Poetry

THE FINAL INSPECTION

The soldier stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.

'Step forward now, you soldier,
How shall I deal with you ?
Have you always turned the other cheek ?
To My Church have you been true?'

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,
'No, Lord, I guess I ain't.
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough.
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny,
That wasn't mine to keep...
Though I worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place,
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand.

There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod.
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.

'Step forward now, you soldier,
You've borne your burdens well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell.'

Author Unknown~
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It's the Military, not the reporter who has given us the freedom of the Press. It's the Military, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of Speech. It's the Military, not the politicians that ensures our right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. It's the Military who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by The flag.
-- Father Dennis Edward O'Brian

Goldwater-Nichols Act Part II is Needed

This post probably won't make sense unless you're a veteran or have dealt with the Armed Forces.

The Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986 reorganized the armed forces in an attempt to quell inter-service rivalry. You can read about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldwater-Nichols_Act . Basically, the result is that you had a General Schwarzkopf in charge of all forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Foreign) in his area to free Kuwait. He had command & control and could assign the right force to do the right task. The buck stopped with him.

This act solved many severe operational problems. The four services now play well together when doing operations, BUT what a pain it can be when a person in a joint operation (or school) still needs administrative actions from each service. We all wear different uniforms (with uniform buying needs), we all have different paperwork for the same stuff (i.e. leave)... some is web-based and some is still on paper. We all have different computer systems with different email needs. And, of course, we all have different comm systems. We've made great strides in the comm world, but there is still room for improvement. All of this can create unnecessary chaos when setting up and executing an operation.

Here's a solution proposed to me from an Army friend. A Goldwater-Nichols Act Part II would create the United States Defense Forces. We would still have an Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. We could still have our annual fights over budget items. Here's the change: We would all wear the same utility uniform (I prefer the Army's Multi-cam), while keeping our specialized ones. All our admin troops would go to the same school and learn the same systems. A form is a form is a form, no matter what service, the same form would do the same thing and any admin person from any service could process the needs of somebody in a different service. All our systems would talk to one another (you can't even get that within the Army). Joint operations would truly be joint.

There are a million things that could be standardized while still keeping service identity and tradition. I believe that once the painful part is ironed out, this standardization would complete the work started by the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986 and joint life would be much easier for all of us in the military.

Thoughts?