Draggingtree Posted September 17, 2015 Share Posted September 17, 2015 Mourning the Army I Knew Whether or not women serve in elite military units, declining standards have hurt a great institution. By DONALD DEVINE • September 17, 2015 It was long ago, but the scene is burned in my memory. My Army drill sergeant informed us how lucky we were that a previous recruit had died on the infantry range. The drill instructors (DIs) had been told to loosen procedures so as not to kill any more of “you college boys.” We were mostly New York City wise-guy reservists taking basic training after university graduation. Our DI sure seemed to push the edge anyway and, struggling as I did, I always wondered how tough the previous training must have been. Later I had the opportunity to learn that the training loosened even more over the years to accommodate what Arnold Schwarzenegger called the increasing number of “girlie men” in our times. By 2010, the Army’s top trainer, Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, told the New York Timesthat “the soldiers we’re getting in today’s Army are not in as good shape as they used to be.” The percentage of male recruits who failed the most basic fitness test at his training center rose to “more than one in five in 2006, up from just 4 percent in 2000.” In 2002, only three recruits suffered stress fractures. But last year the number rose to 39 and the percentages were “higher” for women. http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/mourning-the-army-i-knew/ It's not the Army I was in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggingtree Posted September 18, 2015 Author Share Posted September 18, 2015 Obama To Nominate Eric Fanning For ArmySecretary: Would Be First Openly Gay Man To Serve Associated Press, by Staff Original Article Posted By: Desert Fox- 9/18/2015 5:30:02 PM Post Reply WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is nominating longtime Pentagon official Eric Fanning to be the Army’s new secretary. If confirmed, Fanning would be the nation’s first openly gay leader of a military service. Obama says Fanning brings years of experience and leadership to the role. He says in a statement that he’s confident Fanning will lead U.S. soldiers with distinction. Fanning is currently the Army’s acting under secretary and has served as the Air Force’s acting secretary and chief of staff to the Defense secretary. The nomination comes as the Obama administration works to eliminate barriers to military service based Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggingtree Posted September 18, 2015 Author Share Posted September 18, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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