U.S. Soldiers charged with maltreament

[ODB]

of subordinates in Iraq. I do not know enough about this yet to have an opinion. Well not really my opinion is already forming but I will wait to hear the facts.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Four U.S. soldiers have been charged with cruelty and maltreatment of four subordinates in Iraq after a suicide investigation brought to light alleged wrongdoing, the military said Friday.

There is no confirmed evidence that the suicide, which involved a fifth subordinate in the unit, was a result of any mistreatment, said Lt. Col. Kevin Olson, a spokesman for Multi-National Division-South, who said the military is looking into that possibility.

Don't know that I've ever heard it put so eloquently as this:

He described the physical punishment as falling into the category of "undue calisthenics."

Full news article: HERE

This has the potential to have serious implications across the force, have to keep an eye on this.

[120mm]

If I were king of the Army, I would force each and every NCO and Officer to read, be familiar with and master the concepts in this book:

http://www.amazon.com/How-Talk-Kids-...0811960#reader

What most people don't get is the distinction between "punishment" and "consequences" for once's actions.

[Courtney Massengale]

The fallout from this will undoubtedly be one of the single most amazing and emotionally significant events for green tabbers as we enter the drawdown. Here’s what’s on my mind….

1) Was this guy not meeting the standard or not meeting the perception? Given that it’s a Cav unit and they’re deploying, I have a small suspicion that he may have squeeked by on the Army Standard, but wasn’t measuring up (no pun intended) to the expectations of a Soldier in his unit, in his MOS, with their mission.

2) If he didn’t meet the Army Standard, then what the hell was he doing deployed? Granted, a flag for weight control isn’t a nondeployable condition, but it really makes me want to get out the steam shovel and look into the paperwork. Was he flagged? Was the weight control packed done correctly (if required)? Was there counseling being conducted? And the biggest one... was this suicide tied to weight... or was the weight tied to deeper emotional issues that made him more prone to suicide?

3) Aren’t we beyond this? As we head into the drawdown, we (should) be able to be more selective about who a unit brings on deployment. Granted, the demands are going to be the same to meet the needs of OEF, but on a post-to-post basis, it should be getting easier to leave the baggage in the rear.

4) Is this going to alter the way the Army conducts the weight control program? Everybody knows the standards are based on the most unscientific of the various methods recognized for measuring body fat. Lots of top condition Soldiers are “overweight” and have the stigma of being taped; lots of fatasses squeak by because they have a 18 inch neck. The largest criticism (much like the APFT) is that Soldiers in trouble “train” for the weight control standard, not for a healthy body composition. Granted, changing something that is by nature arbitrary is a rather low priority, but nothing like momma’s dead son to get focus on things…

[Schmedlap]

I saw a few blurbs about this, too. Like ODB, I'm still waiting for details. But, what first came to mind when I heard this was a recent sermon on parenting by a paster whose podcast I listen to. I am probably not quoting this 100% accurately, but here is the gist of it: "punishing children is the artificial amplification of consequences for their actions before their actions cause them problems later in life." He gave a few guidelines, to include: do not punish out of anger and do not walk away; DO explain why the action is wrong. He also pointed out that spanking should be increasingly less frequent up to age five and then extremely rare thereafter. I heard that sermon before this story broke, but when I heard it I could not help but think about corrective training for Soldiers (because I'm an Army geek). I have seen NCOs "smoke" newly arriving privates to the unit as an apparent "welcome to the Army" type of initiation. Always having been very reluctant to stick my nose into "NCO business" I had to intervene here. "Sergeant, what is the point of this? Did these guys do something wrong? Are they learning something right now? Has this guy even been assigned a barracks room yet? Well why don't you put out the cigarette, get off your ass, and take care of these guys rather than using them as you own personal playthings?"

[jkm_101_fso]

Well why don't you put out the cigarette, get off your ass, and take care of these guys rather than using them as you own personal playthings?"

Classic! I once stopped an NCO promotion "ceremony" for some of my Fisters in Iraq because it got totally out of control really quick and was basically hazing. The BN FSNCO was furious with me and we had words. I told him that if he put half as much effort into his job as he did harrassing and hazing people, he might be worth a s***. I'm all for tradition and camaraderie. I'm not for stupid.

[Ken White]

it's counterproductive. No one should allow a second of it.

The funny thing is, that's a product of the 70s. It rarely occurred in the Army prior to and during Viet Nam; wasn't non-existent but it was far more rare than it was in the 1975 or so until recently period. Yet another legacy of Project 100,000.