Time Out? posted 4/28/2009 10:14:06 PM | 3 kudos what's this?     report abuse

Injuneer

Yesterday’s little “error in judgment” by a group of civilian and military officers that resulted in a fly over of NYC reminds me of some of the so called “career” officers that our military has created since Vietnam. The officer corps of the military was once inhabited by the sons and daughters of the most elite this country had to offer. These were people that were inspired toward public service because they realized that money was not going to be something they had to worry about, so why not do something really noble, exciting, and worthy of the greatest adventures one could imagine. By and large, these young officers turned out to be great stuff with the exceptions being few and far between.

Then came a time when the US Military started adopting programs like “up or out” and others that were intended to keep only the best and brightest but have turned out to only inspire those with career intentions to be suck-up’s and boot lickers, willing to do anything to protect their career’s, no matter what the cost. This constant erosion of talent occasionally shows itself when a stunt like the NYC fly over happens and the collective tries to pass it off as something harmless. In a professional military it would never have happened and if it did, those immediately responsible would have resigned … not offered their resignation, they would have flatly resigned. Now days, they wait it out to see how bad it will get and if there is some way for them to pass the buck and slip through the cracks.

Don’t get me wrong. There are many, many fine military officers serving the country and God knows that more than a few have given their lives for this country, but when we measure the success of any organization it’s important to look at not only their mission but just how many are supporting that mission for the right reasons. The value of a military isn’t just their performance during war time but also their ability to use good judgment, particularly when the answers aren’t so obvious. Young officers must feel free to question judgment, when warranted, without fear of reprisal. Commanders must realize the value of those willing to risk their career in order to do and say what is appropriate, especially when it counts most.

Certainly in this fiasco there must have been somebody that asked the questions that needed to be heard. My real concern is that once again, like we saw in Iraq, the older officers will use their subordinates as scapegoats rather as valued soldiers. They will sacrifice their troops rather than themselves for the sake of a career. It is hard to believe that these kinds of officers can seriously believe their soldiers will stand up and fight for them when the chips are down. The old saying from a once popular movie spells it out best; “what’s my motivation?”. Leading soldiers into combat without motivation spells disaster; to do the same thing in peace time creates everything necessary for a bigger disaster.

The true mark of a commander in chief will be how he handles such a mess. Too harsh and he risks losing the trust and faith of his commanders. Too little and the results are the same. With this and everything else going on, is it no wonder that darn few kids grow up wanting to be the next president?

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Blogs by Injuneer: Constitutional Question The Merchant of Truth Time Out? The Quality of Conversation Organize Now? Balancing Act I Screwed Up Are You Dizzy Yet? The 44 Magnum Just A Heal? Are You, Too? Surviving The Crunch Snapshots In Time The Legacy Economic Russian Roulette Time Study If You Were President for a Day What is Value? Did I Mention? Solar Eclipse RIP Randy Pausch Commitment vs. Complacency I Just Stopped Remembering ... The Real McCoy ... er, McCain