Going sinker for a day:
On Wednesday 16 December 2009, many milblogs — including This Ain’t Hell, From My Position, Blackfive, Miss Ladybug, Boston Maggie, Grim’s Hall, and those participating in the Wednesday Hero program — are going silent for the day. Some are choosing to go silent for a longer period of time.
The reason for this is two-fold. First, milblogs are facing an increasingly hostile environment from within the military. While senior leadership has embraced blogging and social media, many field grade officers and senior NCOs do not embrace the concept. From general apathy in not wanting to deal with the issue to outright hositility to it, many commands are not only failing to support such activities, but are aggressively acting against active duty milbloggers, milspouses, and others. The number of such incidents appears to be growing, with milbloggers receiving reprimands, verbal and written, not only for their activities but those of spouses and supporters.
The catalyst has been the treatment of milblogger C.J. Grisham of A Soldier’s Perspective. C.J. has earned accolades and respect, from the White House on down for his honest, and sometimes blunt, discussion of issues — particularly PTSD. In the last few months, C.J. has seen an issue with a local school taken to his command who failed to back him, and has even seen his effort to deal with PTSD, and lead his men in same by example, used against him as a part of this. Ultimately, C.J. has had to sell his blog to help raise funds for his defense in this matter.
An excellent story on the situation with C.J. can be found at Military Times:
While there have been new developments, the core problem remains, and C.J. is having to raise funds to cover legal expenses to protect both his good name and his career.
One need only look at the number of blogs by active duty military in combat zones and compare it to just a few years ago to see the chilling effect that is taking place.
Milblogs have been a vital link in getting accurate news and information about the military, and military operations, to the public. They have provided vital context and analysis on issues critical to operations and to the informed electorate critical to the Republic.
On Wednesday 16 December, readers will have the chance to imagine a world without milblogs, and to do something about it. Those participating are urging their readers to contact their elected representatives in Congress, and to let their opinions be known to them and to other leaders in Washington.
Some milblogs will remain silent for several days; some just for the day. All have agreed to keep the post about the silence and C.J. at the top of their blogs until Friday 18 December.
The issues go beyond C.J., and deserve careful consideration and discussion. We hope that you will cover this event, and explore the issues that lie at the heart of the matter. Contact the milbloggers in your area or that you know, and hear the story that lies within.
Participating blogs:
A Soldier’s Perspective
You Served
Bouhammer
The American Legion
Laughing Wolf
Hugh Hewitt
This Ain’t Hell
Castle Argghhh
Boston Maggie
Blackfive
Miss Ladybug
Hooah Wife
Kiss My Gumbo
Some Soldiers Mom
Assoluta Tranquillita
Knee Deep in the Hooah
Soldiers’ Angel New York
Drunken Wisdom
Grim’s Hall
From my position
CDR Salamander
Confederate Yankee
Chromed Curses
Homefront Six
Pvt Murphey’s Law
Delta Bravo Sierra
The Sniper
Another Voice
Support your Local Gunfighter
Knottie’ s Niche
Great Reader JihadGene
America’s North Shore Journal
Righty in a Lefty State
Thunder Run
Gazing at the Flag
Neptunus Lex
Soldiers Angels Germany
Bring the heat, bring the stupid
Little Drops….. Into the pool of life.
The Gun Line
Thirdwavedave
In Iraq Now (at 56)
Milblogging.com
Army Houesehold6
Susan Katz Keating
The Mudville Gazette
The Dawn PatrolCovering the story:
Instapundit
Michelle Malkin
National Review’s The Corner
Ace of Spades
Jawa Report
Winds of Change
Cao’s Blog
Free Republic
Dr. Melissa Clouthier
Villainous Company
The Washington IndependentGrisham Legal Fund
c/o Redstone Federal Credit Union
220 Wynn Drive
Huntsville, AL 35893
Please write “Grisham Legal Fund” in the memo line if you use this option.Milblogs have been a vital link in getting accurate news and information about the military, and military operations, to you. Today, many milblogs are gone and others are under attack from within and without. Today, you have the chance to imagine a world without milblogs, and to do something about it. Make your voice heard by writing your congressional representatives and others, and by making donations as you see fit.
The battle for freedom of speech and the marketplace of ideas is fought on many fronts and in many ways. Without your help, the battle may well be lost.
I’ll send CJ a small token contribution that in no way can represent the value I see in this and the other similar forums. Facing bankruptcy as a very real possibility in 2010 hinders my ability to contribute at the level I would like to.
It is, a hell of a world we live in and not one I’d thought I’d ever see just a few short years ago. I retain a fundamental faith in the American people even as I have lost all respect for those who do our bidding in Washington and elsewhere.
My hope is, that in the winter of 2010, individuals will, meeting in homes and taverns both physically real and virtual unite to rise up and, rekindled by the spirit that has led this nation through many previous times of turmoil, will take action through the ballot box and, if necessary, by taking to the streets, to return this nation on the path that created the shining city on the hill as a beacon for freedom and opportunity for individuals across the globe.
Such sentiments get mocked in the media and by those who insist such rantings as the naive dreams of “tea baggers” and other such slurs. I hope that, should anyone ever dare to say so to my face, I will find the strength to demonstrate just how little they know about how passionate I feel about how foolish an act such demonstrated contempt will be.
As the Col said years ago: “Son, one day you’ll wake up and realize you’re fighting for and defending other peoples’ freedoms, when you don’t enjoy some of the same”.
A good time to mend some ‘items’…a good day for a Rope Yarn.
Thanks, Lex.
Commanders are hostile to milbloggers for the same reason (or one of them, at least) that they love the all-volunteer service: It insulates them from outside criticism by unsympathetic eyes. One of the little commented upon facts (outside academic circles, that is) is that one of the virtues of a draftee force is that it exposed hide-bound practices to unsympathetic eyes who, free of the cant, hiprocracy and the desire for promotion, felt more than free to “tell it like it is.”
Moreover, many of these unsympathetic eyes in the enlisted ranks came from a social and educational strata that is largely absent from the all-volunteer force–the college educated middle class. Of course the very irreverence towards all things military by much of this cohort tended to run against “good order and discipline” and, as such, is /was a pain in the neck for commanders–officers and NCOs alike.
(The other side of the “fresh eyes” coin, if you will.) But OTOH it leavened the enlisted ranks by sprinkling it with individuals that often provided highly flexible “outside the box” thinking so often needed on the battlefield at least as often as they created disciplinary problems. (the old double-edged sword conundrum.)
Today’s milbloggers, (whether enlisted or officer) in a way, seem to me to play the same role of “critical eyes” as did the draftees of yore. And are resented/resisted by command authority for much the same reasons. My Father once told me he never forgot the summers he spent working at an ice-cream plant in HS during the depression. “All the good ideas about improving the production facilities, etc., came from the workers on the floor who had to deal with the minutia on a daily basis–not from management,” he said.
Command authority should take the longer and larger view, and consider the milbloggers a precious source of intel–or of critical internal feedback–not as propaganda from “the enemy.”
But unfortunately the more reflexive “circle the wagons” mentality which seeks to keep “embarrassing” or “inconvenient” facts and/or dissent/criticism of any kind–no matter how constructive–from bubbling up from “prying,” “unauthorized” eyes seems to be prevailing in certain commands.
More’s the pity….
Virg…. which was one of the points I alluded too (alluded because I can’t seem to carry a coherent thought when I’m hyped on caffeine) a couple weeks back. I believe the military is SO hierarchical that N.I.H. (Not Invented Here) is the motto. The rank system trains to be dictators, not managers. The military has a hard job and some ‘dictatorship’ type behavior is required for the mission, and there will be occasions where the current firefight is stupid for mission purposes (a distraction or feint for the overall battle even if the current one achieves no other purpose than to draw the enemy’s attention).
OTOH, that trained “obey orders without question/comment/suggestion… there are chains of command and I say when you can suggest/comment!” is (was, it has been a looooong time) the attitude of the day. Comments/ suggestions/ questioning (irrational?) orders were taken as an affront to good order and discipline. Requesting clarification of such were grounds for disciplinary action and career killing. And there was ALWAYS someone of higher rank willing to “pull rank” for no other reason than “I have it. You don’t.”
All that to say X2. Your “Command authority should take the longer and larger view..” statement MUST BE driven down from the top because of NIH. Unfortunately, by the time one gets to the top to implement something like that, they have become such a part of the culture/mentality, the political fallout from making that kind of change becomes almost impossible. (Example: Adm. Zumwalt changing the navy culture in the 70′s. He tried to change the environment. What it did was cause the entrenched establishment to pull passive resistance and attempt sabotage on the change, some by carrying ideas to extreme (reductio ad absurdum) Some good did fall out of the culture change though (better living conditions on (some) ships) )
Well, Joe, it’s a problem that will never be truly “solved” to everyone’s satisfaction, but is one that certainly needs be constantly “worked” as the warp & woof of technological and societal changes
variously affects the entire command structure of the services over time…a long-haul deal of constant adjustments–sort of like constantly trimming an aircraft to make minor adjustments so that major oscillations don’t get out of hand and force drastic corrective action taken…
Admiral Zumwalt certainly did change Navy culture. By his tolerance of mutiny aboard USS Constellation, he did more damage to the US Navy than any individual since Yamamoto.
Based on my experience as an IA (My Navy Appreciation Tour Iraq, APR06-APR07), I was amazed that the Army beat Germany in WWII.
I suspect the large percentage of draftees played a significant role.
I remeber that there was a Soviet General who said that no one would ever defeat the US Army in war, as war is a state of chaos, and chaos is the US Army’s base state, so they have the home field advantage.
[...] As Lex says, “The battle for freedom of speech and the marketplace of ideas is fought on many fronts and in many ways. Without your help, the battle may well be lost.” [...]
We talk about the clear need to empower decision-making to the lowest level, to ensure that our troops are able to take responsible and credible action when disconnected from networked command and information, to pick up the ball and run with it BUT continue to treat them like retarded children in our approach to modern information technologies and cultures.
You can make as many rules and regulations as you like but the simple fact is that, for over a decade now, you simply can not prevent net access nor control what people throw out there. What you can do though is a. provide training and education on risks involved to OPSEC etc by incautious vents and deliberate rants, b. ensure that the mechanisms for change and organisational learning are in place, do work and are not hindered by hierarchal ‘massaging’, c. develop and implement mechanisms for swift DAMCON when damaging information is released, and d. make sure that your commanders and staffers understand this.
Wouldn’t change or challenge a syllable of your post, SJOPNeill.
Sorry
“SJPO”
It’s OK, we know you graduated from LSU.
“We go to school to break the rule and flunk the damn exam-to Hell with Mississippi, to Hell with Tulane too. .. And if you don’t like the Tigers, to Hell to Hell with you!
Actually I left off the 1st sentence: “Oh we’re a helluva crew from LSU and we don’t give a damn…”
(Proving, I guess that I really AM an LSU graduate:) )
[...] Neptunus Lex is making a stand today and so are a number of other Blogs, including this one…you read all about it over at Lexville but the issue is simply one of management of modern information technologies and, what is now considered contemporary, information and communication cultures. [...]
Ah, yes, Virgil. Maj. Unger bragged that he had the best company clerks in the Army, because Sgt. Tagge (sp?) would pick out nice Jewish draftee boys, with English degrees from CCNY or Columbia, and, in the Sergeant’s words, “terrorize them.” Both sides of the question in one episode, so to speak: skilled outsider, and Old Army Mean Sergeant.
[...] America’s North Shore Journal Righty in a Lefty State Thunder Run Gazing at the Flag Neptunus Lex Soldiers Angels Germany Bring the heat, bring the stupid Little Drops….. Into the pool of [...]
[...] America’s North Shore Journal Righty in a Lefty State Thunder Run Gazing at the Flag Neptunus Lex Soldiers Angels Germany Bring the heat, bring the stupid Little Drops….. Into the pool of [...]
[...] JihadGene America’s North Shore Journal Righty in a Lefty State Thunder Run Gazing at the Flag Neptunus Lex Soldiers Angels Germany Bring the heat, bring the stupid Little Drops….. Into the pool of life. [...]
Lex, I know CJ is thrilled with what y’all are doing. He’s getting the attention through the silence that he never got through all the blogs that were written about it for the last few months. I so appreciate everyone standing with him on this. He and Emily are good people.
So let me get this straight: milbloggers are miffed that the brass are shutting down milblogs, so to get back at The Man the bloggers are stopping blogging?
Humble: “Today, you have the chance to imagine a world without milblogs, and to do something about it. Make your voice heard by writing your congressional representatives and others, and by making donations as you see fit.”
I don’t know. Back before the widespread use of the internet, military members and their spouses were ‘silenced’ on a regular basis (told not to speak with the press, ect). No one would assert they had the right to publicly disparage the chain of command via some world-wide media outlet, and particularly not the Commander-in-Chief.
Milblogs provide a valuable service, but I don’t think it’s accurate to draw the line only at OPSec risk. If the blogging undermines command it undermines the authority that those military members have sworn to obey. Just sayin’. I’m not familiar with this person and I’m sure his perspective is valuable. But criticizing command crosses the line…and there have been plenty of disgruntled stop-lossed individuals during the first few years of the second Gulf War whose careers suffered for it. Remember this guy: http://cbftw.blogspot.com/2004/08/army-bloggers-tales-attract-censors.html ? Among others….
Just stepping outside and looking at it critically, would this even wash in the civilian world? Could an employee of Microsoft publicly disparage his employers as inept and expect it not to effect his job in any way?
Liz, a bit slippery to try and have a direct comparison with military vs civilian, at least on some matters.
How many MS people are betting their lives, literally, that their boss (or Command Structure) is correct?
I’m not sure what the answer is, though the dictum of “do not look behind the curtain” is not one of them.
Would be helpful if you became familiar with “this person” and the blurred lines between his actions in the civilian world versus the military world.
Fortunately no one criticized the “command structure” leading up to the recent Ft. Hood events. Not crossing the line and all.
Respectfully,
You’re exactly right, it is slippery to try and compare the two. The military’s structure is actually LESS TOLERANT, by design, than the civilian. Loose lips sink ships and all that. I do know (military) people who had their careers ruined over this matter. My opinion was always, “Well, what were you thinking?”
I do remember when my husband went off to war in the 90s…I was told absolutely to keep my mouth shut when the journalists came probing for information. Even spouses can effect careers. I would like to read this guy’s opinions, I’m sure he must be amazing to get this following…but the time to speak against your boss’s policies is upon resigning or retirement.
CJ didn’t speak against his boss or the chain. he was attending a school board meeting, speaking out against an action that affected his children.
the scum at the school board attacked him thought his chain, and the chain, rather than either a, investigate the situation themselves to see what was going on, or b. tell them to keep their sillyvillian crap off base where it belonged, came down on CJ.
Thanks for the illumination, red. I didn’t know what happened. i agree that’s complete crap.
I only read something about him questioning the president’s ability to lead. Nothing to do with the school board should effect his career at all. We actually had a situation recently where they were going to shut down the base middle school…scores of military members showed up at the school board, many in uniform, protesting the closure.
[...] America’s North Shore Journal Righty in a Lefty State Thunder Run Gazing at the Flag Neptunus Lex Soldiers Angels Germany Bring the heat, bring the stupid Little Drops….. Into the pool of [...]
[...] America’s North Shore Journal Righty in a Lefty State Thunder Run Gazing at the Flag Neptunus Lex Soldiers Angels Germany Bring the heat, bring the stupid Little Drops….. Into the pool of life. [...]