Excerpt from "A rejoinder to 'where have all the tigers gone?'" by Capt. K. McKay

If a modern Army allows soldiers to be soldiers we won't have a problem with occupational values, those that wish to soldier will, those that don't can join Air Canada. That is not to say that good wages, benefits, and a good family life are not important: they are as important today as they were 25 years ago. But how does one equate an hourly wage to going on patrol at midnight in the freezing rain on an empty stomach. Job satisfaction is very important. We all remember the good times.

There was a time when contact sports were not only allowed but encouraged. Football, Boxing, Murderball, Hit hockey, etc, allowed the soldier to get rough and tough in peacetime. After all, we are trying to train men to go to war.

Captain Kermin McKay, RCD, "A rejoinder to where have all the tigers gone? Why have the ringmasters changed? Or put the fun back into the army!", Infantry Journal, number 15

Excerpt from "Where, oh where have all the tigers gone?" by LCol D.A. Nicholson

You will no doubt have begun to detect, and I readily admit to, a twinge of nostalgic longing to meet once again a type of young officer who was fairly common just a few short years ago. This was the young man who did occasionally express a certain degree of boisterous enthusiasm for his profession, whose exuberance sometimes led to a heart-to-heart talk in my office and an extra tour as orderly officer, and who, fortified by a few draught of "happy hour elixir", would corner me in the bar for a forceful lecture on how I should really be running the unit. These same young officers may have required frequent guidance and steering, and occasional restraint but, bless them, they never required prodding. They could always be relied upon to put forth that essential extra effort which so often means the difference between success and disaster in both peace and war. No task was too difficult, and no hardship could deter them. Their senior NCOs looked after them like fathers. Their men loved and respected them and followed them without question. It was comforting to know that such men would be available if the crunch came. I am grateful for having had the privilege of serving with them. I only hope that their enthusiasm, gaiety and sheer zest for living have not since become squelched by the pervasive, bloodless "man in the green flannel suit" syndrome of which I have spoken.

Please, let us accept, cherish and develop, along with the nice, manageable pussycats, at least a few TIGERS. We, and Canada, will someday have need of them, as sure as God made little green managers.

LCol D.A. Nicholson, Where, oh where have all the Tigers gone?", The Mobile Command Letter, March 1973

Posting

So MARS IV starts 28 September and will end sometime in February. In the mean time, the Venture staff will attempt to either send us off to sea or, if that fails, will put together an OOD qual package so we can get OOD qualified over the summer, and have one tick in the CofC II quals box. It should be a lot easier for us to get OOD qualified, as there will be a lot of ships in port, and not all that many deploying.

There are also a few openings on a ship's diver's course but I don't think I can get on it. I'll probably ask for it, but I doubt I'll get on it.

As far as MARS IV goes, the MARS head at Venture said something about our sea phase (several weeks) possibly being on the East Coast. Hopefully we'd be out on MCDVs--Orcas in winter in the North Atlantic (even within a few miles of shore...) would NOT be a good idea.

I'll post later about MOC weekend, but I'm really pumped for life after RMC. Of course, getting there isn't going to be much fun, but I'll live. 1309 out of 1357 days done (aka 48 DTG)

Posting

Well, I received my posting message this morning. I'm officially being posted to the West Coast, effective 19 May 09, as an Acting Sub-Lieutenant. (I'd rather be an Ensign, it doesn't sound as bad as Acting Subbie... and isn't followed by the rank of Subbie.) I'm not sure what I'll actually do, as the course dates on the NOTC website have no sign of an ROTP MARS IV starting this summer, but it might have been updated since I last checked, but it'll likely involve some type of OJT. Hopefully not a shore assignment. I wouldn't mind if The Girlfriend was coming along, but she's staying in Ontario, and going home to my apartment--even though I'll have a roommate--will be rather depressing if I don't have anything to do. At least once MARS IV starts I'll have to study and be productive, even when I go home.

In any case, I'm glad to be getting out of RMC soon, but I'd rather get a little bit of leave before having to move, as I won't see The Girlfriend for quite a while after I fly out.

Ah well, here's to The Navy.



Also, the paper I have been writing has been pushed back further--a bout of illness kept me in bed most of last week and I barely managed to keep up with schoolwork, let alone a random essay I wrote on my free time. I'll finish the rewrite as soon as I can.

On Integrity

About Integrity:
Integrity in the Navy has become a serious issue. Instead of using common sense, I see many "leaders" using the policy "do as I say, not as I do" based on the fact that they are senior and they cannot be questioned by those below them and no one above them wants to interfere.

From an anonymous commenter on bubbleheads' blog.



...Sounds awfully familiar. Not so much about just the Navy, though.

Change of description

I decided to go from

Blog by an RMC Naval Cadet, about life at the RMC, and life in general. And some rants.

To:

Blog by an RMC Naval Cadet about the Navy, leadership, and the occasional random topic.

I think it better reflects the purpose of this blog, especially as I start transitioning from whatever we RMC students are supposed to be, into life as a naval officer in the Fleet. Also, life at RMC has turned into a rather boring routine that can't keep a blog alive.

On Criticism.. again

We will still need men and women in uniform to call things as they see them and tell their subordinates and their superiors alike what they need to hear, not what they want to hear . . . More broadly, if as an officer you don’t tell blunt truths or create an environment where candor is encouraged, then you’ve done yourself and the institution a disservice.

The time will come when you must stand alone in making a difficult, unpopular decision, or when you must challenge the opinion of superiors or tell them that you can’t get the job done with the time and the resources available . . . There will be moments when your entire career is at risk.

SECDEF Dr. Robert Gates

(Off Capt(ret) Lambert's blog.)