Here's the poster:
http://myspace.roflposters.com/image...5D.myspace.jpg
There are hundreds of funny spoof motivational posters out there. This is not one of them.
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Here's the poster:
http://myspace.roflposters.com/image...5D.myspace.jpg
There are hundreds of funny spoof motivational posters out there. This is not one of them.
Context isn't everything, but it is very important, imo.
I know of a case that could have appeared similarly offensive if the context were not understood. A Mech Inf CO, who was white, had a gunner who was black. Being the CO's gunner is a demanding job. He frequently joked about the demands of his job, stating more than once that "the CO thinks I'm the damn Hotel November." By that, he meant "HN" which apparently is an acronym for "house nigger" meaning "house slave." After hearing this a few times, one of the guys in the CP who had some artistic skills drew a caricature of the gunner in 18th century slave attire and chains, and a caricature of the CO whipping him (along with the obligatory S&M overtones, since everything in the Army needs to have some sexual innuendo added to it). The gunner found this to be hilarious. The CO was mortified - likely envisioning his career going up in smoke like LTC Jenio's apparently has. I wonder what would have happened if that had been photographed and emailed to BN and put into the Cmd & Staff slides. Without understanding the context, I suspect there would have been an overreaction.
obviously, the poster maker printed it and knowing what passes for humor in airborne infantry units, I suspect the allegedly black soldier who inserted it in the slide packet though it was off the wall funny -- or, conversely, he could've wanted to get someone in trouble by doing exactly what 'they' told him to do (that, too is an old airborne attribute... :wry: ).
If what apparently occurred is the case -- and we still do not really know for sure -- the message is "Screw up tactically and you may get a bad OER; screw up politically and you WILL be relieved." That's not a message that should be sent.
If used, the slide was wrong and the result will be more wrongs due to the Chain of Command's massive overreaction:
1. The desire to micromanage will be enhanced and slide sets will be checked by five people including at least one Field grade. Co/By/Trp will submit slides to S3 two days prior...
2. Commanders at Bn level, already significantly over managed and showing it, will become even more gun shy...
3. Already unnecessary and overlong briefings will become even more boring.
4. All Staffs will be authorized one additional SFC for slide checking and certification. Accordingly, the senior Scout Squad Leader will serve as Scout Platoon Sergeant and the SFC space formerly allocated will be used to resource the new position on the Staff for Infantry Bns as the pressing need obviously is in that branch. Bns from all other branches will have a space identified for transfer in due course...
5. The rumor that a panel similar to the West - Clark panel which 'investigated' the Nidal Hasan incident at Ft Hood will investigate the use of any 'humor' slides in professional briefings is false (we hope...).
6. Anti-Virus Software maker SlammNTech will announce availability of 'PP Chekist,' their new product that uses data mining to search slide sets for offensive words and phrases. The new software will sell initially in AAFES Exchanges worldwide. :eek:
The first three are real. :mad:
P.S
Tequila is right -- those Commenters are sordid. Embarrassing, too...:rolleyes:
The military justice system is often slammed for giving excessive sentences for minor offenses. That is usually the result of a long term miscreant who has successfully evaded punishment for months or years finally being nailed for something, no matter how petty, in order to make him or her pay for those other crimes... :cool:
Same principle here as you suggest. Could be little more than Boss X being annoyed or even harassed by Subordinate Y and finally being "rid of a meddlesome priest." ;)
Could be a few more serious issues -- but I'd bet not, else there'd likely be a Court Martial... :eek:
Early days. We'll see.
I knew it was nothing tactical/combat command related. That would be the last thing anyone cared about.
The sad part is that if this was a unit that performed well, they are sans leadership because of an un-PC foul-up. Will the new CO be PC? You can bet your ass he will. Will he be tactically proficient in this conflict?
I sure hope so.
Unless they actually prefer charges, there is very little LTC Jenio and the CSM can really do. They have to defend a negative, i.e. prove that something that didn't really happen didn't happen (or didn't happen as it was portrayed by a hasty investigation). The only real hope Jenio has is if they bring charges under Court Martial.
I hope they get attorneys well schooled on administrative law. Criminal law experts are great, and are successful in a court-martial situation, but have limited success when their client is being attacked by an OER.
Likewise knowing nothing, I strongly concur. A popular CO, well liked and supported by his officers should be almost fire-proof, while the reverse is obviously true. It's a stupid slide, but it's not a sacking offence. IMO, it's a coffee-free stand up with the formation commander.
Well, between the random scuttlebut on the web and the wives club fighting amongst themselves with pitchforks on Ricks' blog, this is undoubtably something that has been stewing for a while....
Axe murderers are really sad...
Unrelated to the 101st story is A-Stan...
Gates Tries to Get F-35 Program Back on Course
Story
Quote:
That study found that the development of the plane could be delayed by two and a half years and cost an extra $16.6 billion if no changes were made. Mr. Gates has also said that he replaced the head of the program, Maj. Gen. David R. Heinz of the Marine Corps, to show that officials would be held accountable “when things go wrong.”
Yes - seems to be a popular topic these days....
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...020203534.html
Quote:
A military investigation into an ambush that left nine Americans dead recommends that the Army consider taking disciplinary action against three U.S. commanders who oversaw the 2008 mission to send troops to the remote Afghan outpost, defense officials said Tuesday.
Wilf:
My Brit Pol/Mil colleague from Baghdad told me that the proper term was: Meeting without Coffee.
Has that changed?
Steve
In Canada it is called "getting jacked up" or getting a "jacking".
We call it performing the hat-less dance. Had to do it once. Lost my cadence. Nearly stepped on the CSM's toes. What a silly performance that was.:wry:
http://fayobserver.com/articles/2010...03278?sac=Home
Quote:
Col. Drinkwine wrote in his sworn statement that he never let personal issues creep into his professional evaluations of soldiers.
But two battalion commanders - Lt. Col Frank Jenio and Lt. Col. David Oclander - told Spillman they believe disputes with Dr. Drinkwine were an unstated cause for professional retaliation.
Jenio, who was in charge of 800 troops operating just outside Kandahar, was relieved of command in Afghanistan along with his top enlisted adviser, Cmd. Sgt. Maj. Bert Puckett, on Jan. 13. They were sent home to Fort Bragg for "using poor judgment" that "fostered a command climate that was not consistent with our Army values," an 82nd Airborne Division spokesman said at the time.
The Observer later discovered that racially and sexually offensive PowerPoint slides shown during briefings led to their removal.
Jenio, who declined an interview request, paints a different picture in his sworn statement.
Dr. Drinkwine and Jenio's wife, Sherri, were often at odds, according to multiple statements
Frank Jenio said in his statement that during one heated phone conversation last year, Dr. Drinkwine threatened to have him fired.
Jenio said Col. Drinkwine failed to address the problems his wife was causing and stayed isolated from his subordinates. Dr. Drinkwine would often use the threat of "telling Brian" when she had a disagreement with a family member or soldier, he said, and Col. Drinkwine made matters worse by giving the impression that she had influence over him.
Jenio said in his statement that the need to deal with the FRG challenges nearly every other day took away valuable time he could have been using to focus on the war.