Category: U.S. Army

Instead of going to the Army to solve their concussion problem, the easiest thing the NFL could do is get rid of helmets.  If players were not wearing helmets they would not lead with their head as much and use it as a weapon against opposing players.  It would be interesting research to see what the concussion rate is between NFL players and professional rugby players who do not wear helmets:

The NFL’s quest to become safer has extended to an Army lab at Aberdeen Proving Ground, where rubbery, fluid-filled straps tether a crash test dummy’s football helmet to its body. While they allow turning of the head, the straps tighten automatically under jarring blows to minimize violent head whips.

Designed by Army Research Laboratory scientists, the “smart” strap system was one of three recent winners of an open competition for funding to develop new approaches to reduce brain injuries to players.

Concussions are a billion-dollar problem for the league as a new feature film spotlights the issue and raises questions about how the NFL is trying to tackle a matter that could threaten the sport’s future.  [The Baltimore Sun]

You can read the rest at the link.

Below is an interesting update on the controversy surrounding the now three women who have graduated Ranger School based on a media interview with the command team at Ft. Benning.  Like I have maintained based on what I have read, it appears the special treatment for the females was that they received extensive pre-training and unlimited recycles like most infantry officers receive for Ranger School.  Soldiers who are not infantry do not get the same pre-training  and amount of recycles, so the inequity for Ranger School did not begin with the female graduates which no one is talking about:

Maj. Gen. Scott Miller’s voice held frustration late Friday afternoon during a quickly arranged media roundtable on the fourth floor of McGinnis-Wickam Hall, headquarters of the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence.

The commanding general of Fort Benning has been fighting allegations for months that female soldiers were given special treatment to pass Ranger School, the most physically and mentally demanding training offered by the Army.

Four hours after the third woman graduated, Miller sat front and center with Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy Metheny to his right and four members of the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade, including the commander, Col. David Fivecoat, and Command Sgt. Maj. Curtis Arnold, on his left flank.

“There are some people who obviously have some concerns,” Miller said. “I can’t address them if they are opaque. These guys can’t address them or fix them if they are opaque.”

Among the three reporters was Susan Keating, a People magazine correspondent who has reported that multiple unnamed sources have told her there was unfair assistance given to the women.

The most telling moment came more than 50 minutes into an interview that lasted almost an hour and a half. Miller, who won the Bronze Star for Valor as Delta Force ground commander in the Battle of Mogadishu, was asked if his credibility had been damaged by the allegations.

“I have thick skin and I am a public figure, but I will tell you who doesn’t deserve this is these guys,” he said, pointing to the Ranger instructors. “They don’t deserve this. … I keep telling everybody I will put my name on anything I say or do. If they are not willing to put their name on it or come back to me. …”

That sparked an exchange between Miller and the People correspondent, prompting Keating to ask Miller, “What if one of my sources comes to me and I say, ‘You need to go tell Gen. Miller right now, you need to go knock on his door and tell him exactly what you are telling me, and give him the same specifics, dates and details that you are giving me’? What’s the push back on that? Will he get repercussions?”

“He will not get repercussions,” Miller responded.

“Will you come back and say, ‘Why did you give a go when you shouldn’t have?” Keating asked the general.

“If he says he gave a go he shouldn’t have given, then he needs to report that,” Miller said.

“So, there would be repercussions for him, right?” Keating asked. “This is part of what we are up against. I have actually asked these people, why don’t you go knock on his door? He’s been in combat. He’s been around the block a few times, right? They say, ‘No. Our careers will be over. We will be ruined.”  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read the rest at the link.

The accusations about special treatment that allowed the two female officers to graduate the US Army’s Ranger School has just gotten more serious:

But whereas men consistently were held to the strict standards outlined in the Ranger School’s Standing Operating Procedures handbook sources say, the women were allowed lighter duties and exceptions to policy.

Multiple sources told PEOPLE:

• Women were first sent to a special two-week training in January to get them ready for the school, which didn’t start until April 20. Once there they were allowed to repeat the program until they passed – while men were held to a strict pass/fail standard.

• Afterward they spent months in a special platoon at Fort Benning getting, among other things, nutritional counseling and full-time training with a Ranger.

• While in the special platoon they were taken out to the land navigation course – a very tough part of the course that is timed – on a regular basis. The men had to see it for the first time when they went to the school.

• Once in the school they were allowed to repeat key parts – like patrols – while special consideration was not given to the men.

• A two-star general made personal appearances to cheer them along during one of the most challenging parts of the school, multiple sources tell PEOPLE.

The end result? Two women – First Lts. Kristen Griest and Shaye Haver – graduated August 21 (along with 381 men) and are wearing the prestigious Ranger Tab. Griest was surprised they made it.

“I thought we were going to be dropped after we failed Darby [part of Benning] the second time,” Griest said at a press conference before graduation. “We were offered a Day One Recycle.”  [People Magazine]

The whole article is worth a read, but I think the words from Major General Miller in the article in regards to a woman will graduate Ranger School need further context to be a smoking gun.  As far as the claims of special treatment I think it is fair to say that the female Rangers did get special treatment compared to male Ranger candidates from non-infantry MOSs.  Infantry soldiers that attend Ranger school have an advantage over other candidates especially the officers because of the training they do to become proficient in their MOS which feeds naturally into tasks required during Ranger School.  It appears the Army senior leadership made a decision to give female candidates as much of an advantage to pass the course as infantry soldiers receive.

As long as the US military keeps a robust air and naval presence in and around Korea I think this should stop North Korea from miscalculating.  However, it doesn’t change the fact that cutting down to 420,000 soldiers for the US Army will be devastating:

United States Army Chief of Staff General Raymond Odierno has warned that reductions in U.S. forces could lead to a misjudgment by North Korea.

Odierno, who is retiring next month, said on Friday in a meeting with reporters that if the United States sends a wrong signal to its potential enemies, it could lead to their misjudgment.

He expressed concern that reductions in U.S. troops would spread the perception that Washington’s response capabilities will weaken.

Odierno said that he considers Russia as the biggest threat to the United States, saying that what Russia says and acts shows the Cold War did not end in the right direction.  [KBS World Radio]

It is one thing to be a toxic leader, but to be fat and demand others cover up for you being fat is even worse:

An Army colonel fired from her job in April tried to intimidate subordinates to bend the rules after a tape test found her to be overweight, according to an Army investigation.

The investigation also found that Col. Glenda Lock, commander of McDonald Army Health Center, fostered a “toxic” work environment. Her own command sergeant major described her as a “dictator,” according to the investigation obtained by Army Times through the Freedom of Information Act.

Though Lock did have some supporters, many of the dozens of witnesses in the report portrayed Lock as an authoritarian leader and sometimes-abusive “bully” who decimated morale, citing several specific examples including belittling of subordinates and retaliatory reassignments.

Army Times reached Lock by email, but she declined comment.

“I will again hold my comments for now. Thank you for the opportunity to provide my perspective on this action,” Lock’s email said.  [Army Times]

You can read more at the link, but I have seen some senior leaders that don’t pass the eyeball test in regards to weight and in this case a First Sergeant stuck to enforcing the standard despite the threats from Colonel Lock.

I wonder how long it will be before someone cries racism/sexism or whatever other -isms there are out there to get this policy revised like we saw with the hair policy:

If you want to go out in public on Fort Leonard Wood you better ditch the tank top, pull up your saggy drawers and shave that scruff.

Maj. Gen. Leslie Smith, the Missouri post’s commanding general, issued new appearance standards in a Nov. 10 policy update.
The rules not only crack down on sloppy dress, but skimpy outfits as well: No short skirts, exposed midriffs and revealing undergarments.
The rules fall under the post’s Command Policy 18, which used to be called “Wear and Appearance of Uniforms.” Now it’s called “Wear and Appearance of Uniforms and Civilian Attire,” which really brings into focus the expansion of the policy to include not only soldiers in civilian clothes, but also spouses, kids, guests – anyone who comes on post. (Army Times)

You can read more at the link.

Breaking promises like this was bound to happen with all the officers being kicked out of the Army:

About 40 officers selected for involuntary separation this spring will be ineligible to attend graduate school on the Army’s dime, as initially promised.

Early in their careers, these officers signed contracts agreeing to serve three additional years on active duty in exchange for the Army paying for their master’s degree. As part of the program, called the graduate school option, or GRADSO, soldiers are eligible to attend school while still on active duty and still receiving pay and benefits. After graduating, they are required to serve three days for every one day enrolled in school.
About 40 officers who signed the contracts now find themselves among 1,100 captains selected for involuntary separation as part of an ongoing Army drawdown to reach an end-strength of 490,000 by Sept. 30, 2015.
One of these captains, who asked that his name be withheld for fear it would hurt his civilian career, said he will have served 34 of the 36-month-service obligation that should have enabled him to cash in with an Army-paid-for degree. (Army Times)

You can read more at the link, but the argument can probably be made these officers did not keep their side of the bargain by not being high performers that would have prevented them from being cut. Bottom line is that expect more situations like this if the Army due to sequestration continues to make cuts.

I hope there is more to this story that we don’t know about because there is no way this guy should be punished the way he is for enforcing appropriate dining out conduct:

The Army is moving to discharge a decorated combat pilot who intervened to stop two lesbian officers from showing what he considered inappropriate affection on the dance floor during a full-dress formal ball at Fort Drum, New York, in 2012.

Lt. Col. Christopher Downey, who was once assigned to the White House and completed tours in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, ended up being convicted administratively of assaulting a soldier trying to videotape the kissing and grabbing. Col. Downey’s attorney, Richard Thompson, says his client merely pushed down the camera to prevent photos and video that could end up on social media.

Mr. Thompson said Col. Downey’s commanding officer also convicted him of violating the directive that ended the ban on gays openly serving in the military.

“It’s political correctness run wild,” Mr. Thompson said. “Military rules do not apply to lesbian officers because of political correctness.” (Washington Times)

You can read more at the link, but to me it is amazing how many careers I have seen ruined by dining outs.

I do not understand why these people are not just hired as contractors or DA civilians?

Patriotic hackers, your big belly may no longer hinder national security.

Over 70 percent of Americans between ages 17 and 24 can’t become soldiers, the U.S. Army reports, because of three big issues: obesity, lack of education, and criminal records. Overweight problems are growing the fastest of all with around a quarter of teens and young adults qualifying as obese, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Weight issues result in 18 percent of military recruiting disqualifications but the number is rising and expected to hit 25 percent by 2025.

The situation is particularly harrowing when it comes to cyberwarfare, one of the crucial military arenas of the 21st century. So in response to the great fattening of America’s potential cybersoldiers, the U.S. Army may relax physical requirements in order to recruit the very best. (Daily Dot)

You can read more at the link.

Here is an interesting retirement out of 2ID:

CAMP RED CLOUD, South Korea– As the cold wind blows on a crisp and calm morning in South Korea, a voice echoes, Get Ready! Get Set! Begin!

Chief Warrant Officer 5 Ralph E. Rigby executes the commands as he prepares for his final Army
Physical Fitness Test, a test which he has devotedly taken for the last 42 years.

Rigby, a native of Auburn, New York, began his military service when he was drafted, in 1972,
during the Vietnam era. Today, he is known as the last continuously serving draftee on active duty in the U.S. Army.

Where it all began
As a young boy, Rigby always had a love for vehicles. He would walk around carrying any tool he thought could assist someone who was having car issues. Rigby had just started his own mechanic shop when he received a draft notice.

At the young age of 19, joining the Army was far from his life plans. He was clueless as to what
would be in store for him. His first response to the notice was, “I don’t have to put up with this! I can just move to Canada like everyone else, and avoid all of this.” he said jokingly.

On the other hand, his mom, Dorothy Rigby, wasn’t going to allow this to happen. Her exact words to him were, “No Way! You are not a quitter,” she said. “We do not quit in this family.”
She was scared that her son had to serve, but her daily prayers reassured her that he would come back home safely. With his mother’s advice, Rigby set out on his military journey. “I took my mother’s words and kept on going,” said Rigby. “After all, being drafted was the closest I have come to winning the lottery.”

Throughout the years
Upon processing through his local Military Entry Processing Station, he was assigned to Fort Dix, New Jersey, for basic training. After training, he attended the United States Army Engineer School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, as a power generation equipment repairman. Although he was drafted during the Vietnam era, he did not end up deploying there. Instead, his first assignment was to Kwachon, South Korea.

Rigby recalled a message the president of the United States at the time, President Richard M. Nixon, ordered to all draftees. It read, “All draftees would be out of the Army and be home by Thanksgiving,” said Rigby. In his mind, he had other plans. Instead, he signed a waiver electing to remain on active service. He enjoyed his first assignment so much that he decided to extend his tour. After being promoted to sergeant first class, with less than 10 years in service, Rigby joined the ranks of the Warrant Officer Corps.

Throughout his military career, Rigby has served in numerous positions to include Power Generator Equipment Repairman, Platoon Sergeant, Engineer Equipment Maintenance Supervisor, Maintenance Technician and Ground Support Maintenance Technician. Rigby, who now serves as the senior ordnance logistics officer in the 2nd Infantry Division, on Camp Red Cloud, South Korea, is responsible for making sure the division’s equipment is fully functional, as well as ensuring all vehicles assigned to the division are ready to “Fight Tonight”.

“I love what I do,” said Rigby. “Knowing that I am able to work with all the brigades while still getting the opportunity to mentor officers and junior enlisted Soldiers.”
Rigby believes he has made a positive impact on the lives of the Soldiers who have worked for him. He has a lot to offer, and he ensures he uses his vast knowledge and extensive experience when helping Soldiers. (Army.mil)

You can read more at the link, but what I find more amazing than him being a draftee is that he served 42 years in the Army. Talk about a well deserved retirement.