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Letters

Uniform funds misused

My problem with the khaki [enlisted service uniform] has nothing to do with whether they are earned [“For, against khaki,” Feb. 16].

E-6s and below have lost a visual goal to which they could aspire. Up until these uniform changes, we in the Navy looked different — very distinguished and traditional.

The new khaki has replaced two uniforms which I find more aesthetically pleasing.

But my biggest problem with the khaki uniforms, aside from the fact that they flush tradition down the toilet, is the cost. The alleged “savings” promised by the consolidation of uniforms will not be realized for perhaps several years. With the economy worsening, this was a miserable time for implementation.

Every time I turn around, someone says this exercise or that humanitarian mission has been canceled because there are no funds available, and we’re spending hundreds of millions on uniforms?

Lt. Cmdr. Mike Brienza

Brooklyn, N.Y.

‘Force shaping’ unfair

Here we go again, another “right-sizing,” “drawdown” or, to use the new phrase, “force shaping.” Isn’t it amazing that when the economy is good we throw money at sailors to keep them in the Navy to man critical skills, yet when the country takes an economic downturn, we cast those same sailors aside. We created this problem by over-manning our ratings and over-recruiting.

Please stop trying to make us into Microsoft!

Our sailors deserve better than this. First we tell them that if they make the cut on Perform to Serve, they can stay Navy and build a career. Then, we throw Zone B and, this summer, Zone C PTS at them [“Re-ups get rough,” Feb. 2]; this year, the Navy will hold chief petty officer continuation boards [“Continuation board to focus on performance level,” Feb. 9]. So the only time a sailor may feel secure in his career will be if he has between 17 and 20 years of service.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about showing someone the hatch who cannot or will not get in step, but that needs to be accomplished through documentation and attrition at the command level, not by folks sitting around with charts, graphs and metrics. Navy leaders can do this by not overinflating evaluations and fitness reports

It’s unfortunate that we need to have a continuation board at all. Too many E-8s and E-9s have managed to make themselves irreplaceable on their shore tours. While you sit on shore duty year after year, hard-working bluejackets don’t get promoted. And just to be fair, throw every chief into the mix, including command master chiefs.

I shouldn’t be exempt because of my Navy enlisted classification. If I’m not performing, send me home, too. I can tell you there are some in my community who should be shown the door. There are too many folks out there who are making policies that impact the deck plates who haven’t seen “USS” or an operational unit for far too many years.

CMDCM David L. Anderson

Jacksonville, Fla.

Time to get in SHAPE

The Feb. 23 edition of Navy Times has an article titled “Records show major increase in military obesity.” I’m guessing the Navy personnel who are listed as overweight are not all over 40 years of age. Why are we not starting programs like the pilot Senior Health Assessment Program Enterprise, which offers one-on-one personal training for sailors over age 40, earlier in a sailor’s career?

Why can’t a program like SHAPE be offered to all sailors to ensure they are physically fit? Time? The Marines always seem to be able to find the time for PT even while deployed. Money? What we save the taxpayers now we will pay later.

In 2001, the U.S. Surgeon General said, “The health care costs resulting from excess weight and physical inactivity are estimated at $100 billion annually.” Obviously we can’t assist the entire country, but we can help our sailors.

AT1 Walter Shaughnessy (ret.)

Taunton, Mass.

Pay boost for degrees

There should be a pay incentive for enlisted sailors who have college degrees.

The idea: If someone had an associate degree, he could get a monthly special pay of $75. Someone with a bachelor’s degree would get a monthly payment of $160, and someone with a master’s degree would receive $250 to $300 a month.

A program like this might help keep sailors with degrees from getting out of the Navy or switching to the officer ranks.

I am halfway done with my master’s degree, yet I am not being paid any extra compared with sailors who have not pursued any further education.

I believe I should be paid more. In the civilian sector, I would be compensated.

AWV1 Douglas Renwick

Mount Vernon, Wash.

Opposing Dover policy

Defense Secretary Robert Gates lifted the 18-year-old ban on media coverage of fallen troops’ caskets as they return to Dover Air Force Base, Del.

AMVETS opposes that decision.

When our nation’s heroes fall in battle, their safe return to the U.S. is not designed to be a media spectacle. Since the ban was called into question in 2004, journalists have clamored for access to the returning coffins. As a leader in serving the interests of our veterans, I must question these motives.

When the ban was enacted during the 1991 Gulf War, the Pentagon hoped to avoid the exploitation of fallen troops. With the scars of Vietnam fresh in the minds of many veterans, we must ensure these images are not used to misrepresent our brave men and women, and their sacrifice is not cheapened in the pursuit of political gain. Advocates for the policy change have accused the Pentagon of hiding the horrors of war. Yet on today’s battlefield, journalists enjoy unprecedented access to the military during operations.

The real story behind each of the men and women who have lost their lives in battle does not lie on a C-17 bound for Dover; it lies in the cities and towns where these brave Americans made their homes. It lies with the parents and children left to grieve, or the spouse who clutches the American flag as “Taps” sounds. The transit process of the fallen is somber and respectful, but it is not a media event.

In the past, the decision to cover funeral proceedings of our fallen troops has rested with the surviving family members. The Pentagon insists families will still be given the opportunity to deny media coverage. But the new policy does not outline whether the Pentagon will allow the media to cover the return of anonymous flag-draped coffins, compromising the only safeguard for a mournful family.

It is our hope that Gates will reconsider this policy change and respect the privacy of families grieving the loss of their loved ones.

John “Chad” Hapner

AMVETS national commander

Lanham, Md.