Academy to stress war readiness

USNA69
Wed, 10 Oct 2007 05:03:55 +0000

navy2010:

USNA69-
Trying my best to give you the benefit of the doubt- but on this particular issue I find you most unwilling to even entertain the possiblity-
and that I find most sad.
Especially from an alumni.
I can understand alumni in favor/disfavor of the changes that have been made.
I find it hard to understand the acceptance of an intolerable food situation that would never be tolerated in the fleet under similiar circumstances.
I find it hard to understand how some alumni do not “watch the backs” of those who have chosen to follow in their footsteps… and perhaps even more so, as we are a “Nation at War.” Where is your support of the Brigade?

Understand your duty to “support the Supe”… .but I would challenge you that your duty as a BGO, and more as an Alumn, is to support the NAVAL ACADEMY. It is bigger than the Supe and the Dant.

And while you are of the belief “there are mids out there that will be embarrased” when all is said and done, I am of the belief there is an administration that will be called to task for the outcomes of the decisions they have made.

I am finally going to make the statements that I have been accused of making, but never have. I have been a part of the Navy and USNA for 45 years. I will turn USNAMom’s attempt at discreditment around. How long have you parents been around? I know the Academy and I know the Navy. I know the dedicated professionals that are a part of the Navy. I know the well meaning but sometimes rumor fed Brigade. Never in my wildest imagination could I imagine Naval professionals allowing the food situation to grow to where the rumors were stating that it was. Apparently I was correct. As the Supt stated, change is uncomfortable. The mids were looking for an excuse not to eat three meals a day. They exaggerated.

Every few years, the pendulum swings the other way. Rempt should have reversed the swing, but pushied it further than it had ever been the other way. The last crackdown was 10 yrs ago this fall. Very similiar but probably a little more intense than this one. Mids griped and grumbled but went along with it. There was no CC forum. It was before mms and helicopter parents. There were no published poems. It all stayed in house and the Academy was better for it.

For the midshipmen and parents who view Uncle Rodney as the epitemy of leadership, he is only an example of one extreme. There are many more. I have been exposed to all of them and there is good and bad in all. You haven’t.

The Supt has CNO’s full endorsement. The CNO told Supt to clean the place up. The Supt practiced good leadership by not criticizing his predecessor. There WAS a problem.

I do not know the extent of the mutiny. I do know that it is sad that one of my mids is contemplating leaving because his upperclassmen are telling him he should quit, that the new changes make it not worth staying. This is sad.

This is a minor bump, a bump for the good, a bump by a professional administration. I support it. I cannot support those who, with no grasp of the big picture, of the overall picture, see it as some horrible misadministration.