New Army Tattoo Policy

The new army tattoo policy has been spreading around like wildfire! It's been pissing off pretty much everyone I know. I can see limiting certain tattoos especially ones on the neck, face and other places where they may show while in uniform. Tattoos and military service have a long history though, and this new rule really puts some limits on some very qualified soldiers that were looking to make the army a career. A friend of mine that worked with me in ComSec while in Germany had the following to say...

"Fuck me! I mean, if ever I got so blatantly screwed by the military this one definitely takes the cake. So I had this plan to work on a warrant officer packet when I got back. However, since I have tattoos in a "sleeve" I can no longer request for a commission, be it OCS or WOCS. I didn't realize that my ink could be so detrimental to how I fucking lead Soldiers, much less do my fucking job. The Army makes all these strides to try and keep itself relevant to society, but then shoots itself in the foot by trying to promote this "professional soldier" ideology"

I have to agree with him completely. He's a great soldier, I have nothing but good things to say about him, his work ethic, and his professionalism.

On another sad note...there are a lot of guys who have memorialized friends and fellow soldiers that they have lost by getting tattoos in their honor. Depending on where the tattoo is located in the wrong place, they may have their future options in the army limited.

• For those of you who don't know here are some of the rules:
• Forbid tattoos on the head, face, neck, hands, fingers and wrists.
• Allow no more than four hand-size tattoos below the elbow and knee.
• Prohibit sleeve tattoos that cover a person’s entire arm.
• Ban sexist, racist, indecent or extremist tattoos.
• Bar enlisted soldiers from requesting commissions as officers if they have tattoos that violate the new policies.
• Require commanders to document any tattoos that violate the new rules among current soldiers.
• Order commanders to check their soldiers for new tattoos every year

You can read more info about this from the News Tribune...the local newspaper of Tacoma near Ft. Lewis.

Lack of Marriage Recognition Harms Military Families and Undermines National Security

WASHINGTON, DC – The OutServe-Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (OutServe-SLDN) and the American Military Partner Association (AMPA) today jointly filed a friend of the court brief [Amicus Brief] with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in the cases of Kitchen v. Herbert, decided by a federal district court in Utah, and Bishop v. Smith, decided by a federal district court in Oklahoma, arguing that the uneven patchwork of states providing marriage equality harms military families, undermines national security, complicates the payment of earned veterans benefits, and harms veterans. The brief, on which the law firm Chadbourne & Parke serves as counsel, urges the Court to end the discrimination caused by the lack of marriage equality by recognizing a constitutional right for people of the same sex to marry on the same terms as opposite-sex couples.

“Our gay and lesbian service members put their lives on the line for every state in our union, and it is shameful that they and their families are treated as second-class by many of those states,” said Stephen Peters, president of AMPA. “Our military families deserve better than to have to worry about where in America they will be stationed because of the impact of marriage inequality, and our veterans certainly deserve access to the benefits and support they earned serving our nation, no matter what state they live in.”

"Our families are no different than any other families in the Department of Defense and Veteran Affairs and they deserve to be treated the same,” said Jeffrey Mueller, Co-Chairman of the Board for OutServe-SLDN. “The extra burden of marriage inequality is affecting military readiness and ultimately affects our national defense. Moving with the military is hard enough, but the added stress of moving to a state that will not recognize your marriage impacts their ability to do their job and just isn't right. All military families should be treated the same no matter where they serve our great country."

The brief asserts that: “The lack of marriage recognition is a strain on these military families, and an unnecessary distraction for service members who all too often find themselves in harm's way while trying to protect this country. Ending this discrimination by requiring states to recognize the right of same-sex couples to marry would protect these families, and best serve the needs of the modern military.”

###

ABOUT OUTSERVE-SERVICEMEMBERS LEGAL DEFENSE NETWORK: Since 1993, OutServe-SLDN has been the heir to the legacy of providing legal services to service members and veterans. From representing over 12,000 service members during the era of DADT, leading the fight to repeal DADT, being integral in the Windsor suit to overturn DOMA, through winning the federal lawsuit, McLaughlin v. Hagel that provided benefits to same sex partners of military members, OutServe-SLDN has been on the frontlines for over 20 years. Today, OutServe-SLDN has over 75,000 followers worldwide and over 6,900 active members serving and leading more than 80 chapters around the globe. OS-SLDN provides free and direct legal assistance to service members and veterans affected by the repealed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law and the prior regulatory ban on open service, as well as those currently serving who may experience harassment or discrimination. For more information, visit www.outserve-sldn.org.

ABOUT THE AMERICAN MILITARY PARTNER ASSOCIATION: The American Military Partner Association (AMPA), a non-partisan and non-profit 501(c)3 organization, is the nation’s premier resource and support network for LGBT military spouses and their families. Founded and led by same-gender military partners in 2009 as the Campaign for Military Partners, AMPA is committed to education, advocacy, and support for our “modern military families.” For more information, visit www.militarypartners.org

Retired General Calls America's All-Volunteer Force Into Question

In his provocative new book, “Skin in the Game: Poor Kids and Patriots” (published by iUniverse), Major General (Ret.) Dennis Laich explores the history of the U.S. Army’s all-volunteer force (AVF), identifying its flaws and arguing that it’s time for significant change. Former Assistant Secretary of Defense Larry Korb offers a compelling opening to the book.

“Americans are war weary, and many view our military and the way we man the force through a lens of fear, apathy, ignorance, and guilt. It’s time to address how to provide for the national defense responsibly and affordably. This book seeks to raise the issue of whether our military dominance is truly viable long term so long as we are only depending upon the service of a few,” said Laich.
Focusing primarily on the evolution of the AVF since 2001, “Skin in the Game” asserts that Pentagon bureaucracy, debt and widening class differences are all key factors in the AVF’s shortcomings. Laich poses three fundamental questions to readers:

         - Is the all-volunteer force working?
         - Will it work in the future?
         - What if the U.S. had a war and no one showed up as an ally?

Laich answers these questions through the lens of his vast experience and discusses alternatives that would bring a variety of benefits.

Praise for “Skin in the Game”:

“This book offers a framework to begin the conversation, engage the real issues without prejudice, and serves as a clarion call to avoid potentially disastrous circumstances in the future. Certainly the question we want to avoid is ‘what if we had a war and no one showed up on our side?”
—Lawrence Korb, senior fellow, Center for American Progress

“General Dennis Laich is a rabble-rousing patriot of the first order. His ‘Skin in the Game....Poor Kids and Patriots’ is a gimlet-eyed gaze at the U.S. military's all-volunteer force at 40. He details the risk of subcontracting out the nation's defense to hired guns representing only 1% of the citizenry, so the rest of America can shop.”
—Mark Thompson, Pulitzer Prize-winning national security correspondent at TIME magazine

“This book is a must-read for anyone who cares about the future of the US military. Retired Major General Dennis Laich asks whether our all-volunteer force is working, whether it is fair, and whether it will serve American national interests in the future. His answers, based on thirty-five years of hands-on experience, will shock even the most seasoned analysts of military affairs. I highly recommend ‘Skin in the Game’ to anyone who is touched by the US armed forces, which is to say, all Americans.”
— Aaron Belkin, author, “Bring Me Men: Military Masculinity and the Benign Facade of American Empire, 1898–2001”

“Skin in the Game”
By Major General Ret. Dennis Laich
Hardcover | 6 x 9 in | 192 pages | ISBN 9781491703830
Softcover | 6 x 9 in | 192 pages | ISBN 9781491703823
E-Book | ISBN 9781491703847
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author
Major General (Ret.) Dennis Laich retired from the U.S. Army in 2006 after 35 years of service. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College and Harvard’s National and International Security Program. He lives in Ohio.

iUniverse, an Author Solutions, LLC, self-publishing imprint, is the leading book marketing, editorial services, and supported self-publishing provider. iUniverse has a strategic alliance with Indigo Books & Music, Inc. in Canada, and titles accepted into the iUniverse Rising Star program are featured in a special collection on BarnesandNoble.com. iUniverse recognizes excellence in book publishing through the Star, Reader’s Choice, Rising Star and Editor’s Choice designations—self-publishing’s only such awards program. Headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, iUniverse also operates offices in Indianapolis. For more information or to publish a book, please visit iuniverse.com or call 1-800-AUTHORS. For the latest, follow @iuniversebooks on Twitter.

Cuts, Cuts, and More Cuts

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel 
(original photo from military.com - linked below)

I just read the article "Hagel Can't Offer Hope in Budget Cuts" from military.com and it's full of the same depressing news that I've been hearing for a long time. Congress can't get their act together and pass a balanced budget. He stated that the furloughs "which have forced a 20 percent pay cut on most of the military's civilian workforce, probably will continue next year and might worsen!"

I am now dealing with this on a weekly basis. There are a lot of areas on post that are just closed or have reduced staff certain days of the week. The job they need to do doesn't go away, so it just gets backed up. Now these civilians have a 20% pay cut and a bigger workload. It doesn't just cause them problems, but it causes problems for the soldiers as well. Now places can be busier than ever because of the shorter hours and soldiers have less time to access these services. My mother-in-law now has to deal with a paycheck that is 20% smaller...and that's not an easy thing to do. In addition to the financial pain and the longer wait times, it's causing pretty low moral from everyone affected.

The whole thing just sucks! You know who it doesn't suck for? Congress...they don't have their pay reduced by 20%, they don't have to deal with any of the issues they are causing. This is some pretty disappointing news. Of course the military budget has to be cut, we are finishing up two wars and we are downsizing...but there has to be a better way.

**Update** It's Friday here on Ft. Lewis and at some places it seems like a ghost town. Waller Hall where everyone processes in and out usually has a full parking lot, today there are open spaces everywhere you look. This isn't the only place like this on post, these furloughs are affecting the ability of the soldiers stationed here...everything has to be put off until later.

Medal of Honor - SFC Petry

 Medal of Honor recipient SFC Petry

I had the opportunity to listen to SFC Petry tell his story yesterday at our battalion town hall meeting. There are many soldiers who have been deployed and paid the ultimate sacrifice. There are also many that have been injured while serving. I'm currently in a WTB (Warrior Transition Battalion) which is full of broken soldiers who have injuries from physical to mental. SFC Petry is a ranger that has been deployed multiple times, seen soldiers die and get injured. He was injured and ended up earning the medal of honor while trying to throw an enemy grenade back after it landed next to his soldiers. He lost his right hand in the attempt and now wears a prosthetic right hand. You can read all about him at http://www.army.mil/medalofhonor/petry/.

He shared his story about his life both before and after getting injured. He is a humble guy who really wants to help out others. During his speech, he mentioned something that really stuck with me. He was visiting a couple other wounded warriors at a hospital and said a gentleman came up to him and thanked him for his service. SFC Petry has a prosthetic right hand now, and that same gentleman mentioned something about the sacrifice SFC Petry has made and then went on about his business. SFC Petry said he has come a long way and can get pretty much everything done along with his prosthetic hand. He also got shot in the legs and those wounds still constantly hurt him today unlike his prosthetic hand. The couple of wounded warriors that he was visiting during this process both looked normal on the outside, but they had suffered bullet wounds that tore up their insides. They were both in pain constantly and one had a colostomy. You couldn't see the bag that held his feces because it was under his shirt. SFC Petry said that there are a lot of us that don't have wounds you can see, but just like the constant pain in his legs, these soldier are dealing with pain in some sort or another.

All of us in the WTB can relate to this message. This happens to be my case. I didn't get deployed and I may look normal on the outside, but I'm in quite a bit of constant pain on the inside because of my issues. Hopefully others will remember that even if the wound isn't visible, a lot of us are still dealing with injuries and pain all the time.

SFC Petry elected to stay in the service and is still contributing everyday even with his prosthetic right hand and the constant pain in his legs that nobody sees. It was an honor to meet him and hear his story.

When All Else Fails...Become a War Hero!

I was looking over my last few posts and they have been a little negative. Either about our government or the army. So this one is going to be a little more positive! An old co-worker of mine when I worked in the newspaper business posted an article on facebook that made me curious, so I had to check it out.

The article is titled "The Rock 'n' Roll Casualty Who Became a War Hero". The title itself was interesting enough for me to check out, but there was another reason...the person it was about, is a guy who grew up in the town of Poulsbo...not too far away from where I grew up. The article is about a guy named Jason Everman who not only was kicked out of one band right before they made it big, but two bands right before they exploded! The two bands in question are local bands from Seattle that I also love, but had never heard this story. Jason Everman was kicked out of both Nirvana and then Soundgarden right before they made it in the music business.

Most people would probably give up and live in a depressed state for the rest of their lives I imagine. All the "what ifs" would haunt you forever. This guy instead took a U-turn and decided to join the army. He went to Ft. Benning for basic training (like me). He loved it so much and had the drive to not only become an army ranger, but then special forces. He was in Afghanistan and Iraq and ended up being a decorated war hero. The story is amazing and you should take the time to read it by clicking on the link above!

Now Our Government is Censoring it's own Soldiers

This kind of pissed me off when I read the headline that stated "US Military Blocks Access to The Guardian Website for Troops Around the World". After reading the story I had to check out The Guardian website for myself. It's just your typical news website, but because it published some stories that our government does not like, it gets put on the blacklist. This is something that one would expect to see the Chinese government doing or perhaps the North Korean government...not the U.S. government! I mean we are the land of the free and the home of the brave right? Our soldiers fight for that freedom, but they don't deserve their own freedom on the internet. They only get to see what the government censors decide is OK for viewing. That is not freedom folks! The comments after the story state exactly what I'm thinking.

Communist governments and dictatorships control the flow of information to control their people. Our government is starting to do the same thing. I am seeing this more and more all the time. It starts with something small and just keeps happening more and more. I used to think those who always complain about our mainstream media filtering content were nut jobs with crazy conspiracy theories...but after being overseas and having my eyes opened a bit, I'm not so sure now.