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Letters

LET NWU OUT ON THE TOWN

I would just like to rebut Electrician’s Mate 1st Class (SW) Tony Chambers’ comment regarding the [Navy Working Uniform rules in the] Washington, D.C., metro area [“No-brainer,” July 27].

In Norfolk, Va., they have one of the most relaxed rules for wear anywhere. So why can’t D.C.-area sailors wear the NWU to work? Granted, a lot of us sit behind desks, but I have been to various medical clinics in the region, and they are allowed to wear them because they fall under the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery and not Naval District Washington. Why can’t a watch-stander wear the uniform as the uniform of the day?

IS1 (SW/AW) Grant Miles

Fredericksburg, Va.

I’d like to comment on two issues discussed in the article. Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (SS/SW) Rick West’s reply to Chambers’ comments is nonsensical. If our naval heritage precludes wearing working uniforms out in town, then why are airedales still allowed to freely roam in their flight suits?

Does anyone remember that a pilot broke the chain of command and e-mailed then-Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jay Johnson, who promptly gave his imprimatur to the nearly unrestricted wearing of the flight suit?

Why not rescind that allowance? And isn’t a flight suit organizational clothing, not a working uniform?

I’m not jealous, just trying to point out the obvious. The NWU advertises that the Navy is trying to project a warrior image. Warriors should be highly visible, on base and off base. We constantly treat our sailors differently from their other warrior brethren.

The chief of naval personnel did not justify his comments when he said beards were a safety hazard. What study can he produce to prove that there is a hazard? And how many other navies and armed forces wear beards? Quite a few — look north to Canada, for one.

In case anyone forgot the true reason we lost our beards, we lost them because the secretary of the Navy at that time, John Lehman, arbitrarily decreed to get rid of beards. We don’t have beards because of personal bias.

GMCS (SW) Allen McLean Jr. (ret.)

Suffolk, Va.

TEST EMALS ON OLD SHIPS

Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System — destiny or disaster [“No-steam launch system still unproven as carrier construction continues,” July 27]? With so many new hull design proposals and new system development fleetwide, I’ll admit that I am not as technologically current as I used to be.

However, I’ve witnessed a few catastrophes resulting from combining technologies with too many unknowns. Some would have been quite amusing if they weren’t so obscenely expensive.

My purpose is not to revisit failures but to point out success. One of the best examples resulted in our modern submarine fleet. Submarine hulls were about to undergo radical change — from a fleet-boat design to a cigar-shape design. At about the same time, a young naval officer and propulsion engineer, Hyman Rickover, along with others, was proposing submarines be powered by a nuclear reactor.

Both the cigar-shaped submarine hull and nuclear power had detractors as well as proponents. In the end, cool heads, common sense and creativity prevailed. The radical hull design was constructed and tested with several configurations. The Albacore set the standard for modern submarine design.

At the same time, an existing fleet-type submarine was overhauled and provided with a nuclear reactor to provide propulsion. The Nautilus made a most convincing debut, underway on nuclear power, and transited from the Pacific to the Atlantic oceans under the Arctic ice cap. Thus was born the age of nuclear-powered submarines.

Would the Navy be better served by outfitting the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford with a conventional aircraft launch system while at the same time using an older existing carrier (maybe one scheduled for overhaul) on which to install EMALS?

If carrier flight decks are at a premium and all are needed to sustain current operational tempo, then perhaps the Navy need look no further than mothballed carriers. Recent ones include Kitty Hawk and John F. Kennedy. Even some of the older ones could serve as platforms for EMALS.

Reactivating any one of them to support EMALS flight ops could be accomplished without bringing the carrier up to deep-ocean, battle-ready condition. Yes, reactivation would be expensive — but maybe not as expensive as buying “the world’s largest helicopter carrier.”

BMCM (SW) Joseph Foster (ret.)

Arundel, Maine

SPEAK OUT ON ‘DON’T ASK’

Gay rights activists have several automated Web sites set up that allow people to write their congressmen, asking them to allow open gays to serve in the military by repealing the current 1993 policy — often referred to as “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

For anyone who thinks that is a bad idea, go to www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml, a Web link that allows you to find contact information for your congressmen in the House and Senate. You can e-mail them to say you want the 1993 law that bars open homosexuals from military service to be continued.

If you agree with me that having open homosexuals serving in our military is a bad idea, write the White House and your members of Congress. If you feel the other way, you can use the Web site, as well.

Cmdr. Wayne Johnson (ret.)

Alexandria, Va.

THE PERFECT SHAVE

Your recent article [“Take it All Off,” July 20] had a few crucial missing components. Most noticeably: the razor.

Suggesting the Fusion or the Mach 3 for the perfect shave is like suggesting a ’78 Pinto for the perfect ride. The closest shave you can get, as well as one that will help prevent razor bumps, comes from the double-edge razor or the straight edge. I recommend people serious about shaving visit www.classicshaving.com.

The double-edge and straight razors put those multiple-blade-cartridge razors to shame. Of course, you have to learn how to shave all over again, as putting pressure on these instruments will leave you bloody. Once mastered, however, you’ll get a shave like no other.

As far as a thick lather, let’s think about this: When you drag a razor across your face, how much of the shaving cream is the blade actually sliding on? The truth is, about three-fourths of the shaving cream you just put on your face is going down the drain unused.

MA1 (AW) Nathan Stalker

Rota, Spain