Part 2: Possible Reasons
Long ago the Army, which the National Guard is a part of, used to train hard. There were far less regulations and safety concerns which likened training more closely to actual combat. As a result, people died more often in peace, or training, as today. This was, of course, seen as a bad thing and more controls were implemented.
However, now it is rare to even move with a loaded weapon in training. This does not represent combat, and as a result a greater potential for death awaits each soldier in combat. This is also bad, especially in the super-critical arena of politics today. The only answer? Increase the time for training.
It is by this, or similar, logic that the soldiers ever-family-absent fate has been sealed.
posted by Maddog @ 1:11 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Then come the double standards. Take marksmenship for example. A typical national guard soldier gets to shoot his M-16 once a year. The one time he gets to shoot also happens to be his once chance at qualification.
This qualification has a max possible point value of 75 points towards promotion. You get 40 rounds for 40 targets. Hit all 40 with one shot each and you get 75 big ones.
Let it be known that you max out your education with a 4 year degree at 75 points.
So what makes a better leader? The ability to shoot one for one stationary targets? Or to use your mind and have the ability to get something done.
Let it also be known that in training the military teaches, suppress, supress, supress. Which means dumping copious amounts of ammo in the general direction of a target. But on the one day of the year you get to shoot reall bullets, it's one shot, one kill. WTF?
Yes, this was semi-unrelated, but, you know.........
It is very unfortunate that you volunteer servicemen are paying the price this way.
Trying to compensate for lack of realism or difficulty in training by adding more time must be the result of defense policy groupthink. Reminds me of those people who think it's perfectly logical to bake a cake at double the oven temperature for half the time.
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