Be All That You Can Be…

In the 1980s, commercial space on network TV was bought by the US Army for a series of recruitment ads. The slogan, in song usually, was “Be all that you can be.”

The ads were silly enough to cause unintended laughter, but the advertising campaign designers weren’t Army anyway. Well, at least, I never thought so. It sort of surprised me that in training, I saw training films that looked as silly. I’m not counting the Medic training one that dealt exclusively with “venereal diseases” which today are referred to as STDs. Some of our female trainees ran from the base’s enlisted theater vomiting the whole way. No, it’s true, and I am not taking a shot at women. I got to know them, and they became very capable medics. But in their defense that film was beyond grotesque. I mean, if I hadn’t grown up with so much horror, I’d have tossed breakfast up too.

Shit happens in the Army. I never once had a problem serving with women as equals, and I liked them. A combination of personnel, as I saw it, was right, fair and made the Army stronger. But hey. Shit still happens.

Being all that you can be has been known to include things soldiers really need to stop being. A master sergeant and his son got busted a while back. The sergeant had a place somewhere outside of Fort Bragg. What tipped authorities, I don’t recall, but the idiot had to have raised some serious red flags for the raid to even take place. Well, you have to get a warrant, right?

Whatever happened doesn’t matter. The father and son were dirty: two keys of coke, a large sum of cash and an illegal assault weapon were found. The dummies are gonna go to prison. Right now, it is up to the state of North Carolina to prosecute, but you wait; it will be tried in a federal court.

Two keys of coke. Several Gs in cash. Damn!

There are several homicide cases still ongoing, too, including what appears to be a case of fragging.

My question is, what the hell would make anyone crazy or evil enough to do these kinds of things, and where were their commanding officers? You have to know your people, and over this guy stood a couple of lieutenants, a captain, a sergeant major, a major and a Colonel.

Tell you what. Shit happens in the Army, okay? It does. I went through basic with some moron who, on our first leave, wore his class A uniform into Mexico. Ciudad Juarez, no less. I’m not bashing here; they love soldiers and airmen in Juarez. We were forbidden, warned for safety not to go, and it’s even illegal. Of course the guy was rolled and disappeared. Our drills were furious, standing us in formation and grilling us as to who was with him when he vanished, because he was too stupid to cross the border by himself. The cowards never spoke up, and people who go missing die because of cowards who don’t fess up.

I never did see the guy again. Never found out if he got back or not. And not then or now does the Army shout details from the base PA system. If he made it back, the feds got involved, on both sides. He was probably dishonorably discharged or given severe punishment which became part of his permanent record.

In the case of the master sergeant, well, I’d like to know why his peers didn’t speak up, or if they did, why not sooner. Fort Bragg, it seems, has a drug problem.

I don’t give a damn if it ends in dishonorable discharges for half the men and women at Bragg. Druggies gotta go.

Damned morons. This is not the kind of thing I want to read on Memorial Day weekend! No wonder the Army dropped that slogan. Croots were being a bit more than they should be, hey?

Still are, too. It’s not even a new problem. There’s nothing new here. But I want you to know, need you to remember…most men and women in our armed forces kick ass. They’re rockstars with mad skills, dedication and yet, after four very long years of Trump, their morale could use a boost. A big one.

Funny.

I never met a master sergeant who struck me as more than an asshole. Like warrant officers who can’t fly.

I am depressed. Shaking my head, too.

Enjoy your Memorial Day.