European and Mideast editions

(EDITOR’S NOTE: These are the letters that appeared in each edition of Stripes on this publication date. Click here to jump ahead to the Pacific edition letters)

Leadership

After nearly 18 years of military service and reading many letters with disbelief, I have decided to write my own.

Let me start by thanking all family members and friends for their support. I also thank community members and organizations that most of us don’t know. Yet they still support us. Their support makes our task much easier. I also thank the leaders who genuinely care about mission accomplishment and the welfare of their subordinates, and who aren’t solely focused on their careers. I thank them for their support.

Who I really want to address are those who call themselves leaders but are confused by personal agendas of getting promoted or receiving high awards. I’m so tired of hearing “I did this “or “I did that,” and they’ve never stepped out from behind their desks. They personally take credit for missions which they personally had nothing to do with. The only reason the missions were accomplished is that their subordinates completed them with little or no guidance.

Then there are those leaders who make policies and decisions based on whatever they dream up. They reject recommendations from the people on the ground or those who have excellent knowledge of the operations. I call them “combat confusers.” I’ve witnessed this so many times, most recently while deployed.

Since those leaders I thanked above do live by the Army’s values, I decided to provide something for those who are out for themselves and the ones who just want everyone to know that they’re large and in charge:

• Linger in the back until the subordinates complete the mission, then step forward and personally take the credit.

• Decorations for me.

• Reject all recommendations from my subordinates.

• Selfish service.

• Hurrah for me, I took that hill again.

• It’s all about me.

• Promotion.

These leaders should become team players and listen to their subordinates as well as their recommendations. They shouldn’t be afraid to occasionally get their hands dirty. Trust me, it will wash off. The slogan “An Army of One” means one team, not “It’s All About Me.”

Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Thayer
Baghdad

Cry me a river

I’m writing to rebut all the articles and letters complaining about stop loss and all the complaints I’ve heard by ear.

I’m sick of hearing soldiers say they have to spend a couple of extra months in theater just so they can return with their units and not 90 days early. I was scheduled to ETS on March 15, 2002, but was placed on a 12-month stop loss due to my military occupational speciality, military policeman. At the end of that 12-month period, I was placed on unit stop loss when my unit was activated to come here to Baghdad. Under unit stop loss, I will remain under stop loss for 90 days after I demobilize.

So let’s add it all up: Twelve months of stop loss plus 15 months of deployment (three months at Fort Dix, N.J., and 365 days of boots on the ground) plus 90 days after demobilization equals 30 months, or two and a half years past my ETS date. And since I’m National Guard, guess what? Nobody cares. Well, the military did care enough to offer me a $2,500 re-enlistment bonus for three more years. But it’s actually $2,500 for close to five years. Thanks, but no thanks.

So what do I have to say to active-duty soldiers who are not getting to go back 90 day early to ETS, PCS or whatever? Cry me a river, because there are soldiers who have it a little worse than they do.

Sgt. Darren Williams
Baghdad

Dangerous dogs

This is in regard to the story “Airman saves German boy from attacking Rottweilers” (Jan. 13). As a former dog handler, I feel that Tech. Sgt. Sean Hansen is a hero in every sense. I know what dogs can do to a human, and even worse, how easily those dogs could have killed that poor child. I believe the dogs’ owner should face charges for failure to properly secure animals he knew were dangerous. Tech. Sgt. Hansen is a true hero for placing himself between the dogs and the child. I personally salute him. He is my hero for today.

Personally, I feel that the Rottweiler, pit bull, and Doberman breeds should all be destroyed. They are insane dogs that are not safe around people. Those three breeds are responsible for half of all dog attacks. That alone indicates that they should be destroyed.

Danny M. Neubig Sr.
Westville, Ill.

Pacific edition

Home front trumps front line

This letter is in response to all the liberals who support deploying women in a combat zone. I think it’s about time our country comes up with a rational policy regarding this issue. First, I think all women in the military should have the option of deploying into a war zone or staying stateside. I think this option should apply equally to the regular military as well as the National Guard and Reserve.

Many women in today’s military have children. Those children need their mothers at home more than the country needs them on the front line. Even though fathers are important to children, we are expendable. The love, bonding and nurturing that occurs between mothers and their children is unique. It must be given our top priority, protected and allowed to occur.

Second, it’s within man’s DNA and genetic makeup to protect women and children and to shield women from murder, rape, killing, torture and the atrocities of war. It’s part of our innate biological makeup.

It’s true that some women may be efficient at killing. The women in my family have all been trained to handle firearms. They have also been instructed to kill under certain circumstances, and only to kill special groups of people. Domestic criminals, home invaders and invading foreign soldiers have earned the right to die from the women in my family.

But under no circumstances will my mother, sister, wife, daughter or nieces be sent to a foreign land to fight in a war. I will raise holy hell with my congressman, senators and the press, and mobilize America’s conservatives to prevent that from ever occurring.

Sgt. 1st Class David Spoyer
Camp Wolverine, Kuwait

Same work, same award

Army Regulation 600-8-22 states in paragraph 1-14 that military decorations must enter administrative channels within two years of the act, achievement or service to be honored. This is where I get confused. I was told by my chain of command that awards were due by Dec. 29, 2003, to the commander. If he didn’t receive them by then, they would not get approved and the soldiers would not receive awards higher than an Army Commendation Medal.

I know that the new human resource center civilians who work for the Department of Defense have told commanders in the field to limit awards. Why am I writing about an award now that goes through May 2004? I understand getting ahead on the war on awards, but to cover an area that is unknown? Will Johnny or Jane still be alive? Will they remain in theater? Will they perform acts of heroism above and beyond the award that the chain of command has dictated to be issued? If that’s the case, why doesn’t the command do a blanket award and stop the mandatory four achievement bullets per soldier?

Call me crazy, but 30 people on towers providing force protection every other week and conducting mounted and dismounted patrols are the same. Our soldiers deserve better from the chain of command, and I want them to get what they deserve, even if I get my toes stepped on in the process.

Roger L. Hamilton
Baghdad, Iraq

Separation, stop loss painful

As I lie here in my comfortable bed, I can’t help but wonder why my children and I have it so good in America while our troops are fighting for our freedom in Iraq. My fiancé is a sergeant in the 2nd Armored Calvary Regiment. Now they call it the 2nd U.S. Cavalry. It doesn’t matter. He’s still in Baghdad.

My fiancé left on May 2. He had an ETS date of April 30, 2004. I want the world to know that coming from a military family, I’m used to all the tactics of the Army. My fiancé was to come home this week. We were going to get married and live happily ever after. But I suffered the pain of looking at the wonderful Stars and Stripes newspaper on the Internet and learned three days before my fiancé that he was not coming home because of stop loss. Tell me, how can this be?

Stars and Stripes is my bible. It took three days for my fiancé to tell me. He saw in my face by Webcam that I was worried, but yet I was prepared for him to tell me this. I thought that I saw tears in his eyes. Now imagine this: We ended up biting each other’s heads off on the Internet. I tried to smile, but even my fiancé noticed that it was fake.

My fiancé has been in the theater for more than eight months. He was not allowed rest and recuperation leave because he was soon to ETS. I know now that because of stop loss, he can’t come home or have a chance for a break. Meanwhile, he watched his men come home for a break and he can’t and won’t see his family for a year.

It’s not fair. Anyone would agree with that. The Army really doesn’t know what it’s done to the spirit and morale of all soldiers. I think it’s a slap in the face.

I know that my fiancé is getting out of the military for good whenever he comes home. I also want the government to know that there is a lot of stress among the families at home. Since my fiancé has been gone, several of his relatives have died. Some of us are dying at home. Who can we blame? I know who I blame.

I love my Baghdad prince, wherever he is on duty in Iraq. Godspeed to all those in the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment out of Fort Polk, La. As for me, I’m still waiting for my fiancé to just say “I do” and “I love you.” My fiancé will be retiring soon. The Army will have lost a good one.

Margaret Hebert
Lake Charles, La.

Fallen soldiers’ spirit inspires

I’d like to say thanks to the soldiers out there fighting in Iraq for what we believe in. I, too, was out there until Jan. 7 before heading to Fort Hood, Texas, to further my Army career. I’d like to send a special shout out to the soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery in Giessen, Germany. We stood our ground during the raids, patrols, escorts, fire missions and everything else everybody said artillerymen can’t do. I applaud and salute the soldiers for that.

I sit here on rear detachment and think about them and what we did out there. We broke up domestic disputes, evacuated a fallen soldier from another unit and distributed propane to the locals.

I’d like to place special emphasis on the two soldiers we lost on Dec. 22 — 1st Lt. Edward M. Saltz and Pfc. Stuart W. Moore. I wish I had been there that day. When I heard, I felt really guilty about not being out there. I hope all the other soldiers can continue on and keep going. That’s what 1st Lt. Saltz and Pfc. Moore would’ve wanted them to do. I applaud the way all the soldiers strive every morning and get up without those two fallen soldiers. They’re not there physically, but mentally they will always be there.

I think all the time about everything we did. I think about Sgt. Timothy Hayslett, Command Sgt. Maj. Cooke, Cpl. Mark Bibby, Lt. Colgan and, of course, our brothers Pfc. Moore and 1st Lt. Saltz. I’ll never forget them.

I wish all the remaining soldiers the best in this new year, and I wish I could still be out there fighting with my section — Alpha Battery, 1st Platoon, 2nd Section, A Team. I see these soldiers’ kids as I walk near their school and think about how much they look like their dads. Then I get watery eyes knowing that these kids can’t enjoy their adolescence with their dads. I wish these kids the best and even look out for them as they cross the street or enter their building. The soldiers shouldn’t ever worry about these kids. As long as I’m back here, they’re safe.

I’d like to applaud all the field artillerymen out there doing their thing. I hope to fight with them all again in the future and patrol the streets of Baghdad.

Sgt. Michael J. Goss
Corpus Christi, Texas

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