Archived Military Matters
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ABOUT.COM MILITARY MATTERS
Newsletter #81
11/06/00
Howdy all, and welcome to the 81st 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:
http://usmilitary.about.com/library/newsletters/blnewsletters.htm
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Who Wants to be a General (Part V) - Ever wonder what "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" would be like if there were only military questions? Try this brand-new military-trivia quiz, and see!
http://usmilitary.about.com/library/weekly/aa110600a.htm
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Previous Poll: Should Congress Change the Law Which Prohibits Women from
Serving in Ground-Combat Jobs? 18 percent said (A) - Yes; 12 percent said (B)
- No; 32 percent said (C) - Yes, as long as there are equal physical standards
for both males and females; 33 percent said (D) - Women should not be in any
combat job (including aircraft and ships) and 4 percent said (E) - Yes, except
for "elite" forces, such as Ranger, Delta, SEALS, Pararescue, etc.
http://usmilitary.about.com/library/polls/blwomen.htm
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This Issue's Poll:
If you're a military veteran, here's your chance to do it all over again, knowing what you know now. If you've never been in the military, here's your chance to let everyone know which military service you like the best. Regardless of your physical health, age, IQ, ASVAB Scores, etc., if you could enlist today, and have any enlisted job you wanted, which military service would you choose?
(A) - Army; (B) - Air Force; (C) - Navy; (D) - Marines; or (E) - Coast Guard
http://usmilitary.about.com/library/polls/blfavorite.htm
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NEWS AND COMMENTARY:
PLEASE NOTE: While anyone can click on the below links and read the news stories,
if you wish to be able to "reply" to the story to express you're own
comments and view, you must join our community. Joining as simple, and it's
FREE. You can join at:
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Marines Seek 10,000 Children at Risk from Bad Water: WASHINGTON – The Marine Corps is trying to notify the parents of an estimated 10,000 children born at Camp Lejeune, N.C., between 1968 and 1985 that they may have consumed water contaminated with compounds that have been linked to birth defects and childhood cancers such as leukemia. The substances, believed to have come from a dry cleaning business, were found in 1982 in drinking water systems that supplied houses on Camp Lejeune, although the wells were not capped until 1985. Camp Lejeune is the largest Marine Corps base in the eastern United States. Based on a relatively small sampling of Camp Lejeune families, the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry published a report in 1998 identifying a potential link between the contaminated water and birth defects. Last year, the agency started notifying previous residents of Camp Lejeune in order to survey their health histories. But so far they have reached only 6,500 of the 16,500 families that may have been exposed to the contaminated water.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages?lgnF=y&msg=4575.1
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Commandos of Color: When a military mission requires stealth, speed, unconventional methods or political sensitivity, the Pentagon often assigns the job to its most elite fighting forces -- Army Special Forces and Rangers, Navy SEALs and Air Force air commandos. Their assignments in recent years have included trudging through the jungles of Colombia to train anti-drug forces, rescuing a deposed Haitian leader and extracting downed U.S. pilots in Yugoslavia. These special-operations forces are the best-trained units in America' s arsenal. Using guns, knives and explosives is second nature. All are experienced paratroopers. Many speak a foreign language. And nearly all are white. While the military in general is fully integrated, the special-operations forces have remained a largely white community. Only about one in eight commandos is a soldier, sailor or airman of color, compared with one in three militarywide.
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Vets in Demand by Many Companies: It was only after he left the Army that Jim Nalley discovered how much his military skills could help him in the corporate world. ``The military teaches you a lot of things you use in the outside world -- how to handle pressure situations, how to handle yourself in front of superior officers,'' said Nalley, who now works for Alcatel USA in Plano, Texas. On the job search, Nalley found that his experience in the tech-heavy Signal Corps was as valued as working for a telecommunications firm. But he also found that veterans have an advantage over job applicants who have never been in the service. ``It teaches you the discipline to do the job, do it right and do it once,'' Nalley said. Many recruiters agree with Nalley, and tech companies have been among the most aggressive in hiring veterans, 275,000 of whom enter the U.S. workforce each year. ``They really play well in companies like Alcatel that develop and design and install large system-related technologies,'' said Jim Morrison, vice president of talent resources for Alcatel.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages?lgnF=y&msg=4563.1
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Air Guard Makes Recruiting Goal: Fiscal 2000 proved
to be a comeback year for Air National Guard recruiters who exceeded their recruiting
goal, while the Air Force Reserve failed to meet its goal for the second year
in a row. The Guard signed up 11,936 new members, 404 more than its goal and
considerably more than the 9,146 people recruited in fiscal 1999. Reserve recruiters
signed up 9,609 new members, 87 percent of their recruiting goal of 10,977 people
for fiscal 2000. The recruiting numbers did mark an improvement. The service
in fiscal 1999 signed up just 9,146 people, less than 82 percent of the recruiting
goal.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages?lgnF=y&msg=4535.1
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Nagging Problems in Naval Aviation: As the Navy celebrates its 225th birthday,
one of its most glamorous and proudest segments — its air force — is struggling
to keep its fighting edge. There are nagging problems: aging aircraft, lack
of spare parts, few people and not enough money, or rather money spent on the
wrong resources. And it is taking its toll. Naval aviation — with more than
4,000 aircraft — is coping with a "readiness dilemma" that could devastate retention,
the Navy Inspector General, Vice Admiral Lee Gunn, wrote in a report released
in September. "We are literally making up the difference on the backs of sailors
and Marines, and squandering our most precious human capital," he wrote. "Our
people have had enough, and they have not been shy about telling us of their
anger and frustration."
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages?lgnF=y&msg=4518.1
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SAT Scores for DODDS Students Remain Static: WASHINGTON — Some test scores on college entrance exams taken by students in the overseas military school system are below the national average — a trend that has remained relatively unchanged for a fifth year in a row. Verbal scores for overall students in the Department of Defense Dependents Schools dropped this year to 505 points, down a point from 506 in 1999, and from 511 in 1998. The national average in verbal has remained at 505 for the last four years. The overall DODDS math score of 501 remained the same as the 1999’s score, which decreased from a score of 505 in 1998. The national average increased from 511 in 1999 to 514 this year. Three DODDS students did earn perfect scores on the math section, and one student earned a perfect score on the verbal section. One DODDS student earned a combined score of 1570, which is 30 points lower than the perfect score of 1600. The overall scores, however, are not raising warning flags for school officials, who have expressed slight concern over the numbers, but aren’t panicking.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages?lgnF=y&msg=4517.1
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What's Next, Spit-Shined Clogs?: What's with the Tommy Hilfiger takeover of
the Pentagon? Two weeks after declaring any soldier eligible to wear the black
beret long reserved for elite Rangers, the Army is considering a far more sweeping
uniform change, Whispers learns. Instead of the green shirt and black tie that
make up the "Class A" uniform, officials are proposing a matching brown shirt-and-tie
set. The reason, says an Army source: "Brown goes better with a variety of complexions
than pale green does."
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Beret Backlash: FORT BENNING, GA. — The Army chief of staff sees the black beret
as a future symbol of unity across the ranks.| But his new headgear mandate
has done little more than ignite an uprising among his sharpest soldiers.| Rangers
are up in arms about Gen. Eric Shinseki’s decree that the entire Army adopt
the black beret — worn by the 75th Ranger Regiment — as the universal image
of Army excellence. The vocal uprising began hours after the chief’s Oct. 17
announcement, most noticeably in the form of e-mails, discussions on Internet
chat rooms, postings on Web sites, and letters to publications like Army Times.
The outcry came from active, former and retired Rangers alike, as well as regular
soldiers. Typical responses questioned Shinseki’s selection of a beret to improve
sagging troop morale. The most visceral comments, however, chided the choice
of a black beret, calling it a slap in the face to Rangers past and present.
Retirees and former Rangers were the most vocal. That’s likely because the Army
Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, N.C., issued a gag order the day of
Shinseki’s announcement, forbidding members of the 75th Rangers to speak publicly
about the issue.
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False Sailor Spent 15 Days on an Aircraft Carrier: For 15 days, Bryan Hopkins
played sailor aboard the aircraft carrier Constellation. He wore a sailor's
uniform. He ate meals in the mess deck and slept on bunks among crew members.
He watched television, worked out in the gym and played video games with the
crew. He did everything the other sailors did, except actual work. Only Hopkins
wasn't a sailor. He was just pretending to be one so he could hang out with
his friends on board. He pleaded guilty to a felony charge of impersonating
an officer of the U.S. government yesterday in a federal court hearing. Hopkins,
26, told the court he attempted to board the ship simply to see if he could
get away with it. "I didn't expect to be here today," he told U.S. District
Judge Barry Moskowitz.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages?lgnF=y&msg=4574.1
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Hearing Ends for Navy Officer: A military hearing to determine whether a Navy
officer should be court-martialed on charges of drug dealing and other crimes
ended yesterday, leaving questions unanswered and a blot on the proud service.
Lt. Cmdr. Robert L. Loeh, 40, faced a battery of witnesses, most of them government
witnesses who described a side of the military that Navy recruiters wouldn't
put in a commercial. It included drug selling, drug abuse, drunkenness, sexual
assault and fraternization. Loeh faces up to 192 years in prison. He's a 19-year
veteran and served aboard the carrier Constellation. "We feel we presented enough
evidence for the government to make a sound decision," said Lt. Cmdr. Paul LeBlanc,
the lead prosecutor. William Sams, Loeh's civilian defense attorney, had little
to say, citing the sensitivity of such military hearings. He did say that Loeh,
despite the damaging hits he took on his reputation throughout the hearing,
"is holding up fine."
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages?lgnF=y&msg=4577.1
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4 More Army Recruiters Accused in Travel Scam: Four more recruiters have been
accused in a temporary duty travel voucher scam that has so far cost the Army
$160,000. All belonged to the Recruiting Support Battalion’s Mobile Exhibit
Team, whose NCOs are on the road most of the year driving tractor-trailers that
serve as exhibits about the Army. Recruiting Command spokesman Douglas Smith
identified the four, who await Article 32 hearings, as staff sergeants Mitchell
Chatman and Curtis Clemmons, and sergeants first class Adonijah Ogletree and
Alonia Ogletree. The Ogletrees are married. Charges and specifications were
preferred against the four Oct. 13, and include larceny, conspiracy, making
false claims and using false receipts. There are now 13 soldiers accused or
convicted in the scam, which investigators say had been operating since at least
1998.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages?lgnF=y&msg=4528.1
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No Basis for Tailhook Charge: WASHINGTON — Navy investigators found no basis
for a sexual harassment allegation against service members attending an August
convention of the Tailhook Association, a naval aviators organization, Navy
officials said Tuesday. The alleged incident took place during a late-night
encounter in the Nugget Hotel in Sparks, Nev., with a civilian couple who were
staying at the hotel but were not attending the Aug. 17-20 Tailhook convention.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages?lgnF=y&msg=4492.1
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The Fatal Flight: LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. — It wasn’t until seconds
before the C-130 Hercules struck the ground that any of the flight crew thought
they were in trouble, according to testimony from the Article 32 hearing of
pilot Capt. Darron Haughn here the week of Oct. 16. The crew, all assigned to
Little Rock, was making a routine flight the morning of Dec. 10 between Kuwait
City International Airport and Al Jaber Air Base, a hop that shouldn’t have
taken more than 15 minutes. It would take longer to get the 86 passengers seated
in the C-130’s web seats than it would to fly between the airfields. The passengers
were a cross-section of the Air Force — pilots from Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.,
security force members from Dover Air Force Base, Del., a safety manager from
Altus Air Force Base, Okla., and a firefighter from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
Most of the jet-lagged passengers had just arrived in Kuwait from journeys that
had started one or two days before in the United States.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages?lgnF=y&msg=4533.1
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Clinton Signs FY2001 Military Pay Act: WASHINGTON -- A 3.7 percent military
pay raise, TRICARE changes, military modernization and lifetime medical benefits
are just some of the aspects of the Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization
Act for Fiscal Year 2001 that President Clinton signed into law Oct. 30. The
act gives DoD permission to spend an authorized overall budget of $309.9 billion.
The fiscal 2001 appropriations act signed in August actually provided the money.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages?lgnF=y&msg=4500.1
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Enlistees Discharged for Weight Can Sue for Bonuses: PORTLAND, Maine--Thousands
of former military men and women kicked out of the armed forces for being too
fat or out of shape can sue the Pentagon for taking back their enlistment bonuses.
A federal judge ruled last week that a lawsuit filed by three people who say
the Pentagon illegally took back their bonuses can be expanded to a class action
suit. Many of the 20,000 people discharged for obesity from the Army, Navy,
Marines and Air Force between 1992 and 1995 lost all or part of the money they
received when they signed up, plaintiffs' lawyer Michael Feldman said.
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Retirees Celebrate New Health Care Plan: James Goeltz and his wife, Sheila,
are looking forward to next fall, when they figure to have about $300 more in
disposable income each month. Once the Tricare-for-Life, or Tricare Senior Healthcare,
program takes effect Oct. 1, 2001, the Nebraska couple plan to cancel their
Medicare supplemental insurance policy, said James Goeltz, who retired from
the Army in 1980 as a sergeant major. Tricare will pick up the part of their
medical bills covered by their supplemental insurance. Military retirees across
the country are celebrating victory in their long-fought battle for lifetime
military health care. The 2001 defense authorization bill, which the president
is expected to sign in a matter of days, allows Tricare to serve as second-payer
to Medicare if the retiree has enrolled in Medicare Part B, which covers doctors’
fees, lab fees and some other outpatient services. Military retirees say the
legislation restores what many service members were promised, but not guaranteed
under the law until now — a lifelong health-care commitment in return for a
full career in military service.
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Legislation May Offer More GI Bill Benefits: Service members who intend to go
to college might be able to pay a little more now to gain a much bigger GI Bill
benefit later. The Veterans Benefits and Health Care Improvement Act of 2000,
which has been sent to the president for his signature, allows active-duty and
recently separated service members to make extra contributions to their Montgomery
GI Bill accounts, adding as much as $150 to the monthly payments they would
receive for college expenses. All told, veterans who max out their GI Bill benefits
could receive up to $800 a month under the new law.
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Don't Spend That Extra Sea Pay Yet: Don’t rush out and spend that career sea-pay
hike you think you’re going to get until you have it in hand. Navy officials
say sailors who qualify will indeed see a boost in sea pay, but reports that
a hike could be imminent were premature. Bottom line: The Navy still must find
funds to support any increase. Congress granted the Navy its wish and relinquished
control over sea pay to the sea service, but did not appropriate funding to
cover the cost.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages?lgnF=y&msg=4523.1
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Bigger Packages Cheaper: Military members overseas soon will be able to mail
bigger packages at the cheapest parcel rate through their military post offices.
The size limit for Standard Mail will increase from 100 inches (length plus
width) to 130 inches when the president signs the 2001 defense authorization
bill into law. The current 70-pound weight limit will not change. The provision,
sought by military postal officials, removes all military-specific limits on
the size of packages and replaces them with U.S. Postal Service limits for fourth-class
parcel post, known as Standard Mail B. The changes won’t affect military Standard
Mail headed overseas, which already is subject to the same regulations as fourth-class
parcel post.
http://forums.about.com/ab-usmilitary/messages?lgnF=y&msg=4520.1
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Guard/Reserve Dental Benefits Expand: Reserve and National Guard families will
be included as beneficiaries for the new TRICARE Dental Program (TDP) beginning
Feb. 1, 2001 under Department of Defense policy guidelines. This will significantly
expand the number of Reserve forces personnel eligible for TDP. One important
new feature will allow Reserve and National Guard members called to active duty
in support of contingency operations to sign their family members up for the
TDP by excluding them from the mandatory enrollment period. "The TDP will be
a tremendous benefit to National Guard and Reserve personnel in the very near
future," said Charles L. Cragin, principal deputy assistant secretary of Defense
for Reserve Affairs. "And the new policy guidelines will significantly improve
the readiness of Reserve force families."
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Pentagon Revising List of Those Exposed to Nerve Gas: WASHINGTON – The Pentagon
is reversing itself on who was exposed to nerve gas during the Persian Gulf
War, and who wasn't. About 30,000 Gulf war veterans are to be notified in the
coming weeks that they probably came in contact with low levels of sarin nerve
gas after being told in 1997 that they had escaped exposure. And 30,000 believed
to have been exposed will get letters saying they probably weren't. "These are
very low levels – low enough that there is no expectation of a health risk,"
Austin Camacho, spokesman for the Pentagon's office on Gulf War illnesses, said
Friday. Still, the revision will again "raise questions of credibility" among
critics of the government's now decade-long effort to answer health questions
of vets who served, said Dr. Vinh Cam, an immunologist and member of the Special
Oversight Board for Department of Defense Investigation of Gulf War Chemical
and Biological Incidents.
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You can read more military news on the About.com U.S. Military Site at:
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Around and About:
Military Weapons -- All about aircraft, missiles, tanks, and guns. If the U.S.
Military uses it, you can find out about it here.
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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.
http://usmilitary.about.com/library/weekly/aa071700a.htm
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U.S. Government Information & Resources.
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Shopping About -- Buy your favorite items on the Internet.
http://usmilitary.about.com/gi/shopping/vstore/vstore.htm?channel=careers&site=usmilitary
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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: The ship navigator fell sick when the ship was far from the
shore in the open sea. The doctor examined the navigator and went into prolonged
thinking.
"Well, doc," asked the sick man, "can't decide what medicine
to prescribe me?"
"No, I'm thinking hard who, except you, knows anything about navigation
here."
For more military humor, visit our Military Humor Subject-Area on the About.com
U.S. Military Information Site at:
http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/militaryhumor/index.htm
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With those words of wisdom, I once again leave you.,
Rod Powers
About.com's U.S. Military Information Site
