WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War! SOLDIERS FOR THE TRUTH "DEFENDING AMERICA NEWSLETTER" 09 August 2000 "When we assumed the Soldier, we did not lay aside the Citizen." General George Washington, New York Legislature, 1775 "Our militia will be heroes, if we have heroes to lead them." Thomas Jefferson Soldiers For The Truth Foundation, PO Box 63840, Colorado Springs, CO 80962-3840 HTTP://WWW.SFTT.ORG ***************************************************************** TABLE OF CONTENTS SITREP from the President HOT BUTTONS! Hack's Column: "Military Readiness in the Toilet True or False?" "From my Position" -- On the way!" Article 1 - A Word about Military Pay and other Retention Factors Big Picture: Article 2 - Army Leader says Schwarzkopf 'flat wrong' Article 3 - Ft. Hood Training Cuts Voices from the Field: Article 4 -- Reader Response -- Special Forces Medics may not be so Special Article 5 - Don't blame Mid-grade Officer Exodus on NonComs Article 6 - NCO voice from the Training Center - "We are Mush!" Article 7 -- Navy Readiness -- Polishing the Pig Boats Article 8 - The Stats look great - Reality hurts Article 9 -- Health Care Update: Various Topics G.I Humor: Article 10 -- GI HUMOR - New Element could change the way you think about Government Medal of Honor: Article 11 -- LOGAN, JAMES M., Italy 1943 =============================================================== SITREP: 1. Main topics: 1) Readiness 2) Targeted Military Pay and Benefits and their impact on Retention 3) Inspections and Training 4) Quality of Life/Healthcare 2. Hot Buttons: A. SFTT SALUTES ALL OUR TROOPS INVOLVED IN FIRE FIGHTING MISSIONS. THANK YOU FOR DOING MUCH GOOD YOUR OWN COUNTRY! B. NEWSLETTWE MAILING: I have to consider mailing you an abbreviated version of the newsletter with the first two articles and the table of contents and refer you for the rest to our website at www.,sftt.org. The cost of mailing to 20,000(+) addresses is prohibitive and we can't afford to continue full scale mailing to individuals. Please give me your input for I don't want anyone left out. C. Let's join the political debate. While the Pentagon insists all is well, the Republicans acknowledge readiness shortfalls and low morale among others. - We need active duty feedback from the field, the ships and the airfields to tell us what YOU think and see. Tell us how you envision the big politicians could fix it, knowing that more money isn't always the answer. Get your buddies involved in the discussion! C. NEED YOUR FEEDBACK to verify the quality of training future leaders receive in ROTC. Could the following events have actually occurred??? - A female ROTC cadet arrives at camp, already on physical profile for a twisted ankle. She never falls out for PT, does not participate in road marches, and does not complete the squad military stakes course. Yet, despite these shortcomings, she is given one of the highest marks received by ANY cadet in all of the advanced camp. Seems our intrepid lass had the disconcerting habit of applying tears rather than sweat to the task. The TACs felt that this was an indication of her zeal and determined that, "If you're crying, you're trying." - Another story out of advanced camp has a group of female cadets habitually falling out of the morning runs and congregating at the rear of the formation. One officer and two NCOs are dispatched to gather up the gaggle and herd them toward the finish line. As they near the goal, they are encouraged to group in formation and put the effort into running, so they appear to look good as they cross the finish line. By the way, all these sterling stalwart future leaders got credit for completing the physical training. !!! NOTE: We will NEVER reveal your true identity unless you give us your approval. We know how vindictive the system can be. 3. Flash !!! Credit Card donation via our WEBSITE at www.sftt.org -- IT IS UP and RUNNING! !!! PLEASE continue your financial support for us. ***So far we have received about 261 donations that keep us on a temporary operating budget. If you are one of our almost 22,000 readers who believes we stand for you and tell it like it is on pertinent defense issues, support us! Just like any small business, we can't forever produce website, newsletter and personal advice for free and survive. Look at article #1 and realize that the Pentagon outspends us by $289 billion and AUSA by $ 20 million. !!! If you cant get through to me via the website, send me your mail direct at [EMAIL PROTECTED] If you have something to be published, send it in Word Format if possible. !!! If you think we HIT a target, forward the newsletter to TV, radio and your locale papers. YOU are our best recruiter and intel gatherers. 4. Methods of Support Check or Money order: Send to and make payable to: Soldiers For The Truth Foundation, PO Box 63840, Colorado Springs, CO 80962-3840. 5. REMINDERS: Your donation is tax deductible! SFTT is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit educational foundation, IRS # 31-1592564. If you send us an E-MAIL address with your donation we can immediately mail you a RECEIPT!!!! Some of you have sent multiple contributions. Please remind us when you submit your donation, so we can send you a cumulative statement for tax purposes. SFTT Website. If you didn't get the complete newsletter or only the Short Version (sv), you can find it archived on the website http://www.sftt.org. "Crew Ready! -- LOAD SABOT - DRIVER MOVE OUT!" R.W. Zimmermann President SFTT [EMAIL PROTECTED] ============================================================== Hack's Column ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Military Readiness in the Toilet True or False?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ By David H. Hackworth Retired Army Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf says U.S. military readiness sucks. Louis Caldera, U.S. Army headman, says this ain't so -- Stormin' Norman's "flat-out wrong." Both men are alumni of West Point, an institution whose graduates I've always held in the highest regard, at least until their actions proved otherwise. And sadly there were a fair few of those. But then West Point produced people like William Ochs, Class of '45, my first platoon leader in Italy, who taught me courage when he and a seven-man rifle squad stopped a Yugoslavian regiment -- 5,000 bad dudes -- from invading Trieste. In Korea, Joe Love, Class of '50, taught me combat leadership when his rifle company defended the Punch Bowl. In Vietnam, Hank "The Gunfighter" Emerson, Class of '47, taught me, by brilliant example, how to skipper a parachute battalion in a counterinsurgency environment. And there were scores of other Pointers who thumped, shaped and mentored soldier Hackworth. It's rare when West Point graduates get into public squabbles. Luis -- that's how he spelled it when he graduated from West Point in 1978 -- Caldera says our military can go anywhere at anytime and do a number on the bad guys. Schwarzkopf strongly disagrees. So who's right? Is Luis singing the party line for his pal Bill? Or is Norman bashing the Pentagon to smooch up to Dubya and old boss Dick Cheney? Let's look at their credentials: Schwarzkopf, Class of '56, was a platoon leader in the 101st Airborne; a company commander in Berlin in those hot days when The Wall went up; a battalion CO in Vietnam; a brigade CO at Fort Lewis, Wash.; an assistant division commander in Germany; and a division and corps CG in the States. He commanded the Army force during the invasion of Grenada and then, of course, there was Desert Storm. He retired in '91 with 35 years' service and four combat tours under his pistol belt. Caldera, Class of '78, was a stateside military-police officer for two years, an admin officer at West Point for one year and an MP officer at Fort Dix, N.J., for one year. He quit the Army as soon as he could, in 1983, to go to Harvard Law School, and the half-million-dollar, taxpayer-funded education designed to train him to defend America served him well -- first in law and then playing politics. Combat experience: zero. My take is that Stormin' Norman is talking to many of the same folks I hear from daily who tell me our Army, Navy and Air Force -- not the Marine Corps -- can't fight their way into a retirement home. Remember, many of today's commanders were his subordinates somewhere down the line, and Norman, like most old soldiers, would keep an ear to the combat-readiness ground. Five will get you 10 that Norman's getting his skinny on the q.t. from skippers and old NCOs. Guys who wouldn't dare pull one on "The Bear," whose vast experience would help him sniff out the truth faster than he used to bark "Gimme 25." I suspect that Caldera's getting his readiness info from the reports that slide across his Pentagon desk and talks with soldiers when in the field. But today's generals rarely say they're not ready to go, not if they want a career. The plethora of Perfumed Princes that manage -- not lead -- today's forces can't afford to and wouldn't let a truth-teller within rifle range of a visiting fireman from Washington such as Caldera. But if Caldera, who probably is talking primarily to yes men and women, really thinks our forces are good to go, he should see an eye doc for specs -- because the man from Los Angeles must be blinder than a rock. Caldera reminds me of another high Pentagon know-nothing, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson, who just before the Korean War exploded assured President Harry Truman that our forces were second to none. He was fired, but not before thousands of untrained soldiers were shot down by a superior North Korean army. Hopefully in November -- no matter who's the new commander in chief -- Caldera and the rest of Clinton's Pentagon political appointments will be given their walking papers and our country's defense will be placed in more competent hands. *** Http://www.hackworth.com is the address of David Hackworth's home page. Sign in for the free weekly Defending America column at his Web site. Send mail to P.O. Box 5210, Greenwich, CT 06831. © 2000 David H. Hackworth Distributed by King Features Syndicate Inc. ================================================== ARTICLE 1 - "From my Position" -- On the way!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Word about Military Pay and other Retention Factors ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ By R.W. (Zimm) Zimmermann President SFTT 08/07/00 The 14% pay gap is popping up again as a recruiting and retention factor in this election year. The think tanks are beating the drums, reporters and experts scream about it and the presidential candidates promise to make it disappear without clear vision. What's the truth about the gap and the quality of life difference between soldiers and civilians? I admit to be opposed to the blanket military pay increases for all ranks. To compensate fairly, you have to take a look at the specific job, its worth to a particular organization, exposure to danger and the field environment among many factors. Most officers earn about the right amount of money in comparison to their civilian counterparts. As unit commanders, most officers influence their own schedules, find time for physical exercise and lunch and even mange to "study" the daily paper. In many Pentagon jobs, much time and effort is spent planning and enduring the daily commute. It's different in the enlisted ranks of operational units. Many guys, such as vehicle mechanics, are constantly battling short-fused recovery and repair tasks. Eighteen-hour days aren't unusual, slugging it out to meet the commander's magic 90% readiness requirement. Tough work, oftentimes performed without the right tools and sparse repair parts. Many of these jobs would earn much overtime pay in the civilian sector. It's similar for grunts, tankers and the specialties that do time in the field. In contrast, senior leaders visit for a couple of hours of small talk and coin handouts. Then they quickly chopper back to garrison, so they won't miss important readiness meetings and opportunities to rub elbows with city council. Another underpaid category is the high tech NCO of all the services. These specialists are compensated by rank, while their counterparts in the civilian sector earn many times that. No wonder we're not reenlisting them. To fix military pay, we need targeted pay raises that addresses the imbalance between the ranks and the job performed. Our NCO leaders deserve about a 12-15 % increase, while officer pay can easily hover around the inflation rate for a couple of years. Soldiers deployed to the field should get a field allowance to compensate for wear and tear of gear and uniforms and to offset the antiquated subsistence allowance. Deployed troops and sailors should be compensated from day one of the mission and earn more than the clerk of the same rank who works in a warm office. We also need bonuses for unaccompanied deployments to provide strictly volunteer unit packages to places like Korea and ad-hoc peacekeeping assignments. Twelve-month deployment limits could go by the wayside. To supplement targeted pay for work performed, the services also must improve stability and appropriate benefits that impact job satisfaction. On most military installations, NCOs and enlisted troops should have priority for government-subsidized housing to allow them to use all military facilities, such as Commissary and BX and save money on fuel. Today's reality is just the opposite - junior enlisted folks get shoved off-post, while senior leaders live in government quarters in close range to all discount facilities. Stability of the work environment is as important as Dollars. Units ought to produce duty and training schedules that are predictable. By our doctrine, training is planned five weeks out. What a pipe dream! Most outfits can't figure out what's happening tomorrow. Too many commitments? Yes, but mainly caused by senior commanders, determined to be first to volunteer for every mission. Senior guys need to learn to "just say no" when asked if they could jerk a unit around for another questionable requirement without impact on readiness. A stable training plan includes a workable block leave schedule. Soldiers deserve a 15-day leave period twice a year. No ad-hoc leave cancellations for opportunity training missions. Ask how many people today really take their annual 30-day leave. The leave issue has become so irritating that post commanders and their Inspectors General (IG) are tracking leave data for mid-ranking and senior officers to figure how much they will lose at the end of the year. At the macro level, stability and readiness go hand in hand and require a rotational deployment/alert schedule for all brigade size combat units. But .to make this work, someone very senior has to implement such a plan and make hard decisions. That's the LEADERSHIP factor that's still separating us from the solutions. © R.W. Zimmermann, LandserUSA [EMAIL PROTECTED] ============================================================ ARTICLE 2 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Army Leader says Schwarzkopf 'flat wrong' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ed.: I will never be a fan of Stormin' Norman, an overweight General who could barely pass a PT test and who had a record of abusing his subordinates and who we seem to compare to a Mathew Ridgeway or Jim Gavin -- but this goes too far! Louis Caldera, the guy who doesn't realize that the Expert Infantryman's badge is NOT won by "brave women" and who barely knows the difference between a tank and a fuel truck, hammers a guy with over thirty years in uniform (although oversized!).Are we really much better today because we have more technology??? A 2 August UPI report. A Grunt replies in Article 8. **************************************************************************** ** By PAMELA HESS WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 (UPI) - Secretary of the Army Louis Caldera, the U.S. Army's top civilian official, says retired Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf is "just flat out wrong" about the state of the military today. Schwarzkopf asserted in a speech Tuesday to the Republican National Convention that today's military is not as well-trained as the force that fought under him 10 years ago in the Gulf War. He also said military forces lack proper equipment and motivation. Secretary Caldera dismissed the general's criticisms Wednesday, telling reporters he would "be happy to provide the data to show him that." The active duty Army is about half the size it was during the Gulf War, which was fought by a military scaled to face a Soviet threat. But Caldera said the Army also featured a higher percentage of less educated soldiers - those who had not finished high school or who had only received an equivalency diploma. "We have both, the highest quality force in the history of our nation and the readiness to go fight and win in any mission we would be asked to perform. So I don't think (Schwarzkopf's criticism) is a valid claim," Caldera said. Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon Tuesday said the military under Clinton is "stronger and more supple" than it was when he took over in 1993. "I would say it is more capable. I think that we have incorporated new technology. I think that the way we fought the air war over Yugoslavia and Kosovo last year showed how well we can operate in tough, challenging conditions. I think that the patrols over the no-fly zones, over Iraq every day, show how well we perform in conditions under fire. I'd say this is an extremely lethal, fast-moving, modern military. And I think it's well prepared to perform the tasks that the nation demands of it, and I think that's exactly what the military's been doing, Bacon said. "I think the military has performed admirably, and it's shown itself to be well led, well trained, and well equipped," he said. *COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for nonprofit research and educational purposes only.[Ref. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ] Want to be on our lists? Write at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for a menu of our lists! ****************************************************************************** ******************* A vote for Bush or Gore is a vote to continue Clinton policies! A vote for Buchanan is a vote to continue America! Therefore a vote for Gore or Bush is a wasted vote for America! 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