To the tune of "Dogface soldier." "so their tearing me down to build me over again."
That's pretty honest Jerry. I did my stint with the toothbrush but I also stayed until I got what I needed and left. I was in the Army for six years and was a staff sargeant. I didn't stay long enough to get the brutality to deal in the outside world or deal with the civilian's enforced laziness and become accepting of jobs that exist only to keep people from realizing their potential. The Army was a brute but they didn't lie unlike the outside world where prevarication is an essential to success. I would never go back but I did understand and appreciate its value. I didn't stay because I am not a warrior and those who aren't are the first to serve as cannon fodder. How should they have treated you? Ray Evans Harrell, U.S. Army 1964-1970 ----- Original Message ----- From: "jerome schatten" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Stephen Straker" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: "Karen Watters Cole" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2003 2:46 PM Subject: Re: [Futurework] Ten simple rules > It is inconceivable to me that those writing on this > thread have ever served a day as an enlisted man in the > United States Army. > > I would change 'equal opportunity employer' to 'equal > opportunity oppressor'. I met every conceivable type > of pervert, who believed that one more stripe on his arm > gave him licence to humiliate you under the guise of > 'training'. > > Imagine the valuable lessons learned from being forced > to clean a urinal with your toothbrush and then to be > ordered to brush your teeth. Most lessons began with: > "Young trooper, I am about to teach you a lesson.. ". > The movie 'An Officer and a Gentleman', I think it > was, depicted this type of behaviour to a tee. > > That is not to say that transferable skills were > not acquired. They forced me to learn to type, and > that skill has stood me in good stead ever since. > > I won't speculate about the finely honed killing > skills acquired by combat veterans returning to the > ghetto to find that there still were few good jobs > on 125th street. The sensible way out of the ghetto > was to stay in the army for 25 years, which many did. > > Promotions were basically a function of clandestinely > kissing the right ass, never becoming visible on > your superior's radar, and always following orders. Good > training for the corporate or institutional world. > > The central lesson of military training, is of course > to, and under all circumstances, follow orders. The > success of the military can be seen today on television: > Americans blowing away Iraqi's and Iraqi's blowing away > Americans. Great. > > The idealized view of the military as a training machine > forgets the realized view of the military as a killing > machine. > > Just my two cents.. > > Jerome Schatten > Vancouver B.C. > > > > Stephen Straker wrote: > > > > ED brought to our attention ---> > > > > <<<<<The current issue of Atlantic [which] contains an > > article by Robert Kaplan entitled "Supremacy by Stealth"... > > It sets out ten rules that America, as the new Rome, should > > use to govern the world and make it safe for freedom and > > democracy, American style.<<<<<<<<<< > > > > My first reaction on reading this piece was "Whoa! Reality > > check!" and was mightily struck to find out in how many > > countries the US has on-the-ground military operatives doing > > their thing (often in very small numbers) and, as Kaplan > > sees it, doing so quite effectively. > > > > As you note, he portrays these operatives as highly talented > > and well-educated folks ... more like James Bonds than GI > > Joes (and I also wondered if there was a place for Jane > > Bonds in this picture of the New American Century). > > > > RAY made a good point when he noted ---> > > > > >>>>>>>>>that the military is the only truly equal opportunity employer in the nation... the most democratic institution in America ... performance oriented and not built upon the European aristocratic model. Prejudice against the military is unseemly and we should not carry that prejudice over into creating the kind of anger carried by the police. We pay the military poorly but train them well and demand much from them. They, more than any other Americans, can truly speak to the values of equality and equal opportunity.<<<<<<<<<<< > > > > I think Ray is right about this. And not just as applies to > > multi-lingual graduates of poli sci departments & army war > > colleges. > > > > Perhaps you recall back when he was Sec'y of DEEEEfence (in > > the LBJ admin) Robert McNamara proposed that the Pentagon > > should play a large role in *civilian* job training. This > > was greeted with hoots of derision by everybody in my > > liberal-minded crowd, and I well remember being drawn up > > short when McNamara made just Ray's point, assuring us > > smugly liberal types that the surest route out of the ghetto > > and poverty into highly skilled well-paid work was via the > > US Army. A very high proportion of African-Americans with > > steady jobs in heavy construction, for example, had gone > > from the ghetto into the army where they learned how to > > operate bulldozers, cranes, graders, and every other sort of > > heavy equipment. I imagine much the same is true also these > > days in electronics & computer stuff. (FWers! Are there any > > reliable data on this phenomenon??) > > > > So when KAREN asks ----> > > > > >>>>>>>>Have we undermined public education so much or lost all confidence in it that we only trust the military to train our leaders?<<<<<<<<< > > > > I'm reminded to underscore the point about democratic > > ACCESSIBILITY that Ray made. Not only is the military an > > equal-opportunity operation, it is an educational > > institution with scholarships for all: you get PAID to be > > trained up. > > > > Somebody mentioned Colin Powell as an example of the > > military as an agent of social mobility. It is relevant to > > note that although Powell grew up as a shopkeeper's son in > > the Bronx, he did go to tuition-free City College in the > > 1950s and was thereby already on a trajectory that could > > have landed him a professorship somewhere. [A friend of mine > > (from the same neighborhood in the Bronx, not far from > > Yankee Stadium) was a classmate of Powell at CCNY and he > > told me a little-known fact, that Powell is a fluent speaker > > of Yiddish, learned, of course, in the shop. The people who > > delivered ice to my friend's apartment building were blacks, > > also conducting their business in Yiddish. I'll bet it's > > something to behold when Powell starts up a conversation > > with some of his colleagues in the Israeli diplomatic > > corps.] > > > > best wishes from summery Vancouver, > > where I am only about a week behind in my FW mail ... > > > > Stephen Straker > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Vancouver, B.C. > > [Outgoing mail scanned by Norton AntiVirus] > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Futurework mailing list > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
