DADT: Commandant and SMMC's Message to Marines

OYE Comment: This is the right thing to do for the Marine Corps and for America. Thank you.

Egypt: Why We Care: The People and Their Military

We understand from public media that the Egyptian Army, unlike the police and security forces, enjoys the respect and support of the people.

[ . . . ]

[Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's] grip on power was further challenged Saturday as the military that he had deployed to take back control of the streets showed few signs of suppressing the unrest, and in several cases the army took the side of the protesters in the capital and the northern port city of Alexandria.

In the most striking instance, members of the army joined with a crowd of thousands of protesters in a pitched battle against Egyptian security police officers defending the Interior Ministry on Saturday afternoon.

[ . . . ]

In other parts of the capital, soldiers invited protesters to climb aboard their armored personnel carriers to have their pictures taken, and in Alexandria, demonstrators took tea to troops.

Above, the crowds greet Egyptian soldiers. Below, demonstrators hoist the flag of the Egyptian Army.

OYE Comment:

The unity between the people and their military is essential for healthy development of any society, including our own. All Egyptian men serve in the military; everyone knows someone wearing the uniform. All of this helps to ensure that orders to open fire on peaceful demonstrations will not be obeyed.

Why should Americans care? Our military is OUR military, too. You can help to foster this perspective by volunteering to serve yourself [if eligible] or by encouraging those you know to consider volunteering. Show your support any way you can, beyond a magnetic ribbon.

First Lady on Oprah for Military Families

Following Tuesday night's State of the Union Address, First Lady Michelle Obama appeared on Oprah yesterday to support military families, to whom Oprah dedicated her entire day's broadcast.

"We're going to ask the country to get ourselves together and be a part of reconnecting these families to the broader community," Michelle Obama told Oprah and her millions of followers, including a studio audience that leapt to its feet (some began hugging one another) when the first lady came on stage.

"All right - calm yourselves," Oprah told her audience.

"How many of you watching can name a soldier who's fighting in the war?" Oprah asked her followers at the top of Thursday's show, which was taped days earlier. "I can honestly say I cannot."

"A few months back, Tom Brokaw called me up with a show idea. . . . He was very blunt, as matter of fact," Oprah continued.

Brokaw told her that "if you don't know someone who's fighting on the front lines right now, or a family in town that has one of their own serving, then you don't care about the war of the men and women fighting it," she continued.

Then Brokaw came out to deliver the message that less than 1 percent of the population is "bearing 100 percent of the burden of battle," which includes leaving behind their families for two and three tours at a time while "nothing else is asked of the rest of us."

"It's not just unjust - in a way, it's immoral," Brokaw said.

Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward then came out, calling the situation an "epidemic of disconnection" in the country.

"There are things as a nation we can do big and small. And it's not a difficult thing to do," Obama said.

Carmen Blackmore and her husband, Clifford Blackmore, an U.S. Army warrant officer, appeared with the first lady, who called Carmen Blackmore one of her heroes.

"Because, in addition to taking care of business in her own house, she's incredibly involved in the family readiness group, which means she's helping other families adjust," Obama said.

The first lady told Oprah about the military families she has met and the stories she has heard about multiple deployments, missed birthdays and children asking when a parent would be coming home.

"Let me tell you, their stories took my breath away," Obama said.

OYE Comment:

We thank Oprah Winfrey for hosting the First Lady to call attention to the need for all Americans to support our military families, and for all Americans to ask themselves whether they at least have tried to support those in harm's way.

Tom Brokaw's comment focuses very well on the key issue: If most Americans personally knew someone wearing the uniform, especially enlisted servicemembers and junior officers, our country would be a better place.

Appalling Corporate Greed and Incompetence: Deutsche Bank Screws American Patriot

We are frankly appalled by today's New York Times story on how Deutsche Bank AG first screwed up itself [by hiring incompetent lawyers who didn't bother to learn the law on military mortgages] and then screwed an American patriot, Sergeant James B. Hurley, U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard, by foreclosing on his house and kicking his family out of their home while he was deployed to Iraq.

We are further appalled by the refusal of Deutsche Banke AG and Saxon Mortgage Services to right this wrong. We thank the New York Times for publicizing this injustice. What is really appalling is our certain knowledge that this is not an isolated incident.

Here's our question for the New York Times' Public Editor: How many similar situations did the New York Times review before selecting Sergeant Hurley's for the article?

Update: On March 11, 2011, the New York Times reported that all parties have settled the lawsuit.

Update December 2011: More bad publicity for Deutsche Bank and Chase Bank.

The President's Challenge on ROTC

from the State of the Union Address:

[ . . . ]

Our troops come from every corner of this country -– they’re black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American. They are Christian and Hindu, Jewish and Muslim. And, yes, we know that some of them are gay. Starting this year, no American will be forbidden from serving the country they love because of who they love. (Applause.) And with that change, I call on all our college campuses to open their doors to our military recruiters and ROTC. It is time to leave behind the divisive battles of the past. It is time to move forward as one nation. (Applause.) [ . . . ]

OYE Comment:

O.K., Harvard, Yale, Columbia, etc. 'Time for your decision.

Update: Harvard has welcomed ROTC; Columbia has changed its policy and is open to discussions. We hope the Pentagon will respond positively.

Capt Honors gets unexpected support from gay sailors

from The Washington Times:

Gay former sailors back captain ousted over videos

Navy Capt. Owen P. Honors, removed from command of one of the Navy‘s most powerful warships and under investigation for ribald videos made to amuse his crew, is getting moral support from an unexpected quarter — gay sailors who served under his command.

The captain is under fire for videos he made four years ago while executive officer of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, and broadcast to the 6,000 crew members in an effort to entertain them during two wartime deployments. The videos contain scatological humor, foul language, sexual innuendo and the use of the word “fag.” [ . . . ]

Interviews with sailors on the Enterprise at the time, including several who have since left the Navy and say they were openly gay when they served, suggest that the videos, far from offending, did, as intended, raise morale through their crude humor. Many of Capt. Honors‘ former shipmates think the Navy has already gone too far in stripping him of his command.

“I was not offended,” said Nowie Solis, who was a mass-communications specialist, third class, in the ship’s media department. Mr. Solis, who says he was gay and that his sexuality was known to his shipmates, has since been honorably discharged. “I had plenty of gay friends on board and never heard of anyone who was offended,” he told The Washington Times, “He wasn’t insulting” gay sailors, added Mr. Solis, “They were just harmless jokes.”

Capt. Honors “absolutely did not” create a hostile or homophobic atmosphere on board, added Eric M. Prenger, a gay sailor who also served on the Enterprise at the time. Mr. Prenger, an electronics technician, third class, said the crew looked forward to the videos, which were broadcast on the ship’s closed circuit TV system every Saturday night, preceding the showing of a movie.

“They were definitely a tension reliever,” said Mr. Prenger, who has also since left the service. “I remember laughing at them.”

Gay men and women that join the military do so “knowing they aren’t going to be in an environment that appeals to their sense of delicacy,” said Mr. Prenger. “Gay or straight, you need a tough skin to get through.” [ . . . ]

OYE Comment:

We're quite surprised to see The Washington Times acknowledging non-heterosexual sailors serving openly in our military. In any event, we acknowledge the significant challenges faced by military leaders in maintaining morale in a dignified and respectful manner.

Assassination Attempt/Murder in Arizona

We understand that, earlier this afternoon in Arizona, a gunman shot and killed several people, including a Federal District Judge, and seriously wounded a U.S. Representative; citizens held a vigil at the U.S. Capitol.

Our sincere condolences to the families and friends of the deceased, and our thoughts and best wishes to all, including those now recovering.

We thank the first responders and emergency medical personnel who helped the wounded, and the chaplains and equivalents who have comforted the bereaved in their hour of need. We support the law enforcement personnel who are now working very hard to investigate this crime to ensure that justice is done.

We condemn all violence as inconsistent with the Constitutional values that have established and sustained our political system. Let's be honest: If your candidate did not win the election, you must nevertheless accept the voters' judgment during the term of office. Feel free to support the loyal opposition.

We always congratulate winners of elections, even if we did not favor that outcome [e.g., Ben Quayle]. It's the American way.

Mark Wahlberg Supports Our Troops in Afghanistan

Actor Mark Wahlberg [above right, with "The Fighter" co-star Christian Bale], made an unpublicized visit to our troops in Afghanistan last month, shortly before the holidays. Key background:

Wahlberg, a married man with four kids, said traveling into a war zone before Christmas was not an easy decision, but his family understood.

"I've been in a lot of hairy situations in the past, and I felt like, you know, we were going to be traveling with the military, so it can't get much safer than that."

When asked if he was scared, he smiled and said, "I probably would have felt a little safer had I had my own weapons ... but no, I'm a very spiritual guy and I get on my hands and my knees and ask God to protect me."

According to Reuters, Wahlberg spent 36 hours on the ground, showed "The Fighter" to an audience of 3,000 servicemembers, and did the usual celebrity visit stuff, but without media presence - i.e., for all the right reasons.

"[Our troops] are still extremely positive and optimistic that they're doing a lot of good over there and helping a country that's really in need," Wahlberg said.

He said he was surprised to find that, not only did troops know him, but Afghani people and troops did, too. [ . . . ]

Where the troops' reviews were concerned, Wahlberg said it was better than some pundits in Hollywood.

"I've always considered the military as the real super-athletes of the world, and if anybody could appreciate (his boxing character's) fight and heart and never-give-up attitude, it would be the soldiers of the Armed Forces," he said. "So, they really got a kick out of the movie.

OYE Comment: Props to Mark Wahlberg for doing this on the Q-T. This means it's all about our servicemembers, not him. We thank Reuters for letting his fans and the American people know about this, but discreetly and after the fact.

Many celebrities in a wide variety of fields have visited with our troops in war zones, and for more than a few hours. They have to check their egos back home - and they do - because that's the way it's done with our military and the U.S.O. No drama. We thank them for all that they do and wish them all the best.

USS Enterprise Videos: More

The Norfolk Virginian-Pilot has released two more "XO Movie Night" videos from the USS Enterprise, starring its former Commanding Officer, CAPT Owen P. Honors, Jr.

Here's one:



Here's another:

Our Navy is Decisive: CAPT Honors Relieved as USS Enterprise Commander

Navy Admiral John Harvey permanently relieved CAPT Owen P. Honors, Jr., as Commanding Officer of the USS Enterprise, now preparing for deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Update: The Enterprise is to deploy Thursday, January 13.

To Admiral Harvey's credit, and that of the Navy, he acted decisively and in the best interests of the USS Enterprise and its almost 6,000 sailors.

There's quite a lot of commentary on this, but it's clear that the controversy made it impossible for CAPT Honors to continue to hold the confidence of his superiors.

We hope that the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot will share the other videos with the American people, if only to support CAPT Honors' post-retirement career as a comedian.

USS Enterprise XO Videos: Update

The Norfolk Virginian-Pilot reports that the Navy is continuing to investigate, but we've also heard that CAPT Owen P. Honors, Jr., has been temporarily relieved.

On the other hand, CAPT Honors' supporters have set up a Facebook page. We'll keep you posted.

Hat tip to TowleRoad. Photo tip to The New York Times.

USS Enterprise: Update on videos

Here's an CCN story on the USS Enterprise videos.

Two comments:

1. CNN is quite correct that substantial official resources were required in their production. This isn't someone clowning around with a personal video camera.

2. If the Navy has already been aware of these videos, and took action way back in 2007, well, then action has been taken, so it's just egg on the Navy's face at this point.

USS Enterprise XO Video: See for Yourself!

The Norfolk Virginian-Pilot reports that the Commanding Officer of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, Navy Captain Owen P. Honors, Jr., due to deploy shortly to support operations in Afghanistan, while serving as its Executive Officer [XO] on a similar deployment in 2006-2007, starred in the above video series to the crew. See for yourself; the newspaper has bleeped out potentially offensive dialogue.

Here are our thoughts:

1. Consider the time and the context: Any kind of deployment is stressful; leaders need to guide and channel the intensity of emotions towards topics that are less [but not totally zero] politically incorrect, just to burn off the steam and stress and tension in a more [but not completely] socially acceptable manner. Furthermore, back in 2006, one political party controlled both political branches of our government; it takes time for socio-political changes like the Democratic takeover of Congress, effective in January 2007, to filter out to our ships at sea.

2. We need leaders with courage, rather than timid wimps afraid to make a decision. Yes, he should have a little egg on his face [see speculation in the page 2 etc. Comments on TowleRoad], but that's it. Clearly, the crew's loyalty to their Captain has ensured that the American people know what a great job he's doing. [Snark!] Other leaders are certainly learning and will be guided by this, but we don't want to destroy the need for creativity and imagination to maintain morale on a deployment.

3. Make your own decision whether it's really homophobic, or whatever. It's certainly juvenile, sophmoric and a bit raunchy, but so what? Keep the good elements of military culture; don't destroy everything.

4. With Congressional repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," to be fully implemented this year, will all such 'humor' be tolerated? No. Commanders and Leaders will need to ensure that all motivational materials ensure that everyone is treated with dignity and respect. A more pressing issue is whether Captain Honors recognizes how much things have changed, and the current, pre-deployment command climate on the USS Enterprise.

5. To a certain extent, this video is already a historical document of life under DADT.

Hat tip to TowleRoad.

Hat non-tip here. [They copied our post exactly. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.]

Update: The Navy is investigating.

further Update [08JAN2011]: For some reason, the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot has removed the video from its website; the above video has also been removed from YouTube by the original poster. We left a comment on the newspaper's website politely inquiring why. Sans response from the paper, it's back on YouTube:

Here's the most popular version:



Here's another version: