As the DoD seeks to do its part to reduce the large federal budget deficit, I wonder if they will focus too much on health care costs...as has been a tendency in the past. I'm tired of reading about "how good we in the military" have it...like comparatively good health care, PXs, commissaries, etc, etc. We've EARNED those benefits! For those complaining, I say ENLIST and gets your too!
As Congress deliberates recommendations sent its way by DoD Secretary Gates, I am sure their mailboxes will be flooded by comments from active and veterans alike. More power to the masses I say.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Soldiers "gong" AKO
Army Times online has an interesting article discussing the opinions of soldiers concerning the usefulness of the Army's online portal AKO. It's here if you want to read it all. However, it can be summed up by a particular set of comments that boil down to, "It's gone from bad to worse"..."I avoid it when I can"..."Security and login is slow and difficult for those without a CAC card"...and "It's one of the most poorly designed portals on the web."
As one might expect, Army officials in charge of AKO have far different views of the portal's effectiveness and usefulness, and we will probably not see any changes to it, especially based on the views of soldiers who responded to Army Times in their survey. In my view, that's a shame, and tends toward a "we know better than you" attitude. Why am I not surprised?
As one might expect, Army officials in charge of AKO have far different views of the portal's effectiveness and usefulness, and we will probably not see any changes to it, especially based on the views of soldiers who responded to Army Times in their survey. In my view, that's a shame, and tends toward a "we know better than you" attitude. Why am I not surprised?
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Only One Meat!
The title to this blog entry has no meaning until I connect it to a Thanksgiving Dinner I had with my wife and daughters in a unit mess hall long ago (no longer called that sadly, and they are no longer run by a "unit" having been contracted out today...and I am getting off the subject). Anyway, my quick Thanksgiving story.
With me wearing dress blues and my family attired in nice dresses, we went for the first time as a family, to have Thanksgiving Dinner "with the troops". It's a great tradition and one I hope never stops. After paying my respects to many unit soldiers and their families gathered that day, we entered the chow line with everyone else, looking forward to all the various offerings available.
Besides the usual roast turkey, there was also baked ham and roast beef, along with all sorts of cooked vegetables including the ever popular mashed and sweet potatoes, salads, turkey stuffing, and assorted deserts. The first items we were offered were the centerpiece turkey, baked ham and roast beef. My wife and kids were in front of me in line and they each asked the server for a portion of each. Never having eaten in an Army mess hall before, they assumed such would not be a problem, but they realized something was amiss when the serving soldier told them, "Only one meat Mam." They looked at me with eyes saying, "What's up with this?" and I just smiled and said, "Pick one meat, that's the way it's done." And, back then, that was the way it was done. The reason for this as I recall was that it was assumed most people wanted turkey as the main course, and as such the amount of ham and roast beef was limited, and thus the Mess Sergeant wanted everyone to pick "turkey" which most did...all except for my family...they each wanted a bit of everything...as was their custom at home.
After being served just one meat, they next were offered other food items as we slowly moved along the serving line, but I'm afraid they had been so intimidated by the initial episode, that they were afraid to say what they wanted. So, they just held out their trays to the serving mess personnel to see what might be provided. After we sat down to eat, I could tell this had been a traumatic experience for them, especially my wife, and I wondered if this would forever tarnish their feelings about us being in the military for a long time ahead. As it turned out it didn't effect how they felt about the Army that much, but it did grow into a family ritual each Thanksgiving Dinner we had afterwards at home...when they would never forget to remind me as I looked at the plates of tasty turkey and baked ham at our own dinner table, that the rule was, "Only one meat!"
May you all have a wonderful 2010 Thanksgiving, no matter where you are!
With me wearing dress blues and my family attired in nice dresses, we went for the first time as a family, to have Thanksgiving Dinner "with the troops". It's a great tradition and one I hope never stops. After paying my respects to many unit soldiers and their families gathered that day, we entered the chow line with everyone else, looking forward to all the various offerings available.
Besides the usual roast turkey, there was also baked ham and roast beef, along with all sorts of cooked vegetables including the ever popular mashed and sweet potatoes, salads, turkey stuffing, and assorted deserts. The first items we were offered were the centerpiece turkey, baked ham and roast beef. My wife and kids were in front of me in line and they each asked the server for a portion of each. Never having eaten in an Army mess hall before, they assumed such would not be a problem, but they realized something was amiss when the serving soldier told them, "Only one meat Mam." They looked at me with eyes saying, "What's up with this?" and I just smiled and said, "Pick one meat, that's the way it's done." And, back then, that was the way it was done. The reason for this as I recall was that it was assumed most people wanted turkey as the main course, and as such the amount of ham and roast beef was limited, and thus the Mess Sergeant wanted everyone to pick "turkey" which most did...all except for my family...they each wanted a bit of everything...as was their custom at home.
After being served just one meat, they next were offered other food items as we slowly moved along the serving line, but I'm afraid they had been so intimidated by the initial episode, that they were afraid to say what they wanted. So, they just held out their trays to the serving mess personnel to see what might be provided. After we sat down to eat, I could tell this had been a traumatic experience for them, especially my wife, and I wondered if this would forever tarnish their feelings about us being in the military for a long time ahead. As it turned out it didn't effect how they felt about the Army that much, but it did grow into a family ritual each Thanksgiving Dinner we had afterwards at home...when they would never forget to remind me as I looked at the plates of tasty turkey and baked ham at our own dinner table, that the rule was, "Only one meat!"
May you all have a wonderful 2010 Thanksgiving, no matter where you are!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
The Melting Pot
The entire meal took a couple of hours to prepare and eat, and we had a wonderful time throughout, helped by a bottle of tasty German wine for those old enough to have it (all but Michael, who is almost 20). Just as a disclaimer, this restaurant ain't cheap...in fact you definitely pay for the quality of food, drink and service you get. Still, it's all outstanding and personal. And what the heck, it was my birthday dinner and at my age its cost is far less important that the fact such an event is actually taking place.
I highly suggest you give this place a try if there's one in your area. End of commercial.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Guard Cats
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
AKO...good or bad?
Army Times online has been asking for comments from readers about the good and bad things pertaining to Army Knowledge Online (AKO) which is THE (all caps intentional) online portal for Army personnel...all components including those retired. I have my own opinion which I choose not to share with Army Times, but I will do so here for what it's worth...zero actually.
In a few words...I don't like AKO. Even if I were still on active duty I'm not sure I'd like it. Why? It's a pain in the butt to use and navigate. Security has to be paramount, so changing passwords frequently with all sorts of cryptic criteria is demanded. For us retired or those without a CAC card, logging in can be a slow process, and there are security questions to be answered. Plus, even though I am often invited to view certain areas, when I try to do so I am told that I am not on a secure network...sorry...buzz off.
When AKO was first introduced I said to myself...cool, now I can have a "dot mil" email account. But that was on top of my work and personal email accounts, so AKO sort of sat accumulating mail, which I never seemed to read. Important stuff like the Army telling me my AKO password was to soon expire and to get with it. Not reading such emails in a timely manner meant that the next time I tried to login I was told my password had expired...and to follow these instructions to update it. Half an hour later I was logged in...whoopee.
So, for me AKO serves no purpose. But, I can see where it might be worthwhile were I still in uniform. However, from what I've gathered by reading Army Times, a large percentage of Army folks don't like AKO either.
In a few words...I don't like AKO. Even if I were still on active duty I'm not sure I'd like it. Why? It's a pain in the butt to use and navigate. Security has to be paramount, so changing passwords frequently with all sorts of cryptic criteria is demanded. For us retired or those without a CAC card, logging in can be a slow process, and there are security questions to be answered. Plus, even though I am often invited to view certain areas, when I try to do so I am told that I am not on a secure network...sorry...buzz off.
When AKO was first introduced I said to myself...cool, now I can have a "dot mil" email account. But that was on top of my work and personal email accounts, so AKO sort of sat accumulating mail, which I never seemed to read. Important stuff like the Army telling me my AKO password was to soon expire and to get with it. Not reading such emails in a timely manner meant that the next time I tried to login I was told my password had expired...and to follow these instructions to update it. Half an hour later I was logged in...whoopee.
So, for me AKO serves no purpose. But, I can see where it might be worthwhile were I still in uniform. However, from what I've gathered by reading Army Times, a large percentage of Army folks don't like AKO either.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Raining Leaves
It's that time of year (in our region of the US anyway) when leaves start falling in large numbers...thereby causing me to get the John Deere lawn tractor out to mow those little suckers into the grass before they accumulate too much...hopefully turning them into fertilizer over the winter...to help the grass and adjacent trees grow better next year...so that I can run more gas through the John Deere afterwards...and the cycle continues.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Veterans Day After
I walked down the driveway to our mailbox by the street yesterday...Veterans Day...obviously no mail, but daily habits die hard I guess. Anyway, today there was an interesting article in our local paper about two WWII era vets who were at Applebees (free lunch courtesy of the restaurant) yesterday.
One was a person with a Navy combat background which began at Pearl Harbor and ended during the Viet Nam war when he served as an advisor to the RVN Navy. In the paper he told about all the bloody battles he'd seen close up during the Second World War in the Pacific...on a destroyer most of the time. Those who served on destroyers back then not only had to deal with tough combat action, but the weather as well as they tossed about on very rough seas. The "tin can" Navy were the "grunts" of the force at sea back then...taking on seemingly impossible missions such as attacking Japanese battleships and heavy cruisers head on...many times causing severe damage to the enemy, before they themselves were heavily damaged or sunk. Those guys were real heroes.
Google "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Navy" at Amazon. It's a great book about what they accomplished and sacfificed. The guy being interviewed in our paper was there. Heroes all.
One was a person with a Navy combat background which began at Pearl Harbor and ended during the Viet Nam war when he served as an advisor to the RVN Navy. In the paper he told about all the bloody battles he'd seen close up during the Second World War in the Pacific...on a destroyer most of the time. Those who served on destroyers back then not only had to deal with tough combat action, but the weather as well as they tossed about on very rough seas. The "tin can" Navy were the "grunts" of the force at sea back then...taking on seemingly impossible missions such as attacking Japanese battleships and heavy cruisers head on...many times causing severe damage to the enemy, before they themselves were heavily damaged or sunk. Those guys were real heroes.
Google "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Navy" at Amazon. It's a great book about what they accomplished and sacfificed. The guy being interviewed in our paper was there. Heroes all.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
To Those Who Serve and Have Served
While we Veterans fully understand, it's unfortunate that today far too many others do not...I'm referring to some who have never worn the "uniform". If you fit this category, why not take the time to say thanks to a Veteran...or to someone now serving. This day belongs to all of America, and not just to the military.
Sunday, November 07, 2010
Getting Fitter
The Army plans to implement a new physical readiness training program and test(s) soon. Army Times online has a summary article here. Seems OK to me, but I've been out of the Army for a long time and have no idea just how fit the force is these days, compared to what it was when I retired in 1992...when we were pretty fit...in my view.
When I came in the Army in 1963 we had a run-dodge-jump event, a grenade throw event, a low crawl event, a horizontal ladder event, and a mile run. You had to pass each event...best I recall. Later as years passed, the Army experimented with some other events, finally settling on what we've had for years...sit-ups, push-ups, and the 2-mile run.
The new physical readiness program is going to range in areas not seen before, according to the article. So, it will be interesting to see how it all works out. Happy sweating in the meantime.
When I came in the Army in 1963 we had a run-dodge-jump event, a grenade throw event, a low crawl event, a horizontal ladder event, and a mile run. You had to pass each event...best I recall. Later as years passed, the Army experimented with some other events, finally settling on what we've had for years...sit-ups, push-ups, and the 2-mile run.
The new physical readiness program is going to range in areas not seen before, according to the article. So, it will be interesting to see how it all works out. Happy sweating in the meantime.
Thursday, November 04, 2010
Ike Skelton and the 2010 Election
No, I'm not going to drone on and on about things I know nothing about...things "red" and "blue" but I will say I was surprised by the defeat of Ike Skelton from Missouri in this week's elections. Skelton has been a big supporter of the military, especially to us engineers, mainly because of his strong promotion of Fort Leonard Wood and mid-Missouri.
Unless you served at Leonard Wood before the moves of the MP and Chemical Schools, and the expansion of joint training, then you can't appreciate how much the installation has changed from what it once was. I was, for example, there when the Engineer School moved in from Fort Belvoir, and I was also there when the first discussions were underway concerning how to expand the post even further with the move of the MP and Chemical Schools.
I remember when many wore bib-overalls to theme-based social functions like "Purple Martin Night", I remember when the "strip" of mom and pop retail establishments lining the road to the post from off the I-44 exit had places such as "Mitch's Old Fashion Cafe" (which by the way served the best and greasiest breakfasts anywhere). I remember when trips to Rolla to purchase things we wanted or needed and which were not available in the PX or commissary or off-post, were very common. I also remember when the Ramada Inn was the only large motel available near post. I could go on and on but you get my point.
Changes made to the Leonard Wood region from then until now, significant as they are, were a direct result in many ways to the efforts of Ike Skelton. You can say what you want about the pluses and minuses of each political party's accomplishments or lack thereof, but one thing stands out to me in the case of Ike Skelton. He cared about us in the military...especially us engineers. Thanks Ike!
Unless you served at Leonard Wood before the moves of the MP and Chemical Schools, and the expansion of joint training, then you can't appreciate how much the installation has changed from what it once was. I was, for example, there when the Engineer School moved in from Fort Belvoir, and I was also there when the first discussions were underway concerning how to expand the post even further with the move of the MP and Chemical Schools.
I remember when many wore bib-overalls to theme-based social functions like "Purple Martin Night", I remember when the "strip" of mom and pop retail establishments lining the road to the post from off the I-44 exit had places such as "Mitch's Old Fashion Cafe" (which by the way served the best and greasiest breakfasts anywhere). I remember when trips to Rolla to purchase things we wanted or needed and which were not available in the PX or commissary or off-post, were very common. I also remember when the Ramada Inn was the only large motel available near post. I could go on and on but you get my point.
Changes made to the Leonard Wood region from then until now, significant as they are, were a direct result in many ways to the efforts of Ike Skelton. You can say what you want about the pluses and minuses of each political party's accomplishments or lack thereof, but one thing stands out to me in the case of Ike Skelton. He cared about us in the military...especially us engineers. Thanks Ike!
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