Dicksmith; What a decade of war looks like
Dicksmith at VetVoice in an apparent and successful attempt at putting his inexperience in the military on display writes this about a “staff ride” he participated in recently;
Last year, I had the opportunity to join a class from the Army’s Command and General Staff College on a staff ride to the Civil War battlefield at Chickamauga. Frankly, I was appalled. Most of the 30 or so field grade officers in the class behaved with less military bearing than the worst Privates I had led during my active duty time. My judgement was that these officers, who spend all their time in their home units as straight-laced examples of “squared away”, were just blowing off steam. The military historian who arranged our trip, a former Army grunt and current Naval Reserve intel officer, had a different judgement. “This is what an Army looks like after a decade of war.”
The more I think about it, the more I think he was right.
Funny, cuz, whenever I participated in an event that included a large number of officers and and relatively few NCOs, officers tended to act the fools. Even after a decade without war.
But thanks for politicizing Every. Thing. You. Can.
So how does this relate to discipline problems in the force? When this many mid-career Soldiers are popping smoke, you create a leadership vacuum. Sub-par or even poor Soldiers, who otherwise would not be trusted with much responsibility, become platoon sergeants or Sergeants Major, or are given command over some of the Army’s top units, like the 173rd Airborne Brigade.
Yeah, funny how the Army survived after Vietnam despite the lack of support from the hippies and a large number of Americans. Somehow, there was a cadre of professional soldiers who built the Volunteer Army into the most effective force the world has ever seen. Yeah, we don’t need quitters and pussies like Dicksmith to rebuild our forces or set the example for us or to snipe at the active force from the sidelines – good riddance, dick.
I still think the decision to go to war in Afghanistan in 2001 was the correct one, but the prosecution of that war has lacked any clear direction or stated metrics for victory for nearly a decade.
As opposed to the clarity that the Obama Administration has provided? So we’re not sure if we’re in it for victory, or if we’re in it to just withdraw under fire. Dicksmith, you’re a real fucking rocket surgeon.
Thanks to Blackfive who sent the above photo yesterday.
Category: Military issues
Reminds me of something else that floats on water…..
About that, it seems that he has forgotten the tailhook scandal. I think that was late 80s and early 90s.
When asked to explain why there were separate on post clubs for enlisted, NCO’s and officers dicksmith responded with, “There were clubs on base?”
Obviously he never spent time with his peers or they didn’t want to spend time with him.
At the end of my stellar career (circa 2000), I brought my staff on a battle walk of Tippecanoe. We did the usual thing – each staffer talking about one aspect of the battle. Then we took the official tour. The very enthusiastic tour guide told us that, during the battle, it was so dark that the Indians and the Americans had to feel each other in the dark to know who to fight.
My S1, a Ranger Batt guy who hated his job, scratched his head and then stuck his hand out like he was grabbing something low and said, “Circumcised or un-circumcised?”…
Wow, I am crushed. Here all this time I thought when one became an officer, they removed his sense of humor gland, and inserted an extra dignity digit up their sphincter.
I have a question about this here:Most of the 30 or so field grade officers in the class behaved with less military bearing than the worst Privates I had led during my active duty time..
Was this Dicksmith was an officer in what branch of the military? Generally speaking from enlisted experience during the 70’s I don’t recall any officers acting like he’s describing but then, it could simply be me.
Matter of fact, I vividly recall several SGM’s, 1st shirts and a slew of SFC’s that flat out tore your butt up for being disrespectful, inept, stupid and anything else unbecoming a soldiers conduct. That included officers such as yourself…dicksmith.
I left out, a sense of humor was indeed a good thing to have since we dealt with various knotheads too….
LOL @ Matt….
I’ve never been in the military, but my husband is. His reports about behavior matches streetsweeper’s, and I’ve witnessed it myself a few times. But it doesn’t surprise me that a group of Officers would relax and get silly when not around enlisted men.
This guy obviously spent zero time around his peers, or he would have known that Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines ALL act like knuckleheads when unchaperoned by either senior or junior members of their service. Seriously, I’ve seen it at every level I’ve been at and observed it in a few I haven’t yet reached: if we’re surrounded by nothing but our peers, there’s no one to have as an example or to show an example to, so we get a bit…silly. It’s what makes professional schools bearable after hours and a good part of why we end up with that wonderful sense of camaraderie.
What an enormous tool.
Majors today are what, 25-26, having spent a few months at the lieutenant and captain ranks?
I participated on a staff ride to Chickamauga as a lieutenant way back in 1993. The Park Ranger’s knowledge of the terrain, and of the technology involved was excellent. I highly recommend it to anyone with a golf cart and time.
After the staff ride everyone got plastered at the hotel that night, from the battalion commander on down. I don’t believe dicksmith would have survived the post-Desert Storm/Clinton-OPTEMPO Army.
DaveO,
Though time between promotions has increased, it is not that drastic. The current average age of Majors in the Army is 32.
I agree with comment #9. Look at any school where you have a large number of the same rank together and they always end up behaving like a bunch of privates be it OBC, CCC, or the SGM academy.
I am currently attending CGSC and can say that most of the participants are professional when required but this is also an opportunity to enjoy ourselves after 10-15 years out conducting operations. To say that we are straight-laced during all of our practical exercises would be both impractical and monotonous. Dicksmith obviously doesn’t understand that you can relax and joke with your peers in an academic environment away from subordinates and still learn.
What a tool.
Daniel,
Had Dicksmith ever been around a bunch of airdales on liberty, he would’ve had a massive coronary and just keeled over. I bet life around his household is about as fun as that of John Calvin’s…….
Submariners.
Phillipines.
Island Girls.
Nuff said.
You rubes just don’t get it… Dicksmith’s tenure as a hard chargin’ motorpool meister tempered him to a Patton-esque level of Soldierly discipline…