Reporter Carl Prine is in fine form, being sarcastic about Service members who support political candidates while in uniform.
Being a military professional who has sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States means that when you are on active duty you don't campaign for anyone wearing your uniform. You stand apart from political factions. You vote, but you conduct yourself knowing that you must loyally serve whoever is elected. Once you are no longer on Active Duty it is a different story. Then you can proudly stand up and support Daffy Duck for US Senator, but not wearing your now doffed uniform.
This s a long tradition in our Nation. Ask Dick Howe, Jr, or Jack Mitchell, or Greg Page or George Anthes or Tom O'Brien or Pat McCartin or Tom Fahlberg or any of dozens of others who are or have been involved in politics in Lowell, in some way. I bet even John Kerry would agree.
Regards — Cliff
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This is what you get when we moved to the politically correct, "sensitive" "softer and gentler" armed forces......the one where a recruit could hand the TI a "time out card" if he or she felt that the pressure was.....well....getting too much. Actions lead to expectations....and expectations lead to actions......and pretty soon....an LOR is not much more than a piece of dung fodder.....and in many lower circles...a badge of honor.
Sometimes I wonder if we would have this high rate of "personality disorders" or PTSD if we returned to the good old days of iron hard discipline in which your early days (actually....DAZE) in the military consisted of some guy with ice for blood and a blow torch for a mouth whose job was to completely dismember you as a civilian human being and then remake you into the image of a warrior. I think I can recall nearly every second of the terror that was BMT....and that happened over half a century ago. I remember my TI's name and face.....and even though we began using SSAN's years ago...I remember my AFSN.....it was seared into my brain. On day one at Lackland AFB...after flying all night to get there......I met my TI...along with about 45 of who would be my "closest friends".......and we were witness to a phenomenon rarely seen or heard in our thus far brief lives.....a human being with a voice like a bull horn....that spewed four letter words nonstop for record amounts of time....words that none of us had even heard before.....and it seemed to each of us that this guy absolutely HATED every one of us.....and was going to HATE us until we became exactly what HE wanted us to become.....it was a major project.
The last time I was at Lackland AFB and in uniform.....a flight of basics were drilling on the drill pad.....and I stood and watched for a few minutes. Suddenly, the SSgt who was their TI stopped them.....and then walked over to me and asked if I needed something. I said I didn't. He then asked me if I would move on as my presence was a distraction and I made the troops "nervous." Huh?????
I wanted badly to tell that young SSgt AND his band of merry men (and a few women) what "nervous" was about....and the things I could do to make them "nervous"....but passed. After all...I was within a few weeks of retiring after 33 years.....and it was a "New Air Force."
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