desertvixen (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
desertvixen) wrote2009-12-16 12:22 pm
desertvixen) wrote2009-12-16 12:22 pm
Lock and Load - Now With Target
I have read my last letter in the Army Times written by a condescending idiot. I'm firing back this time.
Did you know female soldiers get pregnant out of wedlock so they can get more uniforms and TENNIS SHOES?
I guess I know what I'm writing tonight....
ETA: Here's the letter. The letter is in italics, I'm in plain. I also changed the icon to reflect the letter.
I find the question regarding the female soldier refusing to deploy because the lack of a family care plan not only discriminating but outright ridiculous. The Army regulation on family care plans is black and white and if the Army even considers any favoritism because the soldier is a female then the whole regulation needs to be rewritten.
In March 2003, my ex-wife left me, leaving me without a family care plan and set to deploy to Iraq. The question to me was "Find your ex, give the kids back and go to war...or get out." There was no question of me being a single father with three children. Why is there consideration for this specialist?
Point 1: This guy was screwed by his command. If he became a single parent, then they should have given him the thirty days to get an FCP together. I don't care how close to the deployment it was - that's the regulation. You know, the black and white one? I have worked with several single father soldiers, so I'm either calling BS on his story or saying this: His command failed him.
Point 2: The specialist HAD an FCP. It failed. The person designated as the long-term provider did a flake on her. Based on what I've read, her command failed her.
Why is the Army allowing female soldiers to remain in the Army by getting pregnant out wedlock?
Because it's not the pre-1970s Army, maybe? My ex's mother was in the Army and was separated when she became pregnant with her first child. We don't do it that way anymore. We don't treat unmarried female soldiers differently than we treat dual-military female soldiers. Why? Well, that would be...discrimination!
We have single female soldiers getting pregnant and I believe because they know they only won't have to deploy, but they get more uniforms. tennis shoes and months of convalescent time.
This is the line that made me lose it. No, they don't pull women out of the recovery room and put them on the plane, but female soldiers who are moms also get deployed. Even single soldier moms. They deployed me.
More uniforms - which previously at least, we had to turn in. (I don't know if we get to keep the maternity ACUs.) Not to mention - NO ONE WANTS THESE UNIFORMS. No one wants to wear a BDU or ACU tent.
And I didn't get my tennis shoes. Who do I file a complaint with? To be fair, I think he means we get to wear tennis shoes, which many of us don't. The tennis shoes are supposed to help with swelling issues. I'll be honest - I had to sit on the floor to lace my boots, but I would have rather done that than worn tennis shoes with my uniform. But that's me.
Months of convalescent leave. I can only assume that he's referring to the APFT exemption, for which we get six months. Otherwise, the Army gives us 6 weeks. People can take more if they have it, and their command approves. As far as the APFT exemption, I'd like to see this guy gain 40 pounds, not run for six months, totally get his abs out of shape, and then have to get back into APFT shape. It's not a damn vacation, I promise you.
Don't get me wrong, to female soldiers who are married and are trying to build a family, God bless and best of luck.
To quote the movie Clue, "Too late." I took you wrong. I'm so glad we have your approval.
But the single females getting pregnant should be separated for destruction of government property, and breach of contract being unable to fulfill their obligation to the Army.
So, what about the cases where a female soldier was impregnated by a male soldier? Does he get charged too? Pregnancy takes two - it's not like we go to the store and pick up a pregnancy. Luckily, the Army disagrees with this person. Also, this comment reeks of "stupid girls should have kept their legs shut". Just what I want to hear out of my fellow NCOs.
I recently reclassed and while in AIT three soldiers got pregnant and laughed stating they won't have to go to war now.
So, let me get this straight. Some women made a flip remark, or maybe a joke, about not deploying. If they weren't joking, they're wrong. Soldier moms go to war too, so the joke will be on them in the end.
As long as the Army condones this, others will have to take up the slack of these so-called soldiers.
It's also another episode of one of my favorites - one woman's screwup is held against the rest of us. It's That Girl! You know her. She's the one who oopsed someone's buddy, or filed a false rape report to get even with a bad date, or got made because a guy held the door. She's the one who causes all the problems for the rest of us. Too bad she's made of straw.
So the question is, what should the Army do now? Stick to the policies and regulations that are in place for every soldier in the Army and make her deploy, or if she is in her first enlistment, give her a general discharge and a handshake and make her take responsibility for her actions.
If she can't get an FCP together, then yes, she should be separated. If she gets it together, then she deploys.
Anything else would be a disgrace.
No, the disgrace would be that these attitudes are still hanging around.
The writer is a SSG at Fort Carson.
So I am going to write the Times, along with this entry.
I'm a single mom, and a senior NCO, and tired of this attitude. I'm NOT a single mom by choice - I'm a single mom because my husband came home from his deployment and decided husband and father were two jobs he couldn't handle. So this guy would probably be "okay" with me. I don't give a damn, and I could care less about his approval.
DV
Did you know female soldiers get pregnant out of wedlock so they can get more uniforms and TENNIS SHOES?
I guess I know what I'm writing tonight....
ETA: Here's the letter. The letter is in italics, I'm in plain. I also changed the icon to reflect the letter.
I find the question regarding the female soldier refusing to deploy because the lack of a family care plan not only discriminating but outright ridiculous. The Army regulation on family care plans is black and white and if the Army even considers any favoritism because the soldier is a female then the whole regulation needs to be rewritten.
In March 2003, my ex-wife left me, leaving me without a family care plan and set to deploy to Iraq. The question to me was "Find your ex, give the kids back and go to war...or get out." There was no question of me being a single father with three children. Why is there consideration for this specialist?
Point 1: This guy was screwed by his command. If he became a single parent, then they should have given him the thirty days to get an FCP together. I don't care how close to the deployment it was - that's the regulation. You know, the black and white one? I have worked with several single father soldiers, so I'm either calling BS on his story or saying this: His command failed him.
Point 2: The specialist HAD an FCP. It failed. The person designated as the long-term provider did a flake on her. Based on what I've read, her command failed her.
Why is the Army allowing female soldiers to remain in the Army by getting pregnant out wedlock?
Because it's not the pre-1970s Army, maybe? My ex's mother was in the Army and was separated when she became pregnant with her first child. We don't do it that way anymore. We don't treat unmarried female soldiers differently than we treat dual-military female soldiers. Why? Well, that would be...discrimination!
We have single female soldiers getting pregnant and I believe because they know they only won't have to deploy, but they get more uniforms. tennis shoes and months of convalescent time.
This is the line that made me lose it. No, they don't pull women out of the recovery room and put them on the plane, but female soldiers who are moms also get deployed. Even single soldier moms. They deployed me.
More uniforms - which previously at least, we had to turn in. (I don't know if we get to keep the maternity ACUs.) Not to mention - NO ONE WANTS THESE UNIFORMS. No one wants to wear a BDU or ACU tent.
And I didn't get my tennis shoes. Who do I file a complaint with? To be fair, I think he means we get to wear tennis shoes, which many of us don't. The tennis shoes are supposed to help with swelling issues. I'll be honest - I had to sit on the floor to lace my boots, but I would have rather done that than worn tennis shoes with my uniform. But that's me.
Months of convalescent leave. I can only assume that he's referring to the APFT exemption, for which we get six months. Otherwise, the Army gives us 6 weeks. People can take more if they have it, and their command approves. As far as the APFT exemption, I'd like to see this guy gain 40 pounds, not run for six months, totally get his abs out of shape, and then have to get back into APFT shape. It's not a damn vacation, I promise you.
Don't get me wrong, to female soldiers who are married and are trying to build a family, God bless and best of luck.
To quote the movie Clue, "Too late." I took you wrong. I'm so glad we have your approval.
But the single females getting pregnant should be separated for destruction of government property, and breach of contract being unable to fulfill their obligation to the Army.
So, what about the cases where a female soldier was impregnated by a male soldier? Does he get charged too? Pregnancy takes two - it's not like we go to the store and pick up a pregnancy. Luckily, the Army disagrees with this person. Also, this comment reeks of "stupid girls should have kept their legs shut". Just what I want to hear out of my fellow NCOs.
I recently reclassed and while in AIT three soldiers got pregnant and laughed stating they won't have to go to war now.
So, let me get this straight. Some women made a flip remark, or maybe a joke, about not deploying. If they weren't joking, they're wrong. Soldier moms go to war too, so the joke will be on them in the end.
As long as the Army condones this, others will have to take up the slack of these so-called soldiers.
It's also another episode of one of my favorites - one woman's screwup is held against the rest of us. It's That Girl! You know her. She's the one who oopsed someone's buddy, or filed a false rape report to get even with a bad date, or got made because a guy held the door. She's the one who causes all the problems for the rest of us. Too bad she's made of straw.
So the question is, what should the Army do now? Stick to the policies and regulations that are in place for every soldier in the Army and make her deploy, or if she is in her first enlistment, give her a general discharge and a handshake and make her take responsibility for her actions.
If she can't get an FCP together, then yes, she should be separated. If she gets it together, then she deploys.
Anything else would be a disgrace.
No, the disgrace would be that these attitudes are still hanging around.
The writer is a SSG at Fort Carson.
So I am going to write the Times, along with this entry.
I'm a single mom, and a senior NCO, and tired of this attitude. I'm NOT a single mom by choice - I'm a single mom because my husband came home from his deployment and decided husband and father were two jobs he couldn't handle. So this guy would probably be "okay" with me. I don't give a damn, and I could care less about his approval.
DV
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...
Someone deserves a thorough cock-punching... *shakes head*
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I think there may be a line forming.
DV
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Oh yes.
DV
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It gets better. The letter is up now.
DV
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Link?
I seem to recall hating the pg uniform so why would I have wanted more?
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Edited to add the letter.
I had to turn mine in, although i got to keep my Girl Scout style Class B uniform.
I think the maternity ACUs are better, but still not something to get pregnant over.
DV
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God, I just want to strangle somebody....
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Thanks for confirming on the MACU issue.
I do hope they laughed, and I hope they print my response letter. (Now that I've poked fun at him here, I can write a letter that consists of more than "you're a sexist moron".)
Of course the guys are different, you know that! I can be damn sure he wouldn't charge a male soldier for "destruction of government property" under these circumstances.
DV
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I'm shocked they didn't include to get out of deployments and extra money. Geez.
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The extra money wasn't mentioned.
The letter's in there now, I was just pressed for time earlier.
DV
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The real disgrace to the Army is this asshole and clearly he doesn't pay attention in his EO refresher sessions and he could use a refresher on his consideration of others, as well.
What good are those uniforms to women once they have the baby? Not much. I knew a girl in the Navy who wore her maternity uniforms after she had her baby for a little bit until she lost more of her baby weight, but eventually she went back to the regular uniform and if she did get to keep the maternity uniforms, then I am sure they are collecting dust in her closet right now and taking up space she could use for something else.
And how is it "destruction of government property" when a single service member gets pregnant, but not a married one? It's not like pregnancy is different for single women than married women (besides the point that pregnancy is different for every woman, etc.). So what's with his little double standard? He's too afraid to let his sexism flag fly at full mast?
I know I am preaching to the choir here, but OMFG, I am seeing red.
You know, I knew just as many shitbags in the Army who were male. Scratch that, I knew more. (ETA: Not saying that all or even most male Soldiers are shitbags, of course.)
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I sent a toned-down version of my points, which I hope they print, with slightly less sarcasm.
I agree with
He's got the sexism flag at half-mast, but the moral judgement flag can't go any higher before it comes off the flagpole.
DV
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Would seem like a lot to go through for 4-5 months of uniforms.
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9 months of pregnancy and 18 years of child-raising is TOTALLY worth the uniforms. They're super stylish! See here for a picture of them: http://desert-vixen.livejournal.com/195640.html
Maybe 6 months - some people need to wear them when they first go back.
DV
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I know, I know.
I try to have some hope, though.
DV
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It's sent. If they don't print it, I'll share the letter.
DV
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Sometimes I think we could use a whole store full of those hammers....
DV
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The grandmother flaking out on her just doesn't make sense. She runs a day care, for Christ's sake.