Lady Danville - "Kids"

I like this cover better than the MGMT original.

Are Officers Inherently Jerks?

A reader sends in the following:

I was an enlisted nuke MM and following my time in the canoe club, went to [respected university] for my BSME. I have completed all the course work for my Masters in Engineering and am just working on the research to complete it. So I have an education and am not stupid in any sense of the word.

Is there something in ROTC and/or the Academy that they teach officers about in treating enlisted sailors with disdain? I don’t get it. I happened to meet a gentleman at work the other day that was an officer on the Dallas (I was on the Philly). He was engaging and the minute I mentioned that I was an enlisted nuke, the whole conversation turned. Well actually it just ended – abruptly. Since then I have seen him and he has never said a word to me even in a professional sense. I am in a training class currently (two days) and he is sitting right behind me – not a word or even any acknowledgement of my existence.

This isn’t the first time I have run across this behavior, and actually find it quite common.

I've known quite a few officers who seemed to believe that they were inherently "better" than enlisted people; my stateroommate on the carrier on which I was stationed used to thrust his collar device out of mess attendants he thought weren't being sufficiently deferential. I didn't think it was something he'd been taught in an organized way; I figured he was just probably a jerk. Still, I've heard from many people who believe that that probably apocryphal quote about enlisted Sailors being "cunning and devious", allegedly contained in some early 20^th century officer handbook, is still being actively taught by commissioning sources. Now, I only went through OCS, but I paid attention in class, and I'm almost positive they didn't teach us that there.

We've kind of discussed this before, but what do you think about this story? Are guys who are officers who are jerks to enlisted men just a-holes, or is there something about the Submarine (or military) culture that teaches them that they should be like that?

Blogiversary VI: Occasional Return of the Blogger

As of yesterday, this blog turns six. I've had much less time to write since last year, alas, but I hope that will change in the next few months. Thanks to all those who have stopped by for my occasional (and mostly long-form) blogging.I'll do my usual retrospective. Since last year, I added a couple of entries to the Chart Project (an attempt to visualize issues), "The Stupid-Evil-Crazy

Extremism in Defense of Nihilism Is a Vice

The current debt ceiling "negotiations" – really a hostage situation – illustrate very starkly the extreme recklessness of the Republican Party, and the cowardice of far too many journalists covering the story. The Republicans' actions are unprecedented – no party before has ever openly threatened to damage the country's economy if it didn't get what it wanted. Add to that that the Republicans

USS Texas Sailor On AFN Korea

A good video from Armed Forces Network Korea about an MM1(SS) aboard USS Texas (SSN 775).



Update 0743 27 July: Here's another video, this one from the Navy website:

Submarine Independent Duty Corpsman Recognized for Efforts

And while I'm at it, for no reason other than I want to get it on the server in case I need to use it for some future unforeseen circumstance, here's the most recent picture of your friendly neighborhood Submarine blogger: