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ABOUT.COM MILITARY MATTERS
Newsletter #76
10/02/00
Howdy all, and welcome to the 76th edition of Military Matters, the newsletter for About.com's U.S. Military Information Page. If you need information about anything concerning the Military, please try http://usmilitary.about.com. If you know anyone who is interested in military matters, please feel free to email them a copy of this newsletter.
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BACK-ISSUES: Back-issues of Military Matters are available to read online at:
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT: When you enter the United States Military, you become subject to an entirely new justice system. Here is Part IV of a multi-part article all about Military Justice. In this part, all about Nonjudicial Punishment (Article 15).
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Previous Poll: President Clinton has been America's Commander-in-Chief
for almost 8 years. If you were writing his report card, how would you grade
the President for his performance as Commander-in-Chief for the past 8 years?
3 percent said Grade A - An outstanding job as Commander-in-Chief; 5 percent
said Grade B - A commendable job as Commander-in-Chief; 3 percent said Grade
C - About average as Commander-in-Chief; 20 percent said Grade D - A marginal
Commander-in-Chief; and 69 percent said Grade F- Failed completely as Commander-in-Chief
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This Issue's Poll: In the past year, the policy of "Co-Ed Basic
Training" has resulted in several scandals in the areas of fraternization
and inappropriate sexual conduct in boot camp.Additionally, many military experts
feel that "Co-Ed Boot Camp" lowers standards for male personnel.
Should the Military Train Males and Females Together in Boot Camp? (A) - Yes - Males & females must learn to work together from the start; (B) - No - It results in problems with morale and standards; (C) - Only the Marine Corps should have separate training (current policy)
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NEWS AND COMMENTARY:
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Don't Pull Out of the Balkans: Once again Congress
is trying to legislate an end to American military involvement in Kosovo. A
conference committee is considering a House bill that would force the withdrawal
of all 6,000 U.S. troops now in Kosovo starting next April unless the president
certifies that our European allies are providing the bulk of the troops and
paying almost all of the cost. A similar measure failed to pass the Senate only
narrowly earlier this year. Gov. George W. Bush opposes this Republican-sponsored
bill--but only on the narrow grounds that it interferes with a president's prerogatives.
At the same time, his own repeated statements--and those of his running mate,
Dick Cheney--leave little doubt that the Republican presidential ticket shares
the views of the bill's sponsors: Not only should Europe do more but U.S. troops
should leave the Balkans--albeit in an "orderly" fashion--since their presence
serves no American interests. The governor and his supporters on the Hill are
wrong on both counts. And pushing this issue now, when there are crucial elections
in Serbia and the possibility of another confrontation in Montenegro, is doubly
dangerous.
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Navy May Buy Ships Overseas: Pentagon officials have drafted a proposal to reverse current policy and allow the Navy to buy combat support ships from foreign shipyards, according to internal documents. The American shipbuilding industry protested the change in a Sept. 20 letter to Defense Secretary William S. Cohen. And unions that represent more than 50,000 defense shipyard workers are also mounting opposition, a development that could thrust the issue of foreign vs. domestic Navy ships into the presidential campaign. "We hate it. I asked the Pentagon, 'Whose government do they really work for?' " said Ande Abbott, director of legislative programs for the International Boilermakers Union. It represents 22,000 shipyard and shipyard-related workers. "The American worker has always been shoved aside in a lot of these types of things," Mr. Abbott said. "I understand the Pentagon getting the lowest costs, but they just haven't found any American jobs they aren't willing to send overseas, and we just detest this."
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Air Force Memorial Strikes Controversy: RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — Despite previous setbacks, the Marines seem bent on making a final stand. And that shouldn’t surprise anyone, given their history and reputation. The problem is, they are squaring off against the United States Air Force. The Air Force and its supporters plan to build a monument to airmen near the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington, Va. The Iwo Jima Preservation Committee and other Marine backers insist the proposed Air Force Memorial will be too close to the Iwo Jima monument. Air Force backers say that’s not so.
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Drug Submarine May Have Russia-Mafia Ties: Colombian
and American law enforcement officials swarmed in on helicopters to investigate
and also to marvel at the sheer audacity of the scheme: to build a submarine
8,000 feet high in the Andes Mountains and then, presumably, truck it at least
210 miles to the ocean, section by section. And do it all in secret. Investigators
say Russians, including perhaps the sub's designer, were among those working
at the warehouse. Among papers police found was a list of handwritten words
in Russian and their Spanish equivalents: cigarettes, capsules, Russian, oil.
The Russian angle was not entirely a surprise to the investigators. Russian
mobsters are increasing their operations in Colombia, especially in drug- and
gunrunning. Several years ago, Colombian drug lords even tried to obtain a Russian
military submarine from corrupt Russian officials, using a go-between in the
United States.
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JP-8 is Taking its Toll: SAN ANTONIO — One airman got cancer. Another came down
with an autoimmune disease. A retired airman died. | All three were told their
diseases were triggered in part by their exposure to jet fuel. Those were just
three of more than 100 letters that came in after Air Force Times reported Aug.
21 that Air Force officials were looking into the health effects of exposure
to JP-8, the jet fuel that powers virtually all Air Force aircraft. For most
of this year, researchers have traveled to various Air Force bases and run tests
on fuels-maintenance workers and other airmen. The $3.6 million study was prompted
by animal studies showing links between JP-8 and problems ranging from suppressed
immune systems to respiratory and nervous-system problems. Results are not due
until spring 2001. But across the Air Force, people who work with fuel say it
is giving them everything from rashes to fatal diseases.
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Chiefs Tell Senate of Need for More Funds: WASHINGTON -- “We cannot mortgage future readiness,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Henry Shelton told the Senate Armed Services Committee Sept. 27. “We are collectively robbing Peter to pay Paul, or robbing modernization, which is long-term readiness, to pay for current readiness,” Shelton said. The chairman testified along with other members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They stressed shortfalls in modernization accounts throughout DoD. The members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff say current readiness is fine, but the military will need more money to fund modernization programs. Shelton said the “first-to-fight” forces of the U.S. military are undoubtedly ready to fight. But, he said, many other units are not. “For example, the airborne tanker fleet, our strategic airlift fleet and our intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance units, all of which provide crucial capabilities to our warfighting forces, … are not as ready,” he told the senators.
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Pentagon Wants Facts About Reported Anthrax Vaccine Death: WASHINGTON – Pentagon
officials found themselves scrambling Thursday to respond to a news report that
the controversial anthrax vaccine might have played a role in the death of a
long-time employee of the drug’s only U.S. manufacturer. "We’re obviously very
concerned, but we have not seen the autopsy report," Pentagon spokesman Ken
Bacon said. "So far, all we have is a newspaper report. "This is something we
take very seriously, but we can’t take action based on a newspaper report. We
need more facts, and that’s what we have set out to get, as quickly as possible."
The Pentagon and the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology have launched investigations,
as has the Food and Drug Administration, which has approved the vaccine for
human use for more than 30 years. The furor erupted after a newspaper in Lansing,
Mich., where BioPort is based, reported that a local pathologist and medical
examiner have tied the July death of BioPort employee Richard Dunn to the anthrax
vaccine. The pathologist is now disputing the newspaper’s report.
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Sailors Get Ready for New PT Test: ROTA, Spain — Most sailors and officers know
by now how they will do on the Navy’s new, tough fitness test. Those who regularly
work out expect to pass but might not score as well as they did on the previous
test. Those who can barely get through 1.5 miles without hyperventilating are
expecting to do some extra laps on the track. Many will take the new test for
the first time next month and find out whether they are as physically fit as
the Navy demands. Petty Officer 3rd Class Monica Zellner, 23, is confident she’ll
pass, but she thinks she might have a problem doing well in push-ups. "But I’m
working on it," she said after a day at the gym with her husband, Petty Officer
3rd Class Calvin Zellner, 20. "I think I can do better." In the last two months,
sailors and officers have been busting their tails to make sure they’re in shape.
During peak times, the base gym is packed with people walking the treadmill,
lifting weights or doing aerobics.
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Win Money by Making the Government Electronically Better: WASHINGTON — Cash
rewards totaling $55,000 are up for grabs for anyone who comes up with an electronic
idea that could improve the effectiveness of government services. The Washington,
D.C.-based Council for Excellence in Government is sponsoring a contest geared
primarily toward federal employees who can come up with an e-government idea
to make all levels of government more efficient, user-friendly and cost-effective,
said Steve Cochran, vice president for technology. What kind of e-government
ideas are they looking for? Well, just about anything that would make life easier
for the average person, Cochran said. For example, an idea could be a computer
program that would let a person who just moved use the Internet to change an
address with the Social Security Administration, the U.S. Post Office, a state
Department of Motor Vehicles, a local school district and a jurisdiction’s tax
office — all in one log-on session and at one Internet site, Cochran said.
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Soldier/Diplomats: JAKARTA, Indonesia –– To land his gleaming white jet on the
steamy tarmac here last April, Adm. Dennis Cutler Blair, head of the U.S. Pacific
Command, had navigated a stormy obstacle course of objections by U.S. officials.
Blair wanted to mend military relations with the world's fourth-largest country.
But U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Robert S. Gelbard had opposed the trip, as
had some in the State Department and Congress. They believed Blair's visit would
undermine President Clinton's decision to cut off military ties to Indonesia
in outrage over its army's involvement in a brutal militia rampage in East Timor.
The goal was to pressure Indonesia's army into adopting reforms demanded by
the country's first democratically elected president in 31 years. Blair convinced
the National Security Council to let him go over Gelbard's objections. It was
a diplomatic triumph that underscored the growing foreign policy clout of the
regional commanders-in-chief (CINCs), the military leaders who oversee global
Defense Department operations.
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Naval Club Farewall Tinged with Anger: Just one last time, the brass chandeliers
bathed the dining room of the Bethesda Naval Club in a warm glow, and the wooden
dance floor was filled with couples swaying tightly to the same music they had
been dancing to for decades. More than a half century of Easter brunches, wedding
receptions and happy nights of dancing away are coming to an end. Over the protests
of military retirees and area members of Congress, the Navy has decided to close
the military club at the National Naval Medical Center, effective today, citing
cost and safety reasons. More than 500 people packed Thursday night's gathering,
which was billed as a farewell dinner and dance, and a range of emotions swirled
through the room. Beyond sadness, there was anger stemming from a widespread
belief among members that the club's closing is unnecessary and the result of
skulduggery by Navy commanders at Bethesda. And there was bitterness that the
closing will leave the retirees, many of them veterans of World War II and other
conflicts, with no convenient place to gather in their old age.
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Military Wants More Troops: WASHINGTON — Citing increased demands for troops
around the world, the Army, Air Force and Marines plan to ask Congress for more
military personnel, reversing 15 years of cutbacks. Senior Pentagon officials
have told USA TODAY that the Army is looking to add 15,000 to 40,000 soldiers,
while the Air Force is seeking up to 10,000 more airmen. The Marine Corps also
says it would like to add troops, but won't say how many. The services say they
have not set a timetable for making the request, although the topic is likely
to be raised Wednesday at congressional hearings on the state of today's armed
forces.
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8 Accidents, 12 Months -- What's Wrong?: Manpower, morale and readiness typically
are the key issues when the Navy’s top officer testifies before the house and
senate armed services committees. But when Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vern
Clark goes to Capitol Hill for his scheduled Sept. 27 appearance before those
committees, he’s also likely to face questions on a more basic topic: Simple
seamanship. Eight Navy ships have been involved in collisions or run aground
since October 1999. That rash of mishaps prompted Clark on Sept. 14 to call
for a one-day safety standdown for all ships and submarines. It was the first
such “gray hull” standdown since 1989. And those incidents, together with Clark’s
call for action, have gotten lawmakers’ attention. “It has extreme congressional
interest,” said Perry Floyd, an aide to House committee member Rep. Norman Sisisky,
D-Va.
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Army Officers Not Having Fun Anymore: A confidential study of Army officers'
career hopes reveals deep frustration with their senior leaders and peacekeeping
assignments. More than two-thirds of officers in a survey sample agreed with
the statement "I see no possibility for continued job satisfaction in the Army."
"Job satisfaction is down across the officer corps," says the Army report, which
has not yet been presented to Gen. Eric Shinseki, the Army chief of staff. "Optempo
[operational tempo, meaning the frequency of missions], micromanagement and
not adhering to training doctrine are the major factors causing job dissatisfaction
among the officer corps." Well over 70 percent of surveyed lieutenants, captains
and colonels agreed with the statement "I am not having fun anymore." Two-thirds
of majors registered the same sentiment.
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Military Reserve Ranks Thinning Out: CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas--When it came time
to choose between the reserves and active duty, Andrea Luna said the reserves
won hands down. Not only could the 18-year-old high school graduate take advantage
of the GI Bill in the reserves, she also could enjoy the freedom of living on
her own terms, she said. "I wanted some organization and stability in my life,"
said Luna, who will leave next month for basic training in the reserves. "But
I wanted my own life." In the reserves, men and women can serve their country,
still get retirement and benefits and only have to commit to one weekend a month
and two weeks a year unless they are called to active duty. Despite such perks,
the nation's reserve ranks are steadily decreasing. In each of the last three
years, the Army, Navy and Air Force reserves have all fallen short of their
recruiting goals. Only the Marine Corps Reserve is steadily meeting its recruiting
goals. The drop comes despite an upturn in active duty numbers, which officials
attribute to an increase in recruiters, intense ad campaigns and more enlistment
bonuses.
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Military Does Do More with Less: At the Republican National Convention in August,
Texas Gov. George W. Bush reminded the audience about two elite Army divisions
that were not ready for combat duty. Vice President Al Gore, speaking before
the Veterans of Foreign Wars, claimed that the Clinton-Gore administration had
reversed the decline in military readiness. He accused Bush of "running down
the troops." Thus began the 2000 presidential debate on the state of military
readiness. Under the circumstances, supporting the troops means facing the truth
about readiness in the post-Cold War world. The armed forces are one-third to
one-half smaller, but deployments have increased by 300 percent since 1991.
The Kosovo air war, which revealed shortages in everything from cruise missiles
to carriers, demonstrated the consequences of asking the armed forces to do
much more with far less.
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The Military Does More with Less (Part II): Editor's note: This is the second
in a two-part series about declining military readiness.
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Veterans Mobilize on Congress: With the help of the Internet, virtually every
national veterans group has been mobilized to lobby Capitol Hill in a crucial
election year. Some have put up billboards denouncing the government for not
providing free lifetime health care. Others have turned to the courts for relief.
A billboard in Norfolk reads, "Military Retirees Fought for Freedom, Now Congress
Denies Earned Healthcare. Show Your Support. Call Your Congressman." The goal
of the groups, mostly organized over the Internet, is to place a billboard in
every state. Groups of military retirees in Florida and South Carolina have
filed suit against the government for breach of promise. The response of federal
courts so far: It is up to Congress. According to a Congressional Research Service
report, "Military Health Care: The Issue of 'Promised' Benefits," Congress never
authorized free health care for life at military hospitals for military retirees.
"Under our system of government, the military does not have the constitutional
authority to create such a contractual obligation. The courts have held that
only Congress has such authority under the Constitution," said the report. Virginia's
Democratic Sen. Charles Robb, who served 34 years in active and reserve service
in the Marines, said the issue is not debatable. "The promises were never written
into law," said Robb spokeswoman Wendy Frankson. "But it doesn't matter. It
was a legal promise. A moral promise. A moral commitment."
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Air Force May Increase Tuition Assistance: AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy — Air Force
troops could see up to 100 percent tuition assistance — as top officials consider
new ways to get more airmen to re-enlist. "We are looking at it, and this is
what we’re having vetted through many levels of the Air Force," said Undersecretary
of the Air Force Carol DiBattiste on Tuesday, during a stop at Aviano Air Base.
"Do we want to go to 100 percent tuition assistance? Can we afford it? Of course
that’s a big piece of it," she said. DiBattiste said it’s too early to see what
the final decision will be, but troops can expect to see improvements to Air
Force tuition assistance in the near future. The changes are part of the Air
Force’s all-out war to sign up more troops and keep them once they’re in.
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Plan May Fund Heath Care Permamently: House Republicans have proposed to pay
for permanent improvements in retiree health care by tapping into the $3.3 trillion
federal budget surplus, rather than making the Defense Department bear the expected
$4-billion-a-year cost. The proposal, unveiled Sept. 21 by Rep. Steve Buyer,
R-Ind., would allow lawmakers to make permanent changes in health-care benefits
rather than approving benefit improvements for two or three years at a time
to keep within defense spending limits. Congressional negotiators working on
the 2001 defense authorization bill have already agreed to a Tricare-for-life
plan that aims to restore military health-care benefits for Medicare-eligible
retirees, who now lose Tricare coverage when they reach age 62. But the agreement
now provides for only two years of benefits, beginning in fiscal 2002 and ending
in fiscal 2004.
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Deployment Pay Plan Gets Major Changes: Service members who spend 401 days away
from home during a two-year period would qualify for an extra $100 a day in
deployment pay, under an agreement reached by congressional negotiators. The
401-day standard, included in the compromise version of the 2001 defense authorization
bill, is a major modification of the deployment pay plan that Congress passed
last year. That plan would have made people eligible for the pay after deploying
for 250 days in one 365-day period. The new agreement does not affect the Oct.
1, 2001, start date for the new bonus, but it guarantees that no one would receive
payments until November 2001 at the earliest because the services do not have
to start counting deployment days until the new initiative is signed into law.
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Around and About:
New Military Pay Charts. See what your 1 January 01 pay raise will be.
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Changing your Military Records - Whether you are
active duty, separated, or retired, you can apply to your service's Board for
the Correction of Military Records if you feel there is an error or an injustice
in your military personnel records.
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U.S. Government Information - Found out almost
anything about the U.S. Government.
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Shopping About -- Buy your favorite items on the Internet.
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CHAT: Dennis Fauchier (DennisHOST) will be hosting General Military Chats every
Saturday from 6:00 PM (EST) to 7:00 PM (EST) and every Wednesday from 12:00
PM (EST) to 1:00 PM (EST). Edward Hanrahan (AssassinHOST) will host every Saturday
night from 9:00 PM (EST) to 1:00 AM (EST).
http://usmilitary.about.com/mpchat.htm
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MILITARY HUMOR: First Sergeant Test
1. You are having lunch with your new colonel, talking about the decision paper you wrote. During the conversation, a blonde walks into the dining area and she is so stunning you draw your boss's attention to her. Having his complete attention, you give a vivid description of what you would do if you had her alone in a motel room. She walks over to the table and introduces herself as the colonel's daughter. Your next move is:
a. Ask for her hand in marriage.
b. Pretend you've forgotten how to speak English.
c. Repeat the conversation to the daughter and hope for the best.
2. You have been tasked to present a briefing to the General. The success of this presentation will mean increasing your authorized manpower slots by 125%. In the middle of the proposal the General leans over to look at your report and spits in your coffee. You:
a. Tell him you prefer your coffee black.
b. Ask him about his recent root canal.
c. Take a leak in his "OUT" box.
3. You are presenting a briefing to a group of 0-6s in the plushest office you've ever seen. The hot enchilada casserole and egg salad sandwich you had for lunch reacts, creating a severe pressure. Your sphincter loses its control and you break wind in a most convincing manner, causing three water glasses to shatter and a colonel to pass out. What you should do next is:
a. Offer to come back next week when the smell has gone away.
b. Point out the Chief of Staff and accuse him of the offense.
c. Challenge anyone in the room to do better.
4. You are at a briefing when you suddenly are overcome with an uncontrollable desire to pick your nose. Remembering this is definitely a NO-NO, you:
a. Pretend to wave to someone across the room, and with one fluid motion,
bury your finger into your nostril right up to the fourth joint.
b. Get everyone drunk and organize a nose-picking contest with a prize to the
one who makes his nose bleed first.
c. Drop your notes on the floor, and when you bend over to pick them up, blow
your nose on your sock.
5. You have just spent the evening with an IG inspector who kept you at the club drinking until lights out. You get home just in time to change and go to work. You stagger into the men's room and spend the next half hour vomiting. As you are washing up at the sink, you boss walks in, blows cigar smoke in your face and asks you to join him for drinks after work. You:
a. Look him straight in the eye and launch one last convulsive torrent at
the front of his Class A uniform.
b. Nail him right in the crotch, banking on the hope he'll never recognize your
green face.
c. Grasp his hand and pump it until he pees in his pants.
6. You are at a dinner party with the colonel and his wife (she looks like the regional runner-up at the Kate Smith look alike contest). Halfway through the dinner you feel a hand on your lap. Being resourceful, you:
a. Accidentally spill hot coffee on your lap.
b. Slip the hostess a note to have the boss's wife help her in the kitchen,
and see if the hand goes away when she leaves.
c. Excuse yourself and go to the bathroom. If he follows, don't come out until
you have a maximum performance evaluation report.
7. You're on your way to brief the General when your zipper breaks and you discover you've forgotten to put on underwear that morning. You:
a. Call the General's secretary instead.
b. Explain to the General you've been trolling for gays.
c. Slip on a baggy raincoat and head for the dependent school playground.
8. It's November and you've just returned from a TDY (temporary duty) trip to Atlanta, Georgia. You tell your boss nobody but whores and football players live there. He explodes with, "My wife is from Atlanta!" You:
a. Ask what position she plays.
b. Ask if she's still working the streets.
c. Pretend you're going into a malaria induced coma.
9. You're attending a briefing given by a Colonel. You feel a tremendous pressure building in your anal area which you diagnose as gas accumulation. Feeling confident you have the muscle tone required for a controlled venting operation, you allow the sphincter to slightly relax. As the hair curls on the nape of your neck, you realize your error in judgment as fifty cubic centimeters of diarrhea slam into your jockey shorts. Your next action is:
a. Moan loudly, grasp your chest, and fake a massive coronary.
b. Ask mindless questions concerning the subject being briefed, wait for someone
to yell, "who gives a sh*t!" then raise you hand.
10. You feel the onset of a horrendous sneeze halfway through a briefing. Realizing you do not have a handkerchief, you elect to sneeze into the naked palm of your right hand. After muttering appropriate social amenity, you conduct visual inspection of the results of your action and discover your palm is encased in a pool of multi-viscosity goo. You elect to:
a. Open your tunic and wipe the secretion on your T-shirt.
b. Pretend you are brushing a fly off the back of the person seated in front
of you.
c. Spread the offending matter on your hair, then use a comb to work it in the
larger pieces.
For more military humor, check out the Military
Humor Netlink on the About.com U.S. Military Site at
http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/militaryhumor/index.htm
A HREF="http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/militaryhumor/index.htm">(AOL
Link)</A>
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With those words of wisdom, I once again leave you.,
Rod Powers
About.com's U.S. Military Information Site
