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Letters

VIP SHOULD give NAVY CROSS

I thought the article [“Recognized for valor,” Aug. 31] on Cpl. Richard S. Weinmaster receiving the Navy Cross was great.

However, one question did pop into my mind as I read it. Why was he awarded the medal by a lieutenant colonel and not someone with a higher rank? When a service member is awarded the Medal of Honor, the president awards it. If the president awards the nation’s highest honor for combat valor, then why didn’t Weinmaster receive the nation’s second highest honor from a more prominent officer or official?

I do not have all of the facts. It is possible Weinmaster specifically requested that this officer present him with his medal. If that is not the case, however, I am bothered that a junior Marine who distinguished himself above and beyond the call of duty doesn’t rate to have a general officer award him the Navy Cross. I have witnessed junior officers being awarded much lesser decorations by three- and four-star generals. As a matter of common practice, I would like to see the secretary of the Navy, the commandant of the Marine Corps or the assistant commandant award Navy Crosses.

— Gunnery Sgt. Paul Carey, Al Asad, Iraq

MANUALS DON’T always APPLY

I am writing in response to the Sept. 7 letter “Respect the colors.”

With the greatest respect possible to the letter’s author, Gunnery Sgt. William J. Dixon, Navy Capt. Scott Speicher’s widow outranks him, the Navy Flag Manual and the Marine Corps’ Manual. She has the right to place flowers anywhere she so chooses, including Speicher’s casket.

Any fool who would have limited her access to her fallen husband’s flag-draped coffin, gotten between her and her flower-placement desires, or who would have quoted some manual to her in her time of grief, would have been justly rewarded with a painful pummeling from her for their audacity and lack of judgment.

The Navy personnel responsible for giving her access to Speicher’s casket did the right thing. Manuals and rule books be damned.

— Steve Eddy, Palm Harbor, Fla.

RE-ENACTMENT wrong

After reading “Fighting in the Past,” [OffDuty, Sept. 7], I was in a state of disbelief that non-combat veterans and civilians would have the audacity to re-enact the Vietnam War, which has caused not only national division, but pain and suffering for many of its veterans. These actors are way out of bounds.

They are re-enacting something that for many of us is traumatic. It is a fraud to pass this off as factual in any way. Sure, they try to get the weapons, uniforms and other details correct, but do they sleep in a bunker for 60 days without showering and eat only C-rations? Then, after all that, do they have to face the grim realities of battle and ponder why they are in the middle of it all? It is all phony show and tell.

They couldn’t even wait for us to die first. I think it would be better if these actors re-enacted the wars whose veterans and heroes have passed on so they don’t have to suffer the indignity of fools.

— Former Sgt. Chris Brooks-Miller, Table Grove, Ill.

Make the most of PAIN

Mastering one’s pain and weakness is key to becoming an effective leader and a good Marine.

The less weakness you have, the more burden you can shoulder for your team. For example, give a group of Marines a single length of log and require them to move it. If one Marine shoulders the majority of the weight, the rest experience less pain. Conversely, if one Marine is weak and is unable to share the burden, the entire team will suffer.

This concept can be taught through physical fitness and employed in every facet of life.

As a leader, however, you must be cautious not to create a grand image of yourself for your team to poke holes in. Allow your subordinates to see you suffer and even fail.

Let your team see you accepting your weaknesses and working to overcome them. Let them see you fail and rebound in a positive way. There is no better way to build loyalty and inspire.

The greater the burden you accept — whether at work, at home or in society — the more you absolve others of hardship. By seeking new responsibilities, you can increase the output of your entire unit. By accepting as much responsibility as you are mentally and physically capable of, you can inspire others to excel and do the same.

— Cpl. Richard Brown, Quantico, Va.