES CHANGES TO MCM: WASHINGTON - President Clinton recently signed an executive order making four significant changes to the Manual for Courts-Martial. The new rules are designed to bring the military court system in line with changes made in federal laws in recent years, according to Air Force Colonel Robert Reed, associated deputy general counsel in the Office of the General Counsel. The changes will be effective for any crimes committed after Nov. 1, 1999.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/start/?msg=169.1
RECORD DRUG BUSTS FOR COAST GUARD: WASHINGTON -- Coast Guard officials say several successful operations and new high-tech attack helicopters helped double the number of drug seizures at sea during the 1999 fiscal year. Between October 1998 and this month, 111,689 pounds of pure, uncut cocaine and 61,642 pounds of marijuana were taken from ships and high-speed cigarette boats, called "go-fasts," favored by mostly Colombian smugglers.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/start/?msg=183.1
MILITARY HELPS REFORM JUVENILE OFFENDERS: PENSACOLA, Fla. - Jose Buni will be the first youth offender to enroll at the Naval Air Technical Training Center next week in a pilot program created by the Navy and Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. The hope is that being exposed to a structured military atmosphere as well as learning marketable skills will have a positive influence.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/start/?msg=181.1
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DEDICATION TO AMERICA'S HEROES: The President, in the name of Congress, has awarded 3,427 Medals of Honor to 3,408 of our nation's bravest Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen since the decoration's creation in 1861. For the next 3,427 days, the U.S. Military Forum will post a Medal of Honor Citation. Please join us every day to read about the accomplishments of these heroes, and to give thanks to their dedication and sacrifice to our great Nation.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary
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NEW FY 2000 PAY CHARTS AVAILABLE: The new Fiscal Year 1999 Jan & Jul pay charts are now available online. To view them, visit the main U.S. Military Page at http://usmilitary.about.com. The link can be found "In the Spotlight."
http://usmilitary.about.com
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DO YOU HAVE A MILITARY WEB SITE? If so, and you would like to make a little money, plus give your viewers access to the latest and greatest in military information, About.com will pay you 6 cents per click for traffic you drive to the About.com U.S. Military Web Site. Details are at:
http://affiliates.about.com
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LINK OF THE WEEK: Make that next PCS move a little easier. Locate an apartment at your next base before you arrive. Military Apartment locator has listings of Apartments which specialize in military rentals at most bases in the CONUS.
http://www.apartmentworld.com/military/
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MILITARY HUMOR:
(This one almost isn't a joke)
The colonel had three Second Lieutenants eligible for promotion. The problem was, he only had one First Lieutenant Slot available.
The colonel called the first butter-bar into his office and said, "This is a promotion test. If I was to tell you that I wanted a flag pole erected in front of Post HQ by 1700, what would you do?"
The Lt. thought about it for a second, and said, "Sir. I would get a shovel, head for HQ and start digging…."
"You're not ready to be promoted," the Colonel interrupted.
The colonel asked the same question of the next candidate.
"Sir," said the next butter-bar, "I would fill out a CE work order, making sure I made provisions for the appropriate environmental study and….."
"You are definitely not ready to be promoted," the Colonel said.
The Colonel asked the question of the final candidate.
Without hesitation, the Lieutenant said, "Sir. I would call the First Sergeant, and say, 'Top, I need a flag pole in front of HQ by 1700."
"You're ready to be promoted," the Colonel said.
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With those words of wisdom, I once again leave you.,
Rod Powers
About.com's U.S. Military Guide
