Hemp and the Military

[Guest guest]

Howdy Ien,

 

> Thanks for providing clarity Butch.

>

 

Welcome you are.

 

 

> I appreciate people like yourself, the " honest soldier " , as opposed to

> the political honchos who send people into harms way from behind a desk.

>

 

Thanks .. but unfortunate it is that those who have the opportunity to be

both commanders AND leaders at the same time are few .. they are the Company

or Detachment Commanders .. almost always at the grade of Captain but with

some First Lieutenants and Majors .. depending on various specialties. It

is only then that one can Lead From the Front .. other levels of command ..

like Battalion, Brigade, Division, Corps and Army demand leading from

the Rear and directing the actions of those who are fortunate enough to be

able to Lead From the Front.

 

Most of the officers I have known enjoyed command at Company and Detachment

level more than any position they could hold .. few are selected for these

positions and those who are selected are betting their futures on their

performance because s/he will get credit or blame for anything that happens

... even if they happen to be 50 miles away when it happens. Still, its the

only position in the U.S. Army where a person is allowed to be a Commander,

a Leader, a Mother and Father and Judge and Jury .. even General Officers

can not dictate to a Captain when s/he is deciding the fate of a soldier.

If they attempt to do so then they are in violation of the UCMJ .. Command

Influence is prohibited! That General can, however, rate that Captain low

in the area of judgment if they disagree with the actions of the Captain.

I was fortunate enough to have been selected for two commands as a First

Lieutenant and two as a Captain .. and I survived the four assignments.

;-)

 

The secret of success in the Old Army was not all that much of a secret. I

have been retired for 20 years come New Years Eve and I expect that many

things have changed for the better or the worst since that time. Back then

the secret for success was (1) Garner more attaboys than you had aw craps

... that allowed you to survive when those with more aw craps than attaboys

went under. (2) Be able to explain that the decision you made was based

on the best information available at the time and it was intended to be in

the best interests of the Soldier, the Unit, the U. S. Army, and the United

States of America. There could be no room for it being in the best

interests of the Commander himself. These are not necessarily listed these

in an order or significance .. but all were important.

 

 

> Ien in the Kootenays

> http://freegreenliving.com (blog)

>

 

Y'all keep smiling. :-)

 

Butch .. http://www.AV-AT.com <http://www.av-at.com/>

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Dear Butch,

 

When I say " honest soldiers " I include those

honorable men who serve in command but not

necessarily in the front line.

 

Both corruption and noble service can be found in

any human institution.

Think for instance of churches and political parties.

 

Alas, rather than acknowledging the mix people of

opposing camps will often compare the best of theirs

with the worst of the other side.

 

Duh! Grow up, folks! We have an ailing overpopulated

planet on our hands, and we need the best from ANY

group, ANY tradition. We must start thinking And/And,

rather than Either/Or, whenever possible.

 

That's my rant for the day.

 

Happy New Year everyone, and thanks for all the

teachings.

 

Ien in the Kootenays

http://freegreenliving.com (blog)

http://wildwholefoods.net (brain food)

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I like that 'and/and' what a way to start a year out!

I was gonna say its all about building bridges but somehow that euphamism sort

of got twisted........doh.......

 

evie

 

that would be a good thing for all of us to do instead of making impossible

goals like quitting smoking at 2 pm tues the 20th of any given month.....if one

is to quit the moment is NOW.....how about we stop and think about that

'and/and' and then the word 'let's'.....we forget that is an inclusive

meaning...'let US'....

 

and/and........the simplest things are the most profound. my husband is reading

this book and it challenges one to see in conversation or just random speaking

how many times we start or use the word 'I' especially with our families....it

can have that passive/aggressive thing going on and can be intimidating if used

too much......instead of a mom or dad saying 'because I am the parent' it could

be 'because its how WE do things in our home. It's OUR way...'

 

very cool.....and/and....