CDC Journal

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Pacifist drill sergeants? Wasn't Bush supposed to make the military tougher?
BY GREGOR

Via the Associated Press:

Hollywood may have to tone down its portrayal of the military's screaming, in-your-face boot camp drill sergeant. In today's Army, shouting is out and a calmer approach to molding young minds is in, says the head of Pentagon personnel. The Army says it has reduced by nearly 7 percent the number of recruits who wash out in the first six to 12 months of military life.

Let's correct something here. The idea behind having screaming radical drill sergeants was not to "get people through boot camp." It was to weed out the recruits that were weak, to prevent them from being KILLED IN COMBAT!

But trainers found today's generation responded better to instructors who took "a more counseling" type role, Jones said, using strong tactics when needed but keeping them the exception instead of the rule.
The approach has had two positive results, he said: It has lowered attrition among those who go through training each year and has eased one of the greatest fears of recruits - their fear over whether they can make it through basic training.

So today's military leaders feel the greatest fear of recruits is - "their fear over whether they can make it through basic training?" Errr ... I beg to differ. The greatest fear of recruits in today's military is ... fear of being KILLED IN COMBAT!

The entire design of military preparation used to be to actually prepare our troops to be tougher than the enemy. The job of the military drill sergeant was to prepare young fighters for brutal, bloody, merciless combat against bloodthirsty enemies.

Apparently, now their job is to make sure they don't hurt anyone's feelings.

I'm sorry, but this is just so unbelievable I don't even know where to go with it. For those who have served ... I know you understand. For those who have not ... let me try to make sense of it. Do you have any idea how un-likely it is that an 18 year old kid who has to be coddled to get through boot camp will survive when suddenly caught in an ambush of Islamic insurgents, all the while knowing any slip-up could mean having his/her head cut off by a butcher knife? If that 18 year old recruit would curl up in a ball and start crying simply because a drill sergeant is yelling in his/her face ... how is it possible the same kid will suddenly transform into a warrior in the face of death?

THIS is the reason we have Lt. Ehren Watada. This is why over 5500 soldiers deserted in the first three years of the war, many fleeing to Canada. This is why we had Spc. Lynndie England acting like a 16 year old FREAK!

These incidents are directly related to the fact we're sending kids into battle who are not trained properly by the people who are responsible for preparing them for war.

The pacification of the conservative party is all but complete. I know this was going on back when Clinton was in office, but that was expected. What's surprising is that it's apparently being continued throughout the Bush administration during a time of war.

David S. Chu, undersecretary for personnel and readiness, says ...