User talk:The innkeeper78
Innkeeper 78,
Fact: I was a 1st Class with NPDB2 at the time. Instead of letting one of our fellow 1st Classes basically end his career after long discusion we volunteered to place ourselves on restriction. Not everyone agreed but we came with one voice. We were not forced onto restriction. Fact: I was the section leader of the 1st E-1 to go to mast for leaving his weapon. It ended up being a suspended bust, emi, and later discarded. I was proud of him for his honesty and courage of having to endure an open mast. His career was not hurt. Fact: Both CO's had their own leadership styles. I can't tell you what should be or shouldn't be at a COMMANDING OFFICER level. I do know our mission was to take a mix of active/reserves from nearly every field of the Navy, across a huge age spectrum create a Battalion to deploy to Iraq. And oh yeah your mission is now Camp Bucca, oh by the way you have to build some of the compounds. Did I agree with every decision that was made to make that happen. NO. Did I voice my opinion yes, did others, yes. Did we carry out our orders Yes!! Did we overcome, adapt, and accomplish the mission Yes! Just take a step back and think about it starting from Port H thru FT Bliss to Iraq what we accomplished. Fact: I have personally witnessed our CO doing everything she could for our Sailors especially late at night and early morning hours. And I do truly believe she did everything in her power to NOT allow us to be extended. She was personally involved with our well being much to my surprise because I probably was one of her biggest critics. No doubt about it though she would let you know where she was coming from. I highly doubt our CO made that statement. Fact: I went to Mast with her and shipped home a month early. My name is now Chief Wright, you may know me or heard of my name when I was ET1 Wright and yes Shipmate I do have a problem with your so called facts. The Chiefs did not stay in their PODS, hell we had more time off then them. If you would like to place facts on this website, take credit for them with your name and do not use this as a vehicle to bash our Command, the CPO's, and our Commanding Officer.
r/ ETC(SW) W —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.210.1.182 (talk) 00:43, 12 April 2008 (UTC)
Chief, I have no issue discussing this with you. The better, because it makes the issues more complete.
I took out, dang near a monthago, the references to Chiefs in PODs, and other such items, because it WAS biased and not correct.
I edited this article to show the better side of things.
Were you sitting in Captain's Call when he said that "There will be no dating", and then had to back track the very next day and say he "Could not legally tell us that there is no dating, but that fraternization will be severely punished". Or did you miss this?
Were you or your juniors threatened with possible retaliation if you did not go on restriction? Obviously, a Mast conviction is not at all a career or promotion ender, CHIEF, which means that he should have been willing to step up and take his licks. Instead, he weasled out of it, and had the rest of the Mess take it for him. Not all of us were "just a Yeoman." (His words, if you remember.)
Your boy's career may not have been hurt, and good for him given the circumstances. But it set the precedent, and the expectaions since the Skipper was living up to his word to this point, and brought out some of the worst in the leadership.
What was accomplished was spectacular, but seeing how it was done was nothing short of a spectacular power grab and wielding by the upper echelon. From a leadership position, YOU justify what was done to the Battalion during training and initial entry in country. I have NEVER heard of dismantling a trained combat team 1 week prior to entering a combat zone. Does that not fly in the face of the Navy's recent commitment to unit stabilization prior, during and after a deployment? I know that our senior leadership did not miss those memos. The top of the Chief's mess was more interested in keeping someone's decision form being impugned than in getting a situation fixed.
What comments she made are not up for dispute, when you are not the one it was spoken or directed to. I am glad that she did help out a lot of people; those that needed coddling, apparently. What could she do other than sing Kumbayah and say that she cared for us. Those that needed real help were either told to sit down and shut up, or shot themselves.
If you were one of her biggest critics, then obviously you DO have an opinion at what should take place at the CO level. Unfortunately, you were smashed by a Master Chief and a ward room that was more interested in flexing their new found (for some) authority.
I do not bash the Unit. The Unit was outstanding. Specific examples of failure need to be aired, lest they be forgotten.
xxx Innkeeper, Remember there was more than one first class on the hook. One really wanted us to let him take full responsibility and face the music. And yes I do remember that comment made by the other. And yes I do believe a CONVICTION would certainly hurt their careers. I do see your point on perception from a junior Sailors view as it made my choice hard. As far as switching around the companies within the Battallion I don't know, you are right it was very frusturating. I and many others voice our opinions. An explanation was never given or at least I didn't get one. Once again a COMMANDING OFFICERS right. I can only assume it had to do with our orders changing at the last minute and the initial makeup based on taking over Fort Suse not Bucca. We were thrown a curveball and it sucked but we made it work. When I said I witness her helping us out I meant working late at night not with anyone in particular but with issues that effected the Battallion as a whole. Our extension created a logistical nightmare because all of the sudden we were all entitled to R&R within 4 months. I believe this is why the MA's came to cover the short fall, not because some of our Sailors didn't have enough time left on their contract. It is hard enough for a command staioned over there to ensure R&R happens over a 12 month period, now couple that with emergency leaves and I think you can have an appreciation. Now lets discuss the Suicide which makes this all irrelavent, wouldn't you agree? I'm not being sarcastic. Alomar was my friend. Many of us felt responsible. Are you saying somebody identified he was suicidal and the command took no action? Of course not. We all have to live with the fact that not all of us returned? There is probably no one who bears more resposibility than the CO. In closing, you do have a talent for writing. You should take a look at the Navy writing manual especially Memo's for Record and other types of messages. It is your right to submit ideas, cause/effect of orders, or to plainly express your opinion to your command or company. No matter what rank you are!! Keep copies of what you submit. I think you would be surprised how a well written document can get you answers or resolution. Pen/Sword you know. r/ETC
Chief,
He should have been made to face the music, and have the chance to have that Mast conviction in the first place. I see that you going to Mast did not hurt your promotion chances. Why should he have been given special consideration? Also, you never answered my question as to whether or not any of your guys were threatened with retaliation or any other type of negative behavior depending on if they went along with the CO's plan. Answer me that.
CO's right does not mean that it wasn't a fucked up decision, every time they decided to do it. We knew well enough in advance that we were going to Bucca, and what the force composition was. These decisions smelled of nothing more than, "because we can".
How many of our sailors left because of various issues? 30? 40? That is almost 20% of our manpower gone because either Admin wasn't on the ball for a year (I distinctly remember many Sailors being called to Pt. Hueneme Admin specifically because they were EAOS short), or they decided that certain Sailors "needed" to go home. This flys in the face of every type of unit cohesion and continnuity that we preach to our younger Sailors.
Are you responsible in that you pulled the trigger? No, I think not. He made that decision. We had to deal with the fallout of his selfish and irresponsible action. He was identified as having many issues that he was working through. He was talking to Chaps and various personnel in the command. As far as I know, he was not considered a suicide risk because he was talking to people.
However, If the CO specifically states what she did, and then has not had that person put under mental health observation, she is either deficient in her duties towards her personnel and the mission, or she actually does not care. The innkeeper78 (talk) 22:18, 11 August 2008 (UTC)