Seventh Month Thoughts

Before I start this entry, I feel that I must make some things quite clear. The modern age of technology is a great thing, and posting to the Internet makes my thoughts open for all to read. I am quite sure that on some search engine, if you were to enter the correct key phrases, you would be taken to this page. From the invention of Al Gore's Internet to the age of free space travel, people will have unprecedented access to these words. Hell, some grad student 30 years from now might attempt to use this information as a source for his/her thesis on foreign diplomacy, and this is something that I do not wish. I am a cynic, and I am attempting to mitigate the ability of someone to twist my words - take my thoughts and perspective for personal gain or as a synopsis of the War on Terrorism in Iraq. I will say that I have faith and trust my chain-of-command, and I am convinced that we are doing good things. Hence, I feel the need to state the following disclaimer:
The ideas, thoughts, and commentary represent my personal thoughts and do not represent any official endorsement or statement of any kind. Further, these thoughts are not intended to claim what is "right" versus what is "wrong" or insinuate that one way is better than the other. I provide these thoughts for the audience of my close friends and family. Entities are not to transmit these thoughts without the expressed permission of the author - me.

Now, that I have taken care of the pleasantries - I'll proceed. I'll start with a person who does not wish attention - Colleen. She's going to be mad at me for talking about her in this forum. I'll keep it short to say that I am really lucky to have my best friend as my wife. I still don't know what I did to get such an amazing person in my life, and she has made me a better person in all aspects of life. Thank you C/ (you're welcome). I'd also be remiss not to mention my friends and family. Your thoughts, prayers, and care packages have been wonderful and have made my transition to the desert tolerable.

The Marine Corps is a tremendous asset to the United States and truly a force of readiness. The ability of these members of our society to do great things is legendary, but don't think for one minute that it isn't well deserved. They are well trained, well disciplined, and their organizational culture is a marvel. When you get down to it, I have some Eagle, Globe, and Anchor in my blood; however, I prefer to be on the high seas. I think that perhaps the best part of the Marine Corps culture is how they empower junior Marines. The Marines have a very effective tiered empowerment system E1 - E3, E4 - E6, E7 - E8, and then E9. Each enlisted rank at the top end of each tier has deliberate power to make decisions. Conversely, the Navy is basically E1 - E6, and E7 and above. This system is not nearly as effective. Additionally, it takes a large chunk of time for a Sailor to reach E7, so the length of time Chiefs have to affect change is limited. That is not to say the Navy doesn't have outstanding personnel - I just think that we short-change the enlisted on their ability to make decisions. Another way of looking at this is that many of the things that a Junior Officer in the Navy has to "take care of" are things that a SSgt in the Marines does with routine. The Navy could learn a lot from this empowerment strategy.

One thing that annoys me quite a bit about the Marines is the insisted relationship between physical fitness and leadership ability. The two are not related or correlated one bit. The idea that because you can run so fast and do so many pull-ups translates into the ability to lead is inane. The Naval Academy has this same problem: Midshipmen think that leadership is about being "hard" and an individual's ability to PT. People want to quantify leadership, and I don't think that it can be done. Leadership is a set of intangibles that revolve around subordinates trusting the leader. When it comes down to it, Sailors and Marines don't care about your GPA, how fast you can run, etc ... What followers care about is if they trust you - it is really that simple. It is also the beauty of the whole thing, as it can be done in whatever style you'd like, and that it changes depending on the desired action, terrain, supplies, and people you have at that particular time. I would like to see less cultural emphasis on leadership = PT.

I've decided to illuminate my next observation with the tag line of Marine culture as "a race to aggression." At times this philosophy is flawed, but often it is quite entertaining. As a whole, Marines feel that the best solution to any problem is through it. I'm sure each one of you has heard the expression "dumb grunt." In fact, I think that Marines perpetuate this myth - especially, when they don't want to understand something. Don't let them fool you. It is just that they have figured out over the years that if they can get someone else to do it - why not. I think the story of how the Navy is filling these IA billets (supposedly, very demanding technical support job - my job as Electronic Warfare Officer) for the Marines parallels this thought. Marines are smart and figure out various and sundry assortments of ingenious ways to get things done. I've even taken money that a Marine could find a way to break an anvil. The genesis of this idea falls squarely back on the idea that ones ability to PT is paramount. You wouldn't believe how many times Marines try to assert dominance over one another by saying, "Why don't we take this outside?" or saying, "Don't make me break you off." Somehow, they've come to believe that an argument should be settled by physical activity - vice, on the merit of the idea or solution. And, don't even get me started on the whole I am an Infantry Marine thing ... at the risk of being controversial I'll say ... never mind.

Sequentially, my next comment is about a few things that I have figured out about my likes and dislikes. I hate being the support. It is not as though I am not grateful for those members of society who provide a direct service - I just know that it is something that I don't like doing. I can't see myself serving in a true supporting role. I am still undecided about my future in the Navy, but I can tell you, if I proceed on this naval adventure, it will be as a line officer. The reality is that going on deployment all the time gets old, but it sure beats being the support. I'm too old to join the sub or pilot community, so it'll be SWO or nothing for me. This revelation also points out that I still have a lot of searching to do about what I want to do when I grow up ... I know that I don't want to be salesman or work for the government. I guess the lure of the private sector is making tons of cash (often not the reality), and sales involves being the support ... and the government doesn't pay. So where to next? I don't know. The good news is the Navy has given me some time back in Annapolis to figure things out.

Finally, I don't know what the big Navy has planned for me, but I get the feeling that I am on the war-fighter track. I just get the sense that I am or have become the guy who gets sent all over the place to random situations and told to deal with it and make things happen. I guess it is a good thing, but it gets old when you look around and not a whole lot of people are doing the same thing. When is something going to be easy? Maybe it is more of a reflection on me and my self-perception and attitude? I just don't know; I do know that I am tired of going on deployments all the time. Upon my return from this assignment, I'll have 30+ months of time spent on deployment (not counting work-ups). It is time for all the EPs of the Navy world to go on deployment. It pisses me off to know that several of my peers have a) never been on deployment b) only made partials c) only been on one or two. I know that fairness isn't in the equation ... but come on.

Some other random assertions:
I am obsessed with the Padres.
I was fat and didn't realize it.
I still hate running, but if you want to lose weight, go run (you're welcome). Screw the new fad diet.
There is hope for Iraq and progress is being made every single day. Why is it that the news isn't actually representative of what is really going on in Iraq?
The Army 15 month deployment plan is ludicrous and way too long.