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Letters

NWU RULES NEED TO CHANGE

I read with disappointment Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (SS/SW) Rick West’s answer to Electrician’s Mate 1st Class (SW) Tony Chambers’ letter concerning the ill-thought-out rule regarding the Navy Working Uniform [being worn] out in town [“No-brainer,” July 27]. He states that we have traditionally drawn a distinction between our working and dress uniforms, and that “sets us apart.” I think this [is] an outdated tradition.

Are we so embarrassed by our working uniforms that we’re afraid we might damage the reputation of the Navy? What is the reaction when civilians see our Army brethren out in town or at the airport in desert fatigues, or an Air Force aviator wearing a flight suit as a legitimate uniform? Invariably positive.

I like the new NWU, and I think my flight suit is pretty sharp, too.

Perhaps it is time we scrapped this outmoded tradition and not worry if a sailor stops by Walmart in his NWU on his way home from work. Who knows, we might actually help recruiters.

Cmdr. Jim Laingen

Fallon, Nev.

As a traditionalist, I really was not crazy about the NWU, as I saw no good reason for the uniform being of cammie design for shipboard sailors. This is a working uniform and, as past tradition dictated, should primarily be worn while working and not ashore.

Thankfully, times have changed. Although retired, I have a lot of contact with service members from the other services as I reside near Central Command located at MacDill Air Force Base [Fla.]. All other service members almost exclusively wear the cammies at all times, on and off the base. I see very few service dress uniforms except for naval personnel and recruiters from the other services.

This new uniform looks pretty good and [is] on a par with other service utilities. [It] should be worn off base under the same conditions as the other services.

One suggestion I would like to make is that the ball cap with command logo should be retained as part of the NWU; I think the ball cap was one of the greatest ideas ever authorized.

Capt. William Beal (ret.)

Seminole, Fla.

NAVY SHOULD TRAIN IAs

Navy personnel [serving as individual augmentees] have to go through Army training to conduct their mission [in Afghanistan]. Did we forget we have SEALs who could train us better than any other service?

HM1 (FMF) George Rosado

Henderson, Nev.

DON’T BLAME CHIEFS

Blaming the chiefs’ mess is not the answer [“Stopping sloppy sailors,” Aug. 31]. The uniform regulations spell out the proper wear of the uniform. They also set the standards for grooming. The problem is sailors want to wear their uniform the same way they wear their civilian attire: oversized shirt and pants to look “cool.” Last time I checked, “cool” is not in the uniform regulations.

To blame the chiefs’ mess is an excuse. It’s about pride and professionalism.

YNC (SW/SCW/FMF) Dwayne Travis

Fort Meade, Md.

Teaching sailors personal pride is the start to putting the standards (grooming) back into the fleet. There is no one sailor or chief to blame. Everyone is at fault, from the command master chief down.

As a young sailor, I was corrected often on salutes and proper wear of the cover and uniform, and I always knew what I was doing was wrong but didn’t care. One day, I had a chief talk to me about personal pride and the Navy being “my Navy” and not an average job. That is when it clicked.

YN1 Ashley Titus

San Diego

FREE ELECTION ACHIEVED

On Aug. 20, the people of Afghanistan held their second presidential election since coalition forces liberated this country from the Taliban. Afghanistan’s election day was marred by widespread and deadly Taliban attacks, patchy turnout and claims of serious fraud by some of the candidates. But many voters bravely defied the militants’ threats and exercised their franchise across “the Republic.”

I use the term “republic” because that is what Afghanistan has become — a representative democracy with all the trappings of success and failure that comes with a democratic process.

Our Afghan and coalition soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen were on the front lines helping ensure the elections were held and protecting the citizens from the evil machinations of the Taliban and Haqqani thugs. These terrorists see free elections, women exercising their right to vote, and a free press as threats to their outdated and sad devotion to a misguided form of misogynistic politics. Our freedom fighters stood their ground against these evil miscreants and ensured a free election.

While many in our nation believe the war cannot be won, it is important to remember we still owe a debt to the nearly 3,000 men and women who died Sept. 11 — a debt that cannot be paid with a check to your local charity. To give ground in Afghanistan is both an insult to the dead who have sacrificed in this war and emboldens the enemies of humanity to do their worst. We must accept that nothing less than total victory be achieved to ensure the future of generations to come.

Army Lt. Col. Jayson A. Altieri

Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan

PAY GAP STILL EXISTS

I have to say after reading over this article [“Pay it forward,” Aug. 24], I have to strongly disagree. There is a huge gap between our pay and the private-sector wages. Granted, on shore duty you make almost double the minimum wage. This is only if you are at a great shore billet that only requires eight hours of work a day and two duty days a month.

[But] think about a person on a six-month cruise. At a minimum in a good-rated job, a sailor would work 12-hour days, seven days a week. How does that even compare with the civilian world?

Not that I don’t enjoy the pay raises, I think the personnel on sea duty should be better compensated. Maybe they should be looking into increasing sea pay or having better benefits for sailors on sea duty.

SK2 (AW/SW) April Spencer

Tinker Air Force Base, Okla.

SMOKING BAN ‘RIDICULOUS’

In response to yet another ridiculous crusade of banning tobacco use in the military [“Rx for military: Ban tobacco use,” July 20], I have but one request: Because we poor, uneducated military members who do the dirty work cannot or are unable to take care of ourselves and make our own decisions, I would ask that those pen-pushing desk warriors of the medical corps pick up a weapon. After a bloody firefight with insurgents, they can teach us about tobacco use.

EO1 (SCW) David Charles

Portland, Maine