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Letters

No screaming required

In a recent Associated Press article about nicer drill sergeants correlating to high graduation rates, Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness David Chu says yelling is satisfying to the yeller, but not the best way to train soldiers.

Having served as a drill sergeant for three years at Fort Benning, Ga., I can testify that yelling is in no way satisfying.

No manual or instruction I ever received told me that, in order to be an effective leader, I had to yell.

There is no class at Drill Sergeant School that teaches you how to yell.

Today’s drill sergeants wear many hats and truly make a positive difference in our soldiers.

The role of drill sergeants and noncommissioned officers is, and always will be, to train and lead our soldiers. Yelling is not required.

I think it’s time to give the noncommissioned officer corps a little more credit.

Stereotypes like the loudmouthed drill sergeant do not help. Defense Department officials perpetuating this is insulting.

NCOs are the key in training and leading our Army. Let’s not forget that.

1st Sgt. Brian Disque

Fort Polk, La.

Recognize retirees

The Army Times Soldier of the Year is a wonderful idea.

I have long wondered why retirees get little or no attention. We serve, fight our war(s), retire and are immediately forgotten.

Suggestion: Why not have a Retired Soldier of the Year?

Air Force Capt. John W. Johnson (ret.)

Walldurn-Glashofen, Germany

Guard not state militia

After reading “Guard association vows fight against call-up clause” [Oct. 16], being ex-Air Force, I will be more than happy to give retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Stephen M. Koper a short history lesson.

He’s upset about the 2007 defense bill giving the president authority to call up the National Guard without consulting governors and that the troops would be used to restore order and enforce the law. He said that these provisions “fly in the face of the whole militia concept.”

The National Guard is not the militia.

The National Guard was formed by the Dick Act of 1903, which organized all state militia units at the time into regiments and companies of the National Guard.

Guard units are federally equipped, federally trained, federally paid, part-time federal troops until called up. Then they become full-time federal troops paid by Washington, D.C. — not the states.

I am in the militia, a volunteer citizen-soldier and go by the Militia Act of 1792. We are self-supplied, self-trained (although most of us are veterans), self-equipped volunteers who receive no pay and stay in our own states.

We have a gentleman’s agreement here in Virginia with the National Guard. We (the militia) don’t call ourselves the National Guard and National Guard members do not call themselves militia.

Maj. Donald R. Doyle

Vinton, Va.

No ROTC strategy in NYC

While serving as an Army Medical Department recruiter in New York City, I realized the Army is its own worst enemy in attracting talented minorities into its officer corps.

Other than a token presence at historically black colleges, the Army lacks an effective strategy to get its message out on the campuses that most minority students attend.

• The City University of New York system, with more than 450,000 students, confers nearly 3 percent of all bachelor’s degrees awarded to African-Americans. Former Secretary of State and retired Gen. Colin Powell is a CUNY ROTC product. Why is there no longer an ROTC presence in this diverse system that contains academic jewels like Hunter, Brooklyn, Queens and City colleges?

• There is no ROTC presence in Brooklyn, home to a population about the size of Mississippi. Two of the top five ZIP codes for Army enlistments in 2005 were in Brooklyn, yet no commissioning opportunity exists. Could one imagine no ROTC units in Mississippi, a state with much lower per capita college attendance?

• Thousands of talented minority youth are enrolled in Junior ROTC in the urban Northeast. Few enroll in college ROTC. This is because the only remaining ROTC units are housed at private colleges geographically and psychologically separated from those with large minority enrollments.

• The allocation of ROTC recruiting assets in urban areas is insufficient to serve the large population assigned. Three recruiting officers are expected to canvass the more than 100 colleges and 13 million people in New York City, Long Island and Westchester County. Compare this with the 10 recruiters assigned for 4.5 million Alabamans or five for 2.5 million Mississippians.

• There is no incentive for ROTC units to overproduce new lieutenants. Consequently, the few ROTC units in places such as New York City look like the mostly white colleges that host them instead of the diverse local college population.

If the Army is serious about recruiting minority officers, it must start by allocating ROTC resources to the urban Northeast in the same proportion it does in the South.

The net result would more minority officers — especially those with much-needed heritage language skills. Our Army needs this talent more than ever.

Capt. Stephen K. Trynosky

Washington

Why mention race?

The Back Talk column “Many pigments, one purpose: Soldiers come in an array of packages” [Oct. 23] by Maj. Jay Adams sought to emphasize the diversity of the Army.

Initially it seemed that this was to be a piece about overcoming prejudices to which he says he had once been “a prisoner.”

He proceeds to list a who’s who of minorities with whom he has served, claiming that he was “too caught up in their abilities to really notice gender or race or heritage.”

Yet for each of those outstanding noncommissioned officers and officers he mentions, the writer takes great pains to explicitly specify the race, gender and/or ethnic background of those individuals.

Sgt. Jonathan Harvey

Washington

Tillman column elicits criticism, sympathy

Had he not died in 2004 by friendly fire in Afghanistan, Spc. Pat Tillman — pro football player turned Ranger — would have celebrated a birthday Nov. 6.

His brother Kevin, who enlisted alongside Pat, critiqued the war in Iraq in “After Pat’s birthday” [Back Talk, Nov. 6].

Several readers responded to that column. Here’s a sampling:

I was disappointed to read Kevin Tillman’s rant and in the decision of Army Times to publish it.

I firmly believe in the First Amendment and Tillman’s right to freedom of expression, but his column was full of bitterness and baseless accusations.

That is not the American way to solve issues, nor is it typical of a soldier, a Ranger or anyone else who is interested in making our nation stronger.

My heart goes out to the soul of Pat Tillman and his family. I, too, have endured similar tragedy and loss, but there is a right way to express your feelings — for or against — the global war on terrorism.

Kevin Tillman has got a lot to learn.

Maj. David S. Flynn

Forward Operating Base Warrior, Iraq

Kevin Tillman has “been there, done that” and speaks the truth.

Sgt. 1st Class Arnold Amirault (ret.)

South Easton, Mass.

I have never lost a loved one in war. It must be heart-rending.

I have a son serving with the 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq. I would be devastated should my son lose his life while serving his country.

But as devastating as it would be, I would never lose sight of the fact he was doing what he wanted to do — being a soldier — and protecting his country.

Joe Vergo, father of an 82nd Airborne Division soldier

North Tonawanda, N.Y.

I am more than a little disappointed that Army Times dedicated a page to Kevin Tillman’s rambling tirade against the Bush administration.

Among his illogical assertions is that President Bush tolerates the deaths of hundreds, even thousands of innocent people. Tillman excludes from his statistical analysis the hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis who were tortured and murdered during Saddam Hussein’s tyrannical reign.

I have no doubt that decades from now, my grandkids will look back on this perilous time and credit the Bush administration for tackling terrorism head on.

Certainly even Kevin would agree that his brother’s death, while tragic and extremely unfortunate, was not in vain.

While we honor Pat Tillman’s birthday again this year, my wish for Kevin Tillman is that he will overcome his blind hatred of this administration and turn to more productive ways of venting his frustration.

Capt. John Kiel Jr.

West Point, N.Y.

Although I do not agree with Kevin Tillman’s position on the war in Iraq, it is his right to have and voice one.

However, I do feel like the only reason anyone is hearing it is because of who his brother was. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against Pat Tillman, but if he had not been a professional athlete-turned-soldier, would Kevin Tillman’s article even be printed?

It’s a shame that of all the fallen in this war, the superstar athlete who gave up millions to become a Ranger gets so much attention.

How come no one is writing an article about 1st Sgt. Ed Smith? Did I hear someone say “who?” He was only one of the hardest, toughest, strongest Marines that died for his country in this war. Wait a minute, that’s right: Ed’s not a famous football player; he was only a friend of mine. That story is not going to sell papers or get folks to watch TV.

Master Sgt. Scott McCloud

Twentynine Palms, Calif.

I’m sorry Kevin Tillman lost his brother. I’m sorry America lost a patriot in losing Pat Tillman, no matter the reason.

No matter what Kevin Tillman thinks, Pat Tillman did what he knew he had to do and accepted the consequences, and their conversations are of no consequence.

Kevin should remember that these patriots volunteered and honor their choice.

Lida Raimondi, military wife

Phoenix

Although I am sorry for the loss of Kevin Tillman’s brother, I don’t feel that the media should put his voice on a loudspeaker.

To me, Spc. Pat Tillman was a soldier, no different than any other soldier killed or wounded in either of the current conflicts. He chose to be a soldier, fully understanding the possibilities of going to war and fighting for his country.

The media have used Pat Tillman’s fame to exploit their views on the current wars.

What about all the other soldiers killed and wounded? They will forever be in the hearts of their families, friends, fellow soldiers and their fellow Americans.

Sgt. Anthony Hennes

Little Falls, Minn.

Bravo to Kevin Tillman’s powerful indictment of the invasion of Iraq and our so-called leaders responsible for it.

Tillman makes several cogent points, not the least being the folly of misusing the patriotism and bravery of our military in politically motivated misadventures.

I am deeply concerned about the longer-term ramifications of these invasions on the health of our Constitution, and Tillman’s ultimate optimism inspires me.

William DiNome, civilian

Wilmington, N.C.

It’s wonderful that Pat Tillman’s brother has the guts to speak the truth.

Mark Vallone, civilian

Epping, N.H.

I have little to say, but a lot to think about after reading Kevin Tillman’s Back Talk column.

All the support by the citizens of this great country is better than the alternative: millions of people wasting their energy diminishing our service.

We have millions of Americans supporting us, even if it is something as small as a faded yellow magnet on a car or 6-year-olds coloring pictures for us. Everything they do to support our troops gives us a little reminder that they have not forsaken us.

This first decade of the new millennium isn’t just about Iraq. It’s about what we’ve done in Afghanistan, the Gulf region after Hurricane Katrina, fighting forest fires across America and providing countless amounts of humanitarian aid across the world. We have many things to be proud of.

That’s why after Pat’s birthday, I will continue to take action, something I’ve done for the past 11 years.

I will never stop serving the people of this nation that I call home.

Sgt. Robert W. Stickney

Pierre, S.D.