Posted on Dec 28, 2014
Is there a tragedy in our modern military (or wars?)
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This article by James Fallows in the Atlantic takes a long time to read, but is worth the time when you have it available.
I take issue with a few specific points he makes, but the overall argument is thought provoking and worth considering. Which of his points are well made? Which are ill-founded?
http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/12/the-tragedy-of-the-american-military/383516/
I take issue with a few specific points he makes, but the overall argument is thought provoking and worth considering. Which of his points are well made? Which are ill-founded?
http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/12/the-tragedy-of-the-american-military/383516/
Warfare
Defense
Edited 10 y ago
Posted 10 y ago
Responses: 12
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As one commentator said, Capt Brandon Charters, the American military has gone to war and the American public has gone to the mall. There's a HUGE disconnect/divide between those who serve (/families of those who serve) and the average American who has no connection to the military.
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Capt Brandon Charters
I agree CW5 (Join to see). I've also always enjoyed how major league sports recognizes our troops, but this part of the article really caught me:
The most biting satirical novel to come from the Iraq-Afghanistan era, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, by Ben Fountain, is a takedown of our empty modern “thank you for your service” rituals. It is the story of an Army squad that is badly shot up in Iraq; is brought back to be honored at halftime during a nationally televised Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game; while there, is slapped on the back and toasted by owner’s-box moguls and flirted with by cheerleaders, “passed around like everyone’s favorite bong,” as platoon member Billy Lynn thinks of it; and is then shipped right back to the front.
The people at the stadium feel good about what they’ve done to show their support for the troops. From the troops’ point of view, the spectacle looks different. “There’s something harsh in his fellow Americans, avid, ecstatic, a burning that comes of the deepest need,” the narrator says of Billy Lynn’s thoughts. “That’s his sense of it, they all need something from him, this pack of half-rich lawyers, dentists, soccer moms, and corporate VPs, they’re all gnashing for a piece of a barely grown grunt making $14,800 a year.”
The most biting satirical novel to come from the Iraq-Afghanistan era, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, by Ben Fountain, is a takedown of our empty modern “thank you for your service” rituals. It is the story of an Army squad that is badly shot up in Iraq; is brought back to be honored at halftime during a nationally televised Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day game; while there, is slapped on the back and toasted by owner’s-box moguls and flirted with by cheerleaders, “passed around like everyone’s favorite bong,” as platoon member Billy Lynn thinks of it; and is then shipped right back to the front.
The people at the stadium feel good about what they’ve done to show their support for the troops. From the troops’ point of view, the spectacle looks different. “There’s something harsh in his fellow Americans, avid, ecstatic, a burning that comes of the deepest need,” the narrator says of Billy Lynn’s thoughts. “That’s his sense of it, they all need something from him, this pack of half-rich lawyers, dentists, soccer moms, and corporate VPs, they’re all gnashing for a piece of a barely grown grunt making $14,800 a year.”
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SGM Mikel Dawson
Capt Brandon Charters. Your example I think is spot on. For the most, the American public will slap backs and shake hands, then we're forgotten as we slip into the back ground. We are put back in our box until needed again to be pulled out. Today's Americans are too caught up in their own worlds and lives to look out. There is no real reason for military service and most want a "better" life, more money and have no ideal of what we do or go through.
From what I can read, even the author is not a vet. He has researched, read, interviewed, but he really has no idea. If he'd done like Ernie did during WWII, went out and live with the soldiers, then maybe he would get some better feeling.
I do feel he has written some good thoughts and tried to get the message through. The gap is growing between those serving and those served and the disconnection will also widen. I don't know the answer, just some ramblings.
From what I can read, even the author is not a vet. He has researched, read, interviewed, but he really has no idea. If he'd done like Ernie did during WWII, went out and live with the soldiers, then maybe he would get some better feeling.
I do feel he has written some good thoughts and tried to get the message through. The gap is growing between those serving and those served and the disconnection will also widen. I don't know the answer, just some ramblings.
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Good article, long, but worth reading. One point I found prophetic was the foresight Dwight D. Eisenhower had back in 1961 when he warned that business and politics would corrupt the military, and vice versa. The "Chickenhawk Politics", as the author calls it, is one of the true tragedies our military deals with today. Some are forced on us by politicians and we bring some of it on ourselves by trying to get a bigger share of the budget pie.
I really loathe politics. At all levels.
I really loathe politics. At all levels.
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A lot to chew on in that article. I definitely don't agree with everything in the article, and I'm fairly certain I don't agree with his basic premise that it's caused by the general American public being so removed from military life. However, he does highlight a lot of issues that the DOD faces at present.
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Capt Whitney Davis
CPT Eastmond, while I agree that more attention needs to be paid to the pork in the military (as Mr. Fallows pointed out in the article, vis a vis the F-35) I don't necessarily agree that pay raises are making a huge difference in retention.
Having worked in both the military and civilian world now, I can tell you that service members are very well compensated when compared to individuals with similar education and experience. I am also of the opinion that money is not what retains or attracts the top talent to the military. I argue (please reference Tim Kane's book, Bleeding Talent, for more) that the military is losing much of its top talent for reasons outside of the pay scale.
That said, closer attention needs to be paid to the actions of our politicians and military. It is now easier than ever before to see what your senators and representatives have voted on. Individually, we need to hold them accountable. My argument is that we shouldn't do so based on a structure some political party feeds us but on our own best interests.
Having worked in both the military and civilian world now, I can tell you that service members are very well compensated when compared to individuals with similar education and experience. I am also of the opinion that money is not what retains or attracts the top talent to the military. I argue (please reference Tim Kane's book, Bleeding Talent, for more) that the military is losing much of its top talent for reasons outside of the pay scale.
That said, closer attention needs to be paid to the actions of our politicians and military. It is now easier than ever before to see what your senators and representatives have voted on. Individually, we need to hold them accountable. My argument is that we shouldn't do so based on a structure some political party feeds us but on our own best interests.
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SSgt (Join to see)
Well sir, Capt Whitney Davis I'm not going to be able to agree with you on everything, but I like your last post for sure.
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MAJ (Join to see)
Capt Whitney Davis, I was using the pay scale as an example because SSgt (Join to see) brought it up. It is far from the biggest issue in the military today, in my opinion.
I strongly agree that closer attention needs to be paid to our government. Too many people either don't vote, or else vote for something against their own professed interests, simply because they are toeing the party line. We need to stop focusing on party lines, and start holding individual representatives accountable for their actions.
I strongly agree that closer attention needs to be paid to our government. Too many people either don't vote, or else vote for something against their own professed interests, simply because they are toeing the party line. We need to stop focusing on party lines, and start holding individual representatives accountable for their actions.
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Capt Whitney Davis
Well stated CPT Eastmond.
On a completely different subject, what does the (P) mean after your rank? I'm not as familiar with Army rank structure as I thought, it seems.
On a completely different subject, what does the (P) mean after your rank? I'm not as familiar with Army rank structure as I thought, it seems.
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