January–February AE Magazine

For subscribers, the newest issue of Army Engineer Magazine (Jan–Feb 2010) is now being prepared for mailing. Click here for a brief overview of its contents.

This would be a big seller

Apple is announcing a new product today, but have you seen this one? I'd buy it in a second if it were real. Nice video anyway, and the music.

Time to Change?

For a long time, I've been wondering what purpose is served (really) by the almost constant wear of the Army Combat Uniform (ACU) by everyone, of all ranks, where ever they are. Understandable to wear the ACU in combat, or while deployed, but while working in the Pentagon? I think it looks unprofessional, for example, for a high–ranking individual to show up for some important interview in the US, looking like they just stepped off the plane from Iraq. Is the interview not important enough to wear the Class "A" uniform?

I suppose the original intent was to convey the fact that "we are at war" but are we so dense that this fact isn't obvious already, given the operations tempo? My view is that this constant ACU wear policy needs to change, back to what it used to be. Pull out those Class "A" of "B" uniforms , or whatever the alternate to the ACU is called today, and WEAR them. Give the ACU a rest when wearing such isn't appropriate.

Really Interesting Video In Haiti

Check out this video which CNN put together. You can move 360 degrees with your mouse when viewing. We've sure come a long way in being able to convey information like this to people. A couple of years ago no one would have believed such a video would be possible to put together, except in some sort of animation.

Represented at the top

Many of you reading this know already that HQDA has decided to assign a Military Police (MP) branch officer to command Fort Leonard Wood and the Maneuver Support Center (MANSCEN) later this month. Going back in time to when the Engineer School moved to Missouri from Fort Belvoir, Virginia in the mid 1980's, there has always been an Engineer branch officer in command. Later, when the Army decided to combine the Engineer School with the MP and Chemical Schools at Leonard Wood, that trend continued. Until now. Emotion aside for us Engineers, this is not a bad thing.

Certainly the other two branches involved with training at MANSCEN deserve to be represented at the top. To think that ONLY an Engineer is qualified to command the installation is absurd. I was for a time, deeply involved with working many of the initial coordinations pertaining to moving the MP and Chemical Schools to Fort Leonard Wood. I remember, for example, meeting directly with top leaders from Fort McClellan, Alabama way before the moves started. They came to see us and we showed them what we were all about. As they were about to depart, the Chief of Staff of the MP School sort of jokingly said to me, "Some day us guys will lead this place." At first, I did not take it as a joke, and my Engineer blood started to bubble a bit. But then, I realized he was right. The Army was transforming Fort Leonard Wood into a model for joint training, and we (I) needed to stop being so protective of our traditional turf.

So, I think it's a good thing that an MP branch general officer will now have a chance to lead MANSCEN. I wish him well and all of you should do the same.

Bigger Army Required

This is copied directly off Army Times website and is, in my opinion, an excellent editorial.

The Army on three occasions over the past five years has increased active-duty end-strength to meet ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Lesson learned: The Army was too small to simultaneously fight on two fronts. That took an incredible toll on troops and their families, who endured multiple war tours of up to 15 months at a stretch. Others paid for it by being forced to serve on “stop-loss” beyond their terms of obligated service. Meanwhile, getting the Army closer to the right size cost billions and took years.

The addition of a total of 65,000 soldiers resulted in today’s authorized end-strength of 547,400 in uniform. In July, Congress has authorized yet another temporary increase, of 22,000 troops.

Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey, concerned about an “era of persistent” conflict projected to continue to 2028, if not longer, is considering whether to seek to make the 22,000 permanent. Given the grim outlook and the stress on today’s force, he should ask Congress for the increase—and lawmakers should oblige.

The Army still struggles to give soldiers a year at home between deployments, and the burnout places a huge strain on the troops and their families. Divorce rates have risen, and some troops struggle with PTSD and other mental, physical and emotional problems.

Moreover, maintaining a robust and ready force would provide maximum readiness and be more cost-efficient than holding numbers down or even cutting troops for some perceived savings, only to have to spend billions to recruit, train and retain tens of thousands of soldiers when hostilities flare.

Though the Army is scheduled to fully withdraw its 60,000 troops in Iraq by the end of next year, it is increasing to more than 65,000 the number of soldiers headed to Afghanistan. And there is no telling yet what other front might emerge in this era of persistent conflict.

It would be unfair to force soldiers and families to continue to sacrifice as they have for so long now. A bigger Army would provide more home time for the soldiers and more battlefield resources.

The troops and the nation need a bigger Army.

Something to do while the game is on

This weekend while you're watching NFL playoff games (or when you have other time to waste), check out this cool video which shows images projected onto buildings. It's about 3 minutes long, but worth a look

Who is your main mentor?

If you are now actively serving in uniform, it's probably true that you have a mentor or two in your background. For a young person in their first enlistment, maybe their mentor was their recruiter, or maybe one of their Drill Sergeants, or their first squad leaders. For those more senior, mentors have probably come and gone along the way, but each is still out there, having an influence in some way. A question in all this  is, "Who was/is your MAIN mentor?"

Who has had the most positive impact on your professional growth and development in the military? If you can't answer that question, then you may not in fact have a real mentor—you've just had a few people along the way who pointed you in some direction or another. What I'm talking about is having someone who actually takes the time to really care about what you are doing. Someone who talks candidly to you, hitting you upside the head with things you are doing "not so good", even if you personally believe you can do no wrong.

I remember who that "main mentor" person was for me when I was on active duty, and he's still around today giving me "vibes" from time to time—well after I retired. He took his time to really care about not only me, but all those under him. Not only did his guidance help me in numerous ways, he set an example for me to do the same type mentoring with those with whom I worked.

So, to senior people serving, I say, "Be a MAIN mentor to as many as you can." To those younger, I ask, "Who is your main mentor?"

Cat and the Laptop

Our cat, Boots, likes to mess with my laptop when I'm using it. Here, she's inspecting one of the Flickr photo group pages I visit. Cats sure are curious.

Rugged Engineers

Shown here are Engineers from the 36th Engineer Brigade during a spirited Brigade–size run, held late last year at Fort Hood, Texas, as a part of the 2009 Rugged Leader Conference. Running (jogging a better word) like these troops are doing has become a common event throughout the Army. It was not always that way.

I remember back in the day when the only time for "running" was during the annual PT test, when you had to run a mile as fast as you could. There were exceptions, however, most notably in Airborne units, who seemed to run all the time—"C–130 rollin' down the strip, Airborne daddy on a one–way trip, etc, etc.". Unit runs started to become more of a standard throughout the Army in the 1980's, and of course today we see them all the time. Another thing that's better today is the use of excellent physical fitness uniform items. Anyone remember when we ran in ugly "yellow" sweats? Or, when we ran in fatigues and boots? Now that was fun, eh? BOOTS! Shin–split city for sure.

Change in BLOG appearance

As you can see, I changed the appearance of the Blog today; colors, text font size, etc. Reason was that I was getting some "tired eyes" concerns before, when the background was a dark brown and text was a light orange color and smaller than what you see now. Usually, people prefer to read text on a computer in colors similar to what they read "on paper". So, I'm going to try this setup for awhile and see how it works. Probably should have considered this from the get-go. But...

Well, they won...but

Yes, Bama won last night, and I was happy for them (see my last post for why). But, probably like millions of others in America, I have an empty feeling today. There's a burning question I have inside, "What would have happened had the Texas QB not been hurt so early in the game?" Texas had to totally change their game plan as a result of the injury, and given that Alabama started the game looking like they were more worried with losing than they were with winning (especially Coach Saban), Texas seemed way more prepared mentally to play than did the Tide. In the 4th Quarter, I was actually rooting for Texas to rally and win, because that would have been so cool to see their young, untested QB, actually beat the #1 college FB team in America. Of course that didn't happen. So, I'm happy on the one hand and sad on the other. Not the sort of "victory" I was looking for when the game started.

Miscellaneous Thursday

I'm in the midst of wrapping up the next issue of Army Engineer magazine. I think you'll like it when you get it, assuming you are a subscriber. If not, why not? Go here to become one. Anyway, in the new issue I was fortunate to have three people send me materials that are about Army Engineer efforts in Afghanistan. Very timely, given the recent troop increase developments underway there. One of those articles is written by Colonel Tom O'Donovan who recently relinquished command of the Afghanistan Engineer District. He writes about a "turning point" over there from his perspective. The other two articles relate to troop engineers' role in counterinsurgency. They are each excellent in scope and the main points made (lessons learned). Anyway, it's a good issue of the magazine, with timely materials. Other neat stuff too.

Another thing I want to say this morning is "Roll Tide". I taught ROTC there (during the legendary Coach Bear Bryant era). He once wrapped his massive arm around my shoulder one day when I was in his office getting some papers signed. I was the head of the university's rifle team, and the athletic department provided funding. I'll never gorget that brief moment with Coach Bryant. He asked me, "Hows my rifle team going to do this year Captain Morgan?" That's all, one simple question. And all I could do was mumble some sort of dopey reply, given that I was totally awestruck simply by being in his presence. He WAS that impressive. So, I say again, ROLL TIDE tonight. The Bear will definitely be watching from above.

Take a look

What to see the world's largest 360 degree panoramic photo? It's of the City of Prague in Europe and you can see it here. Fun to mess with once the image fully loads on your computer. Like flying around the city.

Read the Instructions

This is a time of year when many people will first be using electronic, and other, type gifts received over the holiday season just passed. As I scan around many website forums, I see more and more questions posted such as, "I just got my new (insert device) and am looking for any tips on how to use it. Anyone help me?" When I read these questions I want to shout at the top of my lungs, "Read the instructions you idiot!"

Why are some people so lazy they can't take the time to simply read basic instructions such as I mention above? They just expect to be able to pick up their new device, turn it on, and then sit back and watch while it does its magic, expending as little brain cell energy as possible during the process. Then, when the device does not automatically do what they want it to do, they figure it's broken. Shortly thereafter, their wonderful new toy is either returned to its retail source for a refund, or else tossed into a drawer, never to see the light of day again. If only they had taken the time to read the instructions. Oh well.

Technology has us captured

I've heard it said by many that it was better in the 20th Century when we were not so dependent on technology as we are today. Some people's top priority in life is to assure they have a full-time high speed internet connection through which they can "remain connected" to whatever it is they want to be connected to. Online news, email, weather radar, GPS maps and directions—stuff like that. My youngest granddaughter is a good example. Let her experience an internet connection outage in her bedroom, and she's immediately on the phone with Comcast, demanding something be done NOW to fix it. I'm the same way, so I can't be overly critical of these sorts of actions. The reason why we all act this way, is because we've grown totally dependent on getting our "information" when we want it. Like this morning, for example.

I watched the Viginia Tech Hokies bowl win against Tennessee last night so I was well aware of what had taken place. But, as I was out on my AM walk, I wanted to learn what ESPN had to say about it. So, I pulled out my Verizon cellphone with it's excellent 3G reception, opened up its web browser application, and read a nice story about the Tech win, as I was walking my normal route (always being alert for traffic of course).

Now, I really could have waited until I finished my walk before gloating about the Tech win, because all the news about the game was in our local newspaper, which was in our mailbox for me to retrieve at the conclusion of my walk. But, NO. I wanted to read about it NOW, not later. And, my cellphone allowed me to do that.

This is what I'm talking about in relation to being totally captured by technology. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Let me Google that to get an answer. Back atcha later.