XBradTC

It’s a travel day for me. I’m on the road all day, so here’s some food for thought.

Are sailors (and other service members) coddled? Meh. I get the threat of laxity in society showing up in the service. On the other hand, for a decade of war, we’ve seen soldiers displaying awesome discipline on the battlefield. I’m always concerned about a loss of discipline in garrison, but that’s an indicator secondary to the performance on the battlefield.

——–

On the other hand, we’ve got very junior officers that want another award. I  think a good rule of thumb for a j.g. is to listen, not speak.

———

As always, the Air Force is trying to divest itself for the weapon best suited for the war it is currently in, in favor of a weapon that may or may not be suitable for a future war.

——

Finally, Blackfive brings us one of the very dumbest pieces I’ve ever seen (that is, B5 links to it, not that B5 wrote something stupid).

A female non-combat arms officer (who has sued the government for excluding women from combat arms) writes a vapid, shallow piece in which she tells all us knuckledragging grunts what it really takes to succeed in combat. You know, the very combat she’s been excluded from.

I’m not against women in the service.  They can and have served honorably and with distinction. But the fact is, most jobs in the military don’t require any great strength,  stamina, or resilience to discomfort or injury. The exception to that rule is the combat arms.

Further, every argument is proposed as one of fairness to women. But not once has the issue been sold as improving the combat capability of the services. That’s because it will not, cannot in any way improve the combat arms.

—————–

We’re leaving Oak Harbor this morning. I’ll miss it, as always. Hopefully, it won’t take me three years to get back here. The island in August is heavenly.
Many thanks to MaryAnn Fakkema Engle, and Teresa Ortego for the mini-meetups, and it was great to see Pat Crouch, as well.
Too much crab, mussels and clams, loads more great foods. Driving around and visiting some old haunts, and seeing the changes. What fun!
I hate seeing Deception Pass in the rear view mirror. But I know I’ll see it in the windshield again some day.