Posted on 08/01/2002 6:48:17 AM PDT by robowombat
Sissies on the Severn
Nothing I have read yet so perfectly illustrates the depths to which the U.S. Naval Academy has sunk ("Naval Academy considers plebes' dignity," Metro, Monday).
What was once "Sparta on the Severn River" has become a government-funded day care facility for other people's "children." One needs no further proof of the woeful influence of career ambition than to read the article's quotes by the commandant of midshipmen, Marine Corps Col. John R. Allen. Apparently his real role is to make a convincing impersonation of Mister Rogers at the new and sensitive Naval Academy, where, as he said, "We never want to denigrate someone, robbing them of their dignity." So instead of "Drop and give me twenty!" it's now "Please write me an essay on being an American."
Such antics continue at a time when implacable hatred has been displayed by this country's enemies. Instead of teaching our future military officers to make war, Col. Allen and the academy leadership insist on teaching them to make nice. Instead of teaching midshipmen physical and mental toughness, they're concerned with sensitivity training and self-esteem. If it weren't so pernicious, it would be merely absurd.
The Academy's fate was sealed the moment female cadets walked through the door in 1976. Indeed, it is the logical progression of the feminization of the Naval Academy, aided and abetted by career officers who see their "star" as dependent upon their self-abasement before the politically correct. I suspect prospects of promotion have somewhat altered Col. Allen's perspective from the time when he served as the second lieutenant of a Marine infantry platoon.
I am ashamed of the Naval Academy, ashamed of ever darkening the door of the place and doubly ashamed that a Marine Corps officer is partly responsible for such absurdity.
MAJ. DANIEL B. STREICH U.S. Marine Corps (retired) U.S. Naval Academy, class of '79 Fairfax, Va.
This stinks; the letter is justified. I more and more think that Hackworth's "Perfumed Princes of the Pentagon" is way too on-target.July 29, 2002
Academy considers plebes' dignity
ANNAPOLIS (AP) — Dave Crabbe remembers a bellowing upperclassman ordering him to the hard dormitory floor to muscle out 20 push-ups during his plebe days at the U.S. Naval Academy.
But now that it's his turn to whip plebes into shape, he is ordering them to their pens to write an essay on being an American.
It's part of a new mood that is taking root at the academy, where the harassment that spawned the country's first anti-hazing law has given way to a climate of sensitivity.
In another example, when new commandant Col. John Allen overheard a plebe platoon shout "kill" in unison a couple weeks ago, he ordered the word purged from their vocabulary.
He said it was too early in their careers to think about the "kill piece" of military training.
"What we've done is, we've removed the cruelty," says the school's spokesman, Cmdr. Bill Spann. "We've learned over the years that you do not need to be cruel in order to produce a combat-ready warrior."
The academy has already dismissed four upperclassmen from plebe-training jobs this month after a plebe complained about being screamed at and scolded too harshly.
Col. Allen, a tough-talking Marine who scrapped the spot correction this summer, said that preparing the next generation of naval officers for combat should not cross the line into humiliation. He wants upperclassmen to lead by example, not fear.
"We never want to denigrate someone, robbing them of their dignity," said Col. Allen, whose job is comparable to the dean of students at a civilian college.
"We want parents to understand that when they give us their children, they will be treated very fairly."
But some alumni wonder whether the latest crop of fresh-faced teenagers is being adequately groomed for the pressures of war.
"Human dignity is important, but I worry that we're so concerned about someone's dignity that when they're in a stressful situation, they're very dignified but they fall apart," says John S. "Scott" Redd, a retired vice admiral and fleet commander who graduated in 1966.
Scott L. Sears, a retired rear admiral from the same class, recalls, among other physical penalties, being ordered to hold a rifle in front of him until his arms gave way.
"It disciplined my mind to respect authority and to place my trust in my seniors instantaneously," he said.
Col. Allen, who was named commandant this year, said he worried that upperclassmen were relying on the spot correction as a crutch when they couldn't think of better ways to get plebes to learn from mistakes.
He also questioned its relevance as a teaching tool because it is not used after plebe summer.
His decision to halt it had troubled the upperclassmen, known as detailers, who run plebe summer.
But within days, the detailers say, they created alternatives that work through inspiration rather than intimidation.
When a plebe in Chuck Bunton's platoon lets his military bearing go slack, "I go right up to his ear and whisper, 'You really disappointed me.'"
"It hurts them more than me giving them push-ups," he said.
I want the soldier fighting for my children's future freedom to be the "baddest" one on the battlefield. I don't think this is even remotely possible if this: "The academy has already dismissed four upperclassmen from plebe-training jobs this month after a plebe complained about being screamed at and scolded too harshly.", is the attitude of the head guy.
Pray hard and often for this country because only the Lord can save us now.
Warrior training or summer camp? You make the call.
A few pings.
Most of these young men and women have not undergone any really rigorous adversative systematic traing designed to strip away the accoutrements of their pre-academy civilian lives, let them see themselves in the most basic form, accomplish goals that seem impossible, learn to set priorities when there is no way everything can be done and there will be consequences for any failure -- you just have to learn to choose -- and discover that they are capable of tapping reserves in themselves of staminia, strength, courage, teamwork and intelligence that they never dreamed they possessed.
While such a system is not for everyone, perhaps not even for most, it works and it does create an officer corps of effective warriors and weeds out the mentally weak as well as the physically weak. The federal service academies have been weakening their adversative systems for more than 20 years. The strongest remaining systems, which are being weakened even now, are at the state military colleges: The Virginia Military Institute Rat Line and The Citadel Knob System.
Back in the Old Corps, when we really had a Rat line ..... CatoRenasci -- VMI '70
No, you're not reading this correctly. You're buying into the ridiculous assumption underlying these changes - that traditional military academy training produced denegrated, humiliated victims rather than strong leaders.
I recently started in the Naval Reserves. Since I just started, I spend a weekend a month learning the basic stuff like marching and Navy rules and so forth. If I screw up or if someone in my squad screws up, I'll have to do pushups. What's the big deal? It doesn't traumatize me, and sends the message to the squad that we have to depend on each other.
Also, there's an implication in this article that "humiliation" is always a bad thing. But "humiliation" has the same root as "humble." To "humiliate" means to "make humble." It's not a pleasant process, but people in the military need to be humble. If I think I'm so awesome that I don't need to rely on my shipmates to check my work, I could end up getting someone killed some day. If I think I'm so high and mighty that it's beneath my dignity to clean a slippery spot on a boat, I could be the cause of a serious accident.
Maybe it's not always pleasant for the recruits to have petty officers cutting them down to size, but the alternative in many cases would be runaway egos. I'm sure plebes at the academy could use some of the same process of ego reduction. After all, many of them enter the Academy after spending 12 years in the public schools, where building self-esteem is considered an important goal.
The military sends the message that one is not special as compared to everyone else. It's a message everyone needs to hear.
I myself have had some difficulty with marching. I seem to have no sense of rhythm. Nobody says "Oh, that's all right. It doesn't mean you're not a special person." Petty officers get in my face about it. Other recruits let me know the problem in no uncertain terms. Is that humiliating? Sure. Is it traumatizing? Of course not. I'd rather people told me the blunt truth. It just motivates me to try harder and practice more between drill sessions.
Oh...my...God.
"It hurts them more than me giving them push-ups," he said.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Oh my freaking head!!!!!!!!
During my Plebe Summer ('88), first set we had an old-line-style 2nd class who was tough but fair, and he whipped us into shape. For the second set he was replaced by a touchy-feely firstie, probably not unlike the moron quoted above. No sh*t---one of this firstie's "punishments" for a screw up was singing a song.
Needless to say, our platoon went down the sh*tter right quick. And care to guess which upperclassman garnered more respect and admiration once we were spooned?
Exactly.
You're right to seriously doubt it. It doesn't work. We plebes laughed at and mocked the firstie I wrote about above behind his back. He was the company joke.
Yeah, well compared to the Sealwolves, you guys were pikers!
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