Insane Practice In Submarine Manning

Q: In sort of a related vector, the January, 1999 volume of the "Yale Law Review" has an article concerning the SgtMaj of the Army (Gene McKinney) court-martial, specifically the "good soldier defense" at court-martial. As the group has probably witnessed on several occasions, if a serviceman goes to mast/office hours/article 15 or even a court-martial, but has had a strong service record (especially in batte environments) he will likely be cut a LOT of slack. This article discussed the efficacy of such a policy, and its conclusions are not at all favorable. I guess this might segue with your point that the qualities that are being valued in today's military might not be at all that desirable in the event of a protracted war-time situation. As a further stretch, are the values all that compatible with those desirable in civilian life?

A: The kind of attitude needed by good fighting men makes the politically correct exceeding nervous. This, I suggest, may be why the writer of the Yale Law Journal article about SGTMAJ McKinney (which I have not read) was critical of the great weight the court gave his exemplary service. Politically correct attitudes, I suggest, contribute heavily to the troubles the George Pattons of the world experience in peacetime -- not to mention wartime. In the '50s I was Boat Company Commander of Boat Unit 1 at the Amphibious

Base in Coronado, CA. This thread reminds me of the first class boatswains mate of one of my boat platoons (comprised of about 45 sailors who were responsible for 9 LCM-6s). He had stowed away on an airplane when he was a seaman (maybe a PO3) in WESTPAC! They didn't catch him until he got back to CONUS. Nevertheless, he took his punishment (I don't recall what it was), lived it down, and became a very productive petty officer. I suggest that he may not have been allowed to live it down if it had happened today. His attitude about the whole thing was refreshing. He assumed full responsibility and was grateful that he got another chance -- as his later service proved.