Military Community, Marine Corps Community, military installations, discussions, blogs, photos, videos - Marine Corps Times

Letters

South, cyber don’t mix

Has the Air Force gone off the deep end by considering Barksdale Air Force Base, La., to be the new Cyberspace Command headquarters? What kind of high-tech workforce is going to relocate to the Deep South, because the local area cannot “grow” enough technicians and engineers quickly?

There is a 2002 publication from the former American Electronics Association and NASDAQ called “Cybercities: A City-by-City Overview of the High-Technology Industry,” listing the nation’s top 60 technology cities. Not surprisingly, Bossier City, Baton Rouge and New Orleans were not on the list. However, there are Air Force bases in 10 of the cities — and two of them (Albuquerque, N.M., and Phoenix) offer two great advantages: geographic expandability and numerous high-tech workers. I wonder what political factors are in play to make the Air Force consider Barksdale, and why those reasons are taking precedence over national security concerns.

Capt. Joseph T. Page II

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio

Don’t shift fighter pilots

Regarding the June 4 article revealing the Air Force’s plan to reassign 180 fighter/bomber airmen to remote control aircraft, special operations and desk jobs [“1,000s of pilots, aircrews face reassignment”], I recommend senior leader-ship look at this initiative from an “all-volunteer-force” perspective.

Taking inexperienced fighter and bomber pilots out of their upgrade paths sends a powerful message to those who seek to become Air Force officers and fly our frontline shooters. No matter how well you perform in officer, pilot and replacement training unit training, graduating at the top of your class will have no meaning. At the core of our combat capability, we have discovered an effective way to demoralize and chase some of our best and brightest out of the Air Force or dissuade them from even volunteering.

I also question the urgent need to “optimally tune our airmen investment” if this approach may ultimately destroy our core capability. I don’t know how many times in my Air Force career we have jumped to implement radical personnel fixes, only to overshoot or have them lead to unintended or opposite effects. Our current situation in the world cries out for more manned shooters in the air because more boots on the ground may not get the job done. And bandwidth for vast numbers of unmanned aerial vehicles is still a critical prerequisite to fielding a UAV combat capability.

I recommend we stop this process before world events find the Air Force without the capability to defeat our inefficient yet highly effective enemies. No matter how you look at it, only the Air Force and Navy can provide the decisive and most lethal lines of defense for our country.

Col. Jim Kippert (ret.)

Yorktown, Va.

Service more than pilots

It seems that Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley is leaving out every man and woman in the Air Force except pilots. His new “Airman’s Creed” depicts only pilots. OK, so the general is a pilot. Still, he shouldn’t be so bold as to leave out the remainder of the Air Force, which keeps those pilots and aircraft in the air. Especially note the Red Horse engineers who construct the airfields that the pilots fly from during conflict no matter where that airfield is needed. The 554th’s creed: “Mos Ducemos Semper” — “We always lead.” The Red Horse creed: Can do, will do, have done.

Former Airman 1st Class Don E. Averett Sr.

Mile, Ala.

Pay cheating not new

Please, this has been going on for years and years [“Cashing in on brief war zone trips?” June 4]. For example, the pilots and aircrews on aircraft that drop off and pick up personnel, supplies and equipment are on the ground for less than an hour, but they receive the benefits for the area, just for that short time.

While I was deployed to Bosnia, aircrews used to brag about not even having to shut down their engines to receive the cash. Benefits should be given only to those assigned to those locations, not for those who pass through.

Master Sgt. George Kelley (ret.)

Aurora, Colo.

Uniform reactions notable

The May 28 cover story [“Uniform dislike”] may not be scientific but it shows that readers — such as me, for example — have enough distaste for the proposed service dress uniform that they feel compelled to write in to express their feelings.

From the McPeak days to the physical training “uniform” to the proposed service dress uniform, the Air Force has proved itself to be an embarrassment when dealing with uniform issues.

It takes only one trip to the weight room and getting an unfortunate glimpse of someone doing squats in the PT shorts to see why the PT uniform needs to be replaced. Apparently, “field-testing” wasn’t part of the planning process.

Master Sgt. Joshua S. Karstens

Andrews Air Force Base, Md.

All rules are important — even the small ones

I read the response from Staff Sgt. Andrew Wiedman [“Pride lies in performance,” Letters, June 4] lashing back at a great article from Chief Master Sgt. Bob Henson [“Tighten up,” Back Talk, May 7]. I am hopeful our junior noncommissioned officers learn the necessity of basic standards in our ranks. I applaud him and others who are consistently downrange and in the line of fire, but he must stop thinking he is more important or deserves more lenient standards than others.

I am not defending the chief from the inexperienced insight of one junior NCO (he’s perfectly capable of taking care of that on his own), but I am going to explain what I read in the chief’s article as a fellow senior NCO and a former first sergeant. It is not only about the physical training shirt. It’s about many (not all) junior NCOs not doing their damn jobs.

I deployed last year to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, and I was appalled at the apathy our NCOs have for the most basic of standards, and I am just as appalled at what I see when we return. Not only are NCOs not maintaining uniforms and disobeying general regulations, they are not positively guiding their troops (that’s every other airman they see). Yes, it does matter. It’s not only Chief Henson who thinks so; you can look at every level of our Air Force leadership and find it matters to them, as well. For those who think the basics are not worth perfecting after basic training, you need to think again or choose to get out before you systematically destroy the backbone of our service. Just because you are in a job that “puts steel on target” does not give you the right to remain out of standard when you come back from the line. If that were the case, our profession, as seen by our society, would be negatively affected. Think about it — if you walk into a business and desire professional service and the first thing you see is a badly groomed joker with greasy hair, flip flops and dirty clothes, you are less likely to trust the product from that company than if the person helping you projects a positive attitude and image.

I was a first sergeant at a technical training school for two years, and I saw direct proof that military training instructors and military training leaders are doing a great job at turning young adults into great airmen with a hunger for leadership. This hunger is there because they understand they must become leaders in their own time, as well. The problems start when the first thing they see outside Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, is an NCO whose uniform hasn’t seen an iron in ages, boots haven’t never seen polish and who eats only doughnuts and other fast food.

Those who have been instructors, military training instructors or military training leaders know best that it takes a huge effort to keep our troops focused on the fact that the “mission” entails more than your “job.” NCOs are at the forefront of ensuring our Air Force looks and acts professional whether downrange or in garrison. If you believe in our way of life, you are welcome to be an NCO. If you want a job, there are lots of them outside the fence.

For all the NCOs who show the same disregard for basic standards, I leave you with something I heard from a young airman on a panel at an NCO professional development seminar: “An airman’s maximum effort will be at an NCO’s minimum standard.” Those standards are everything from shined boots (or tucked-in shirts) to bombs on target, and I pray our NCOs are not letting that aspect of our core values fail.

Senior Master Sgt. Scott Sippel

Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.