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I could go on and on. There hasn't been much fun in a career that spans a quarter century of frustration, sacrifice and work. So, why did you serve, you might ask? Let me answer that:
I joined the service out of a profound sense of patriotism. As the son of a career Air Force Senior NCO I grew up on military bases often within minutes flying time from Soviet airfields in East Germany. I remember the Cuban Missile crisis, the construction of the Berlin Wall, the nuclear attack drills in school and was not many miles away when Soviet tanks crushed the aspirations of citizens in Czechoslovakia. To me there was never any doubt that our great Republic and the last best hope of free people needed to prevail in this ultimate contest. I knew I had to serve.
There are no real veterans benefits anymore. It is that simple, and our senior leadership has their head in the sand if they think otherwise.
As they progress through their initial enlistments that are four years or more now, many conclude that they will not be competitive enough to make it a 20-year career or dont want to endure the sacrifices required. At that point they decide that it is time to get on with the rest of their lives and the result is the high first-term attrition we currently have to deal with.
The thought of a less-than-honorable discharge holds no fear whatsoever for most. It is a paper tiger. Twenty years ago, an individual could serve two years and walk away with a very attractive amount of veterans benefits that could not be matched by any other sector or business in the country.
We have even seen those who serve long enough lose benefits as we stamped from weaker program to weaker program. This must be reversed. We need a viable and competitive GI Bill that is grandfathered when you enter the service, is predicated on an honorable discharge and has increasing benefits for longer service so we can fill the mid-grade ranks with quality people.
We must do this to stop the hemorrhage of first-term attrition and to reestablish good faith and fairness. It will allow us to reenlist a few more and enlist a few less.
The modern service member is well read and informed. He knows more about strategy, diplomacy and current events that captains knew when I first joined. He reads national newspapers and professional journals and is tuned into CNN. Gone are the days of the PFC who sat in Butzbach in the Fulda Gap or Camp Schwab on Okinawa and scanned the Stars and Stripes sports page and listened to AFN. Yet our senior leadership continues to treat him like a moron from the hinterland who wouldnt understand what goes on.
He is in the service because he wants to be and not because he cant get a job in the steel mill. Three hots and a cot are not what he is here for. The Grunts and other combat arms guys arent here for the training and skills either.
He is remarkably well disciplined in that he does what he is told to do even though he knows it is stupid. He is very stoic, but not blind. Yet I see senior leaders all of the time who pile more on. One should remind them that their first platoon in 1968 would have told them to stick it where the sun doesnt shine. These new Warriors only think it. He is well aware of the moral cowardice of his seniors and their habit of taking the easy way out that results in more pain and work for their subordinates. This must be reversed.
The senior leadership must have the morale courage to stop the misuse and abuse of the current force.
The force is too small, stretched too thin and too poorly funded. These deficiencies are made up on the backs of the Marines, sailors, airmen and soldiers. The troops are the best weve ever had and that is no reason to drive them into the dirt. Our equipment and infrastructure is shot. There is no other way to put it. We must reinvest immediately and not just on the big ticket items like the F-22. That is the equivalent of buying a new sofa when the roof leaks and the termites are wrecking the structure.
We are in the midst of monumental leadership failure at the senior levels. Just recently [former JCS Chairman] Gen. [Hugh] Shelton testified that he didnt know we had a readiness problem or pay problems. Can you imagine that level of isolation? We must fix our own leadership problems soon. Quality of life is paid lip service and everyone below the rank of colonel knows it. We need tough, realistic and challenging training. But we dont need low pay, no medical benefits and ghetto housing. There is only so much our morality should allow us to ask of families. Isnt it bad enough that we ask the service members to sacrifice their lives without asking their families to sacrifice their education and well being too?
CSM said:I can only add that the lower ranking guys and gals are well aware of the problems and issues yet choose to serve anyway. I am often amazed that the good citizens of this country tend to idolize sports figures, actors and politicians but denigrate the very people who defend their very freedom.
certainly not you. :cof:Kathianne said:Not by me! :teeth:
pegwinn said:I am one of those Senior Staff NCO's (top 3% of the whole bloody Corps) who cannot afford to send my kids to college. On paper, the money we got paid actually looks good. Hell I was clearing 4K a month at retirement. But I was in So Ca so the cost of living ate it up. Then, there is the deployements where one check now covers two locations. No doubt about it, the pay and allowances over time got better, but there is still work to do.
-dos pennies
=-=d=- said:Frankly - side note - I don't feel responsible to pay for my kids' college...they can get all the money for college they need from their uncle; Uncle Sam. Don't even go there. My kids don't qualify for financial aid because I "made too much". Of course my daughter (being female) has more scholorship opportunities than my son. As a white male, no one is throwing an education at him, not even Uncle. The real bitch is that he graduated a full year early with honors, and has been working a forty hour job. Just turned 18 last sunday. Don't get me wrong, he can get a loan. But the grants and scholorships just aint there for Middle Class White Males.
But Damn - clearing $4k a month? was that including Housing and/or Ration allowances? You musta been E8 over 20-22yrs? E9 at 20 years makes that...Way to go! Master Sergeant (Top to My Marines) over 22 at retirement. E8/E9 are the top 3% of our enlisted force. That was with all allowances.
As an E5, my annual salary (base pay) was about $24K a year. Of course, FREE housing/utilities/Medical/etc augmented that a great deal.
pegwinn said:=Don't even go there. My kids don't qualify for financial aid because I "made too much". Of course my daughter (being female) has more scholorship opportunities than my son. As a white male, no one is throwing an education at him, not even Uncle. The real bitch is that he graduated a full year early with honors, and has been working a forty hour job. Just turned 18 last sunday. Don't get me wrong, he can get a loan. But the grants and scholorships just aint there for Middle Class White Males.
