My previous message speaks more to the climate of command rather than the evaluation standards for training.

When you load an M60 Machine Gun which side of the belt should be on top, the clean side or the one with all the links showing? What is the immediate action to clear a malfunction or jam?

If you say that many in your unit can't perform those tasks or answer those questions some of your superiors might think you're a dangerous guy to have around. After all, all of us here are "outstanding" and we have "standards of excellence," except for that guy who said his troops don't know how to load a machine gun. Therefore, shoot the messenger.

Without a doubt in Jessica Lynch's Ordnance maintenance battalion where 80 percent of the M16s jammed the field-grade officers and senior NCOs had all received MSMs when they PCSed and the junior officers and NCOs got ARCOMs. It had probably been going on for 10 years.

"We have standards of excellence around here."