The Gun Counter

Hell, I thought it was a time-honored tradition for sailors to get a little bit unwound while on shore leave. If I'm reading the story right, he was on the beach, correct? Sowhatstheproblem?

Of course, you understand that I'm just an old Cavalry officer for whom getting snot-slinging drunk was considered a rite of passage.

It's a sad state of affairs what our military has become. Next thing you know, Air Force pilots won't be allowed to make beer-runs with cargo planes. I mean, c'mon. The desert is hot and the troops are dry.

PawPaw wrote:Sowhatstheproblem?

He made the navy look bad, therefore they'll hang him out to dry.

You'd think a two-star would know better than to get "snot-slinging drunk" (and I am SO stealing that Pawpaw) in a public place, and do things that would embarrass the Navy. The higher the rank the less you can get away with.

Solution: Bring back the O-clubs, do not let enlisted anywhere near them, and allow alcohol-induced shenanigans there.

JAG2955 wrote:Solution: Bring back the O-clubs, do not let enlisted anywhere near them, and allow alcohol-induced shenanigans there.

Very much, YES!!!! EM clubs, NCO clubs, and O-clubs. This all-ranks bullshit doesn't do anything to help, and costs money besides, because NOBODY, who can afford to go elsewhere, goes to them.

First Shirt wrote:

JAG2955 wrote:Solution: Bring back the O-clubs, do not let enlisted anywhere near them, and allow alcohol-induced shenanigans there.

Very much, YES!!!! EM clubs, NCO clubs, and O-clubs. This all-ranks bullshit doesn't do anything to help, and costs money besides, because NOBODY, who can afford to go elsewhere, goes to them.

You won't bring back the clubs until you get rid of zero tolerance for DUIs, and allow for vastly increased tolerance for drunken shenanigans, at least drunken shenanigans that don't involve civilians and/or reduce mission readiness.

That's what killed the military club system.

Oh, and closing off access to post/base was just beating an already dead horse. Because now there won't be any girls - except ones also wearing a uniform. And their presence means there won't be any strippers at the I-Bar (basement of the (former) O-club at Fort Benning. Was largely unused even when I was a new 2LT back in 1996, but you could use it for your own group events). Actually, I wouldn't doubt that the presence of women in the military in significant numbers (not just the Nurse Corps) wouldn't be the death knell for the clubs all on its own, since boys + girls + alcohol = trouble an awful lot of the time.

Actually, I wouldn't doubt that the presence of women in the military in significant numbers (not just the Nurse Corps) wouldn't be the death knell for the clubs all on its own, since boys + girls + alcohol = trouble an awful lot of the time.

In the run-up to Desert Storm, the services had pulled big numbers of hospital staff into the desert near KKMC, leaving Europe and many stateside hospitals short of staff. So, during the mobilization, they activated several hospital units as back-fill. Our reserve unit (The old 4013th USAG) was a garrison unit with the capabilities to process troops, so we were tasked with the mission of bringing the reservists/guard up to speed administratively, making sure pay was started and personnel actions completed.

Anyway, several of the units they sent us were reserve medical units and we processed them at Fort Polk. These units had plenty of nurses, in the 02-03 grades and they were billeted directly across the street from the officer's club. We also had plenty of reserve ash-and-trash units coming through, so we compelled the O-club to open more nights per week, and we set up happy hours. IN the space of about three weeks, the O-club was a hopping joint, with lots of women. I'm sure that big numbers of them were married, but they were away from home, about to deploy, and feeling their oats, just like the men.

That place was a target-rich environment with a don't-ask-don't-tell mentality. If you couldn't get laid in there, you were a eunuch.