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2014-04-05 -Short Attention Span Theater-

Pay Day activities return to 21st SUPCOM, K-Town, Germany

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Posted by Besoeker 2014-04-05 00:00|| || Front Page|| [3 views ] Top

#1 Cause the maybe high school grad draftee in the '50s has so much in common with the volunteer of the '10s. This is the point where the straights go out and get a marriage certificate so housing will give them off base housing allowances to get away from the barrack inspections and duties.

Posted by Procopius2k 2014-04-05 08:50|| 2014-04-05 08:50|| Front Page Top

#2 "But it does symbolize a return to standards that many think have suffered during wartime."

Umm, pardon me, but fighting and winning wars is the reason for the military? "losing" inspections and BS activities that are now done just for the sake of doing them is stupidity. Once in a while for discipline? sure. But as a routine just for the sake of routine? No. Only a blanket folder would want that. And surprise, this is a support unit.

It looks like we are headed back to the peacetime Army run by politicians and blanket folders, not warriors. God help those troops when the warriors get out and the blanket folders get called to action. Look at the initial results form the Korean War. Then Vietnam once mass deployments were taking place.

Reagan fixed that in the mid 80's with a return to the warrior ethos. It worked for the Cold War and the first GW, and there was enough combat action and momentum to carry it through the Clinton years (best thing about President Bubba is that he didn't give a crap, no hate, no like, just neutral). GWBush used it for the wars that were needed but lost sight of victory conditions and got us entangled in wilsonian nation building in Afghanistan. Obama is trying to undo it all, and the generals he has are for the most part craven weasel politicians, having backstabbed and pushed out the warrior leaders as a threat to Obama and his compliant politically correct perfumed princes.

Will the nation be at the mercy of Courtney Massengales, or do we still produce enough Sam Damons to rescue us when the time comes?

Posted by OldSpook 2014-04-05 13:10|| 2014-04-05 13:10|| Front Page Top

#3 Secondarily, why the hell do we still have K-town, aren't there better places to put our support bases? Put them up in Graf, just like the active units.

Posted by OldSpook 2014-04-05 13:12|| 2014-04-05 13:12|| Front Page Top

#4 To compress the observation - a unit prepared for parade is not prepared for combat, a unit prepared for combat is not prepared for parade.

As the 507th Maintenance Company demonstrated in Iraq, more time needs to be spent on tactical prep less for parade.

Posted by Procopius2k 2014-04-05 13:37|| 2014-04-05 13:37|| Front Page Top

#5 It's all but closed OS. Not sure if there is any Army footprint remaining. Last time I was there the USAF was using a portion for housing, BX, commissary, etc. in support of Ramstein and Landstuhl Hospital.

Posted by Besoeker 2014-04-05 13:38|| 2014-04-05 13:38|| Front Page Top

#6 No disrespect intended P2k. While there certainly are exceptions, I don't hold much with the old saw... 'he's a field soldier who simply cannot adjust to life and tasks in the rear.' The decorated warrior's job in garrison is to lead, teach, and set the example [whatever the task] for the young rankers. I think the Marine Corps still does an excellent good job in that regard. Sadly, there may be much room for improvement in some Army units I'm afraid.

Posted by Besoeker 2014-04-05 14:01|| 2014-04-05 14:01|| Front Page Top

#7 The problem is not the inspections or parades, but when inspections and parades become the be all and end all, when appearance supersedes functionality that when militarism overtakes military. When you spend 'x' amount of time prepping for and executing these things that exceed the 'y' amount of time on mission tasks and training, you've slipped from one to the other.

Posted by Procopius2k 2014-04-05 14:18|| 2014-04-05 14:18|| Front Page Top

#8 No argument there.

Posted by Besoeker 2014-04-05 14:40|| 2014-04-05 14:40|| Front Page Top

#9 I think the Marine Corps still does an excellent good job in that regard.

There's a reason Marine chevrons are called "blood stripes."

Posted by Pappy 2014-04-05 18:55|| 2014-04-05 18:55|| Front Page Top

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