THE NEW HELL ON EARTH

I joined the service in 79. It was the end of the post-Vietnam collapse. We were starting the rebound at about that time. I joined a Navy that didn't really suffer the outrageous misfortunes the Army and Marines were subject to but the Navy of the early and mid-70s was such that as a midshipman on my first class cruise on USS Connole, I was told not to investigate too deeply the strange smells coming out of various dark places nor visit the fantail after dark. Of course, that was the cruise wehre the CO called us up on the Bridge and asked us to send a Master-at-Arms to the fan room that supplied his at-sea cabin with air and arrest the idiot smoking dope after midnight.
We are back at what passes for peace now. That means that all the dolts, idiots, morons and dismal shower of shit are once again given full free rein over the Forces. It will show in the recruiting, basic training, assignments, and promotions. We will once again promote the kind of imbecile that led the war in Yugoslavia and tried to bring about the 3rd World War early by shooting at some unwanted Russians he didn't like. Fortunately, the British commander declined the honor.

I'm trying to picture the new DI's at the various Boot Camps trying to indoctrinate the current generation into the mystique of actual warfare and killing on demand. It was probably easy with the guys training the recruits to kill taliban after 9/11 but that was a lifetime ago.

Sadly, the War will be on us far sooner than we expect.