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MILITARY MATTERS
Newsletter #8
9/24/99
Howdy all, and welcome to the 8th 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.
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NEWS AND COMMENTARY:
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CONTEST! WIN BIG BUCKS! Win $3,000 or a $3,000 computer system by writing the best "Thank You" letter, directed at a deployed serviceperson! The Contest is all a result of the theatrical show Letters to the Front, currently touring military bases overseas.
While the show was touring military bases overseas, many troops thanked the company for not forgetting them, said show director-writer Robert Rector.
"It really touched us," he said. "It occurred to us that there was no reason we, as a nation, couldn't have an ongoing letter-
writing campaign for our troops."
Thus the Letters to the Front contest was born.
The contest is open to the public. Grand prizes will be awarded in three age categories: under 12, 12-18, and 19 and older. The prizes are $3,000 for school-age contestants and a $3,000 computer system for adults.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages/?msg=69.1
RETIREE DENTAL CARE DIFFERENCES: There are many differences between the Delta Dental program offered for Military Retirees and their families, and the program offered for active duty families. Sometimes, many retirees confuse the two. Here is the real deal when it comes to the Retiree Dental Program.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages/?msg=74.1
U.S. VOWS TO CONTINUE HAITI SUPPORT: WASHINGTON -- The last active duty U.S. support troops are leaving Haiti, but this does not mean the end of U.S. interest in and concern for the Caribbean island nation.
Sean Darragh, principal deputy to the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low intensity conflict, said U.S. forces that visit Haiti in the days ahead will provide assistance throughout the nation rather than center their efforts around the capital of Port-au-Prince. About 400 service members are assigned to the U.S. military mission in Haiti.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages/?msg=70.1
IS THIS THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR PILOTS?: During the Persian Gulf War, the U.S. military used UAVs for surveillance. In 1995, the Predator demonstration program began. The Predator has a wingspan of 48 feet, a length of 26 feet and weighs about 1,500 pounds when fully fueled. It flies around 90 miles per hour. Each costs about $3.2 million.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages/?msg=73.1
MILITARY HOLIDAY MAIL SCHEDULE SET: Get those Christmas cards and packages in the mail early this year, Postal Service officials recommend. In order to ensure Christmas delivery. Cards and packages must be mailed by the dates listed.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages/?msg=72.1
HOW CAN THEY GET AWAY WITH THIS???: Like a motorist picking up his car from the repair shop, the two Marine pilots expected their Bell AH-1 Cobra to be running smoothly when they went to retrieve it. After all, the two-man gunship had been in the Fort Worth, Texas, factory nearly a year for a $1.8 million overhaul. But Major Michael Browne and 1st Lieut. Robert Straw found enough problems with the chopper to delay their departure a day. Then, 20 minutes after they took off in the late afternoon of May 23, 1997, they were killed when their aircraft plunged into a field 15 miles southeast of Dallas.
A defense contractor may have escaped punishment because the Marines depend on it too much.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages/?msg=75.1
ARMY MOVING AWAY FROM PC'S AND TOWARD MACS?: The U.S. Army's recent switch to a Mac OS server instead of Windows NT for its public Web site may be just the beginning of a major shakeup in the Army's platform strategy.
The Army, which has set up a Power Mac G3 running StarNine Technologies' WebSTAR Server Suite 4.0 in a locked vault in the Pentagon, is considering using more Apple products, Army Webmaster Stephen Bates told MacWEEK.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages/?msg=76.1
FIRST SHOTS FIRED AT PEACEKEEPERS IN E. TIMOR: DILI, East Timor -- The flush of euphoria that greeted an international peacekeeping force in Dili is giving way to a realization that the Australian forces leading Operation Stabilize may be facing a bigger challenge than they expected.
After just two days in Dili, an outbreak of shooting, looting, new military difficulties and persistent diplomatic obstructions suggest the campaign to restore peace to East Timor will be a grueling and dangerous undertaking requiring an expensive long-term commitment by the international community.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages/?msg=77.1
HAVE AUSSIE'S BIT OFF MORE THAN THEY CAN CHEW?: Doubts over Australia's ability to maintain a long-term military presence in East Timor intensified yesterday when the Minister for Defense, Mr. John Moore, forced the Australian Defense Force to deny that it had launched a new recruitment drive.
Apparently stung by Opposition criticism over Army reserve readiness, and unable to say how frequently troops would be rotated from East Timor, Mr. Moore told Parliament the ADF had sufficient forces to deploy and maintain a contingent of 4,500 troops in East Timor for at least a year.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages/?msg=78.1
TAKE THE POLL: Should Women Serve on Submarines? Cast your vote!
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages/?msg=68.1
LINK OF THE WEEK: How many times have you visited an Army or Air Force Base where you've never been before, and you always had to stop and ask the Gate Guard for directions? Well no more. Thanks to AAEFES, you can view/print maps of Army and Air Force Bases online!
http://odin.aafes.com/bases/index.asp
MILITARY HUMOR:
One day, four military recruiters were sitting in their joint recruiting office, moaning about the lack of qualified recruits. They were far short of their monthly goal, but the only prospects they had scored far too low on the aptitude tests.
All four looked up as an old man in a white lab coat entered, carrying a small metal box. He can't want to enlist, they all thought. He's way too old.
The old scientist said, "I've been reading about your recruiting problems, and I have the answer! I have discovered that the perfect military recruit has an IQ of exactly between 110.8 and 135.7. The exact IQ, rounded out to the nearest 10th of a decimal point determines exactly which military job a person is best suited for. Additionally, I have invented a machine which can actually increase a person's IQ to match a specified IQ within this range."
If this works, it's fantastic, the four recruiters thought. They quickly got on the phone and called some of the unqualified recruits, and asked them to come down to the office to try a new method of qualifying.
The first unqualified recruit to show up belonged to the Marine recruiter. The Recruiter told the scientist, "I'd like him to be qualified for Infantry." The Scientist replied, "Okay, let's see, that's an ideal IQ of 111.2" The Scientist made an adjustment to the Machine, and hooked it up to the recruit's temples. The starting meter showed an IQ of 87. The Scientist pushed a red button on top of the machine, and POOF! The needle shot up to 111.2. They all watched in anticipation as the recruit retook the qualification test. The results were perfect for Infantry!
The next recruit to show up belonged to the Army Recruiter. "I'd like him to be qualified for Airborne." The Scientist set his machine at 115.3. The beginning needle showed 65, but as soon as the Scientist pressed the red button, it jumped up to 115.3. The resultant test showed him to be perfect for Airborne.
The next recruit to show up belonged to the Navy Recruiter. "I'd like him to be qualified for Submarines." The Scientist set his machine at 117.6. The beginning needle showed 69, but as soon as the Scientist pressed the red button, it jumped up to 117.6. The resultant test showed him to be perfect for Sub Duty.
Finally, the Air Force recruit showed up. When the Scientist hooked up the machine, he frowned. The recruit's IQ showed 190. The Scientist said, "This recruit's problem is that he's too intelligent for the Service. In order to make him fit in, I'll have to decrease his IQ, and I've never tried that before." "Please try it," begged the AF Recruiter, who did not want to explain how the Army, Navy, and Marines were able to recruit someone this day, and he had not.
"We'll make him a crew chief," said the Scientist. I'll set the machine to lower his IQ to 125.1." But, when the Scientist hit the button, the needle immediately traveled down to 25!
The Scientist ripped the hook-ups off the recruit's head, and screamed, "Oh my God! How do you feel?"
The Recruit Replied, "I feel fine! My flaps are up, gear is down, and I'm ready for final on three!"
FORUM DISCUSSIONS:
"In recruiting you can go from the top 10% in your MOS to a dirtback, because you can't convince some 17 year old punk that this would be good for him. Then ask yourself why he should. Mom and dad will let him lay around the house until he is 23, take a class at the local community college everynow and then, pay his car note and insurance, and put a big screen tv in his room. I wouldn't go anywhere either."
-RGS65
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages/?msg=13.17
"However, as things stand, females seriously undermine command discipline. Everyone from the Pentagon down to the Platoon is terrified of a EO or sexual harassment complaint. If you correct a female soldier, it is like playing Russian Roulette. You had better be right, you had better not swear, and you better have a witness or two. If you correct the wrong female you will find yourself explaining your actions to your Brigade Commander. For an on-the-spot correction, like failure to salute, is it worth the effort for upholding the standards? So far I've been lucky but I don't have to deal with females very often in the Infantry."
-GRUNTLT
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages/?msg=25.32
Rod
