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Letters

Simulators aren’t reality

Navy officials say that sailors will get more training in simulators before they deploy, and they will be ready [“Budget woes force cuts in home-based ops,” March 30]? That’s a bunch of hogwash.

Simulators simulate, and nothing more. Sailors need to be trained while at sea — that’s the only way you are going to become the great pilots, outstanding ship’s navigators, or whatever. One cannot achieve success sitting on his bottom in a box.

AO1 (AW) Bryan Lincoln (ret.)

Palo Alto, Calif.

Let people see the NWU

After changing the dungaree uniform to the “utilities,” my beloved Navy has made the decision to improve the appearance of the sailor yet again by putting us in a blue-cammie uniform — which, I must say, looks very sharp.

And because our sailors will look so sharp and professional, Naval District Washington has generated a message that says under no circumstances will a sailor in that region, in that uniform, get out of his car on the way to work (except in emergencies), and the uniform will not be authorized for wear after working hours [“NWU rules set for D.C.-area sailors,” April 13].

Now that our shipmates E-6 and below look better than ever, we’re ensuring that under no circumstances will the general public ever catch a glimpse of us. Why?

MA1 (SW) Nathan Stalker

Naval Station Rota, Spain

Don’t give CMCs a pass

I have some serious concerns about the command master chiefs and others not being looked at by forced-retirement boards [“Career risk for chiefs,” April 20].

I was at the Navy Exchange in Norfolk, Va., about a month ago and saw a very large woman wearing the new blue cammie uniform. I said to a fellow retired chief, “How can they let someone like that remain in the Navy?” She turned and I could see [from] her collar devices that she was a master chief. As bad as that made me feel, I felt sick to my stomach when she turned around and I saw her wearing the CMC badge.

The top enlisted person in any unit should strive to set the example. I have seen many others wearing anchors who don’t meet the physical requirements. Don’t give those nonperformers or poor examples a free ride during these trying times.

CUCM (SCW) John Lancour (ret.)

Virginia Beach, Va.

Caption was insulting

I am appalled at your political innuendo toward Gov. Sarah Palin and Sen. John McCain regarding selecting the winner for the caption contest [No. 478, Lifelines, April 20]. This clearly shows extreme bias.

We know that our now-commander in chief made the comment [about] “lipstick on a pig” during the campaign, and he took much fire from Republicans. I don’t feel it is appropriate to stir that pot again.

HMC (SW/AW) James R. Hopkins Jr.

Lindenhurst, Ill.

Fit bosses shouldn’t smoke

The Navy needs to rethink physical fitness requirements for command fitness leaders: They should be nonsmokers for a minimum of one year prior to being allowed to become CFLs.

While smoking is clearly damaging to one’s health, we send a mixed message to our sailors that it really isn’t by essentially glorifying smoking.

Smoking while being the CFL is wrong.

SK2 Stephanie Harries

San Diego

‘Deplorable’ covers

I took exception when you displayed a broken anchor, depicting the chiefs’ mess as broken, when a handful of E-7s decided to break the rules [“Chiefs cheating scandal,” Feb. 23]. It was not an accurate depiction of the mess as a whole.

Flash forward to this week: I open my mailbox and see an anchor being held like a football with a boot getting ready to kick it [“8,000 chiefs face the boot,” April 20]. Many hard-working patriots will be asked to leave. Your depiction of this is just as deplorable as the broken anchor.

SKCM Ross Beverley

Norfolk, Va.

Attacking terrorism

Writer David Wise says there can be no war on terrorism because terrorism is a tactic that “cannot be engaged in battle as can an enemy” [“Wrong flag, wrong fight,” Back Talk, March 30].

Does that also mean that our law enforcement agencies cannot fight a “war on drugs”?

Wise and the Rand Corp. are in error that terrorism “cannot be attacked.” The “war on terrorism” includes the military and law enforcement operations to defeat those who try to kill us.

EOC David Boyett (ret.)

Silver City, N.M.

Changing ‘don’t ask’

Navy Times is biased in favor of allowing open homosexuals into the military, the book review of “Unfriendly Fire” being the latest case in point [“Evidence, not emotion, fuels new ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ debate,” Lifelines, April 13].

One of the justifications in the book is that the military should reflect society and that society has changed a lot in the past 16 years.

Although I do not buy that logic, if the law in question is to be changed, why should civilian society be left out of this paradigm shift in modesty and privacy?

My proposed law would read: “All government facilities and programs — federal, military, state and local — that receive federal funding; nongovernmental bodies that receive federal funding; or any business that affects interstate commerce, shall no longer discriminate in any fashion by gender or sexual orientation.”

No longer would restrooms, locker rooms and shower rooms open to the public or run by the government be based on gender. Women would be subject to the draft and combat. Using the same logic for opening the military to gays, it should not be too inconvenient to expect civilian children and adults to share such facilities.

Cmdr. Wayne L. Johnson (ret.)

Alexandria, Va.