The SandGram

Blogger Landmines

Guys,

I have been writing on and off for four years now and one of the things in the back of mind is “Will I get hammered for this?” There are opinions that I feel very strongly about and have put words to paper but after running them by my parents (who usually have the first chop on my posts) for a sanity check, I will delete or change some stuff around.  You have to worry about giving info to the enemy, comfort to the wacko left wing nut jobs or violating one of the six million rules in the Military on social media that have cropped up.

Why do I bring this up?  My friend C.J. Grisham, over at A Soldier’s Perspective, has been battling with the local PTA on their decision to implement school uniforms on the kids there in the middle of the school year.  You can read the problems on his website he has experienced with these banjo playing hicks down in Alabama, but the real problem is with what they did to him when he exposed their antics on his site.  They filed a complaint with his command about this highly decorated Senior Staff NCO which led to numerous allegations and investigations against C.J. and caused him to be removed from his job and placed in another “holding tank” position until he PCS’s to Fort Hood this Spring (by the way CJ, you will stop by for a beer, that’s an order! Ha!).

Something most folks don’t realize in the civilian world is that we live by a totally different set of rules in the Military.  What seems trivial to the average citizen can led to serious problems in the Military.  If Tiger Woods gets caught having an affair with another woman (Ops sorry, multiple women) or Joe Smuckatelly not as famous, gets caught, what happens to him legally? Well nothing but a good old fashion divorce and life goes on at his job etc.  In the Military for example, you would get hauled up on charges of Adultery, Conduct unbecoming of an Officer of SNCO/NCO/Marine and it can go to a court marshal.  Sound harsh? You betcha!  The Corps holds it’s guys to a higher standard then the other services and can be very harsh.  I remember a Marine Captain who had an affair with a young Enlisted Navy gal in the hospital at Cherry Point.  They put him on trial for Rape (which was later dropped to assault-he gave her herpes) Conduct unbecoming of an Officer, Fraternization and a couple other charges thrown in there.  It went to a general court marshal where they ended up putting him in jail at Fort Leavenworth for three years.  Can you imagine making politicians subscribe to the same justice system? Now do you understand why so many folks in the Military disliked the Clinton years? When nothing happens to the Commander in Chief of our troops for adultery, and yet you would lose your job or possibly face jail time, it makes you a bit pissed. Do as I say, not as I do.

Now in the case of C.J., the PTA took advantage of a “Boss” the U.S. Army, who holds the ultimate hammer of justice over the head of this Soldier and every other person in the service who starts up a blog and voices an opinion or the truth.  Your best source of information come from these websites as they write about their daily routines so that folks and family back home can keep up with them while the deployment slowly ticks by.  The Greyhawk’s run the “Mudville Gazette,” a great place to start off your day since they roundup all the new posts worth reading around the world for you in a daily update.  Just keep in mind that while on active duty, these brave men and women walk on a dangerous thin line with their jobs and careers by writing.  If you have a chance, please go to CJ’s website linked above and on the right side of my site and give him some much deserved support!  As a field grade officer, I wish that my Army peers could step back and realize the mistake they are making with this OUTSTANDING SNCO.  They are using a hammer over a senseless situation that a fly swatter would be better suited.  How about a proper “Go pound sand you hicks!” That would be better.

When I retire, I will relish that day so that I can speak my mind and not be restrained by the rules in place at this time.  I only wanted you as “Joe average Citizen” to understand the legal landmines we face in this new world of information where an email has the half life of an Atom and Facebook can get you investigated by the Secret Service or a battle documented on your website with the local PTA can get you fired from your job. Oh well, until that day in 2011 when I retire from the Corps, you will have to standby…

Semper Fi,

Taco

Tags: Afghanistan, Alabama PTA, Blogger, Censorship, CJ Grisham, Iraq, US Army