I have two bosses. In fact, I have two entirely separate chains of command; one Navy, one Army. The Army chain, most immediately led by the venerable Major X, has been the most influential thus far – they write my FITREP and my tour award but most importantly, they rule by proximity; I sleep here, work here and eat here. They are the proverbial “alligator closest to the canoe,” or more aptly “hands closest to my throat.” The Navy chain of command has thus far been of very little help or usefulness, the only thing they could provide would be to step in on my behalf, should I choose to tattle-tale on Major X for some perceived mistreatment – but one need look no further than my previous blogs (or previous sentence) to uncover ample reasons why tattling on the X-Man is not an attractive option.
Recently however, the balance of power has shifted slightly, in what seems to be no more than a petty inter-service rivalry that pits yours-truly in the middle of opposing forces of evil and evil. The one thing that the Navy side of the house has ultimate control over is my “tasking.” Meaning, they have the power to yank me from this unit at any moment and assign me to another one, or worse, assign me to Headquarters where I can valorously finish my deployment making coffee and powerpoint presentations, in the end, making me wish I had ate the Hadj food and subsequently shit myself to death.
The cause of this sudden tumult of my otherwise peaceful (relatively speaking of course) existence is not entirely understood by me or any of my immediate supervisors, but the gist is as follows:
NAVY: We told you to prepare for the departure of your EWO, and you failed to so. So, prepare for the departure of your EWO.
ARMY: Why should we prepare for the EWO’s departure, when the EWO is still here? Is the EWO, in fact, departing?
NAVY: I am not at liberty to say, but you must make preparations.
This exact flavor of bickering pops up every two months or so, in which the Navy proclaims that they are getting out of the EWO business, and that the Army needs to settle its affairs. The Navy seems to have put very little thought into when it is actually retiring from the EWO game, or in what manner it will employ the individuals currently serving as EWO - although, it should be noted, they specifically stated that we would not be getting sent home.
So with the dream of being home for Christmas preemptively shattered, the alternatives to this FOB, where I have made many friends, have my own room, and have fine-tuned my program to a such a degree that maintaining it requires minimum effort (and maximum Battlestar Galactica time), do not seem appealing. I can go to another unit, make new friends, inherit a potentially much fucked up program, and roll the bones on accommodations; or I can be relegated to the horrible world that is the Victory Base Complex, where I can see to the aforementioned coffee. So as guilty as I feel by saying it, especially today, on the 233rd birthday of the noble sea-going service, I am on team Army on this one – and will do all in my power (which is not much) to keep from being relocated.
My personal preferences aside, no one can seem to offer any rational explanation on why I would be pulled from a unit, so close to the end of their deployment and mine, other than “well, we told them to prepare.”
It seems to me that the best thing for this Battalion (obviously), is that I stay – I am the morale officer for Christ’s sake! Therefore, the best thing for the war effort is for me to stay. There-fooooooore, it is my duty as a patriot and as an officer to sabotage any attempt to remove me from my post. God Bless America – and happy birthday Navy!
Quote of the Day:
MAJ X: I don’t give a fuck what his hair looks like, he’s in the Navy.
4 comments:
Aug,
Screw this stuff. You are not focusing on the important themes of the day. Financial chaos? no Obama? no McCain? no Palin (giggitygiggitygiggity - alright!) no.
There's an older gentlemen in Central Pennsylvania that needs your attention. Joseph F~ing Vincent F~ing Paterno F~ing Jr.
He's gotta bum hip, but he needs you to focus Augmen-tah.
FOCUS!
Go Navy - beat Army!
Do like Monty Brewster
VOTE NON OF THE ABOVE!!!!
It is so typical of the Navy Chain to jerk you around. In the early days the Navy would screw us over left and right, like fly us to Iraq in a C-130. The Army on the other hand was totally clueless, so we could do whatever we felt was required and they would actually help some.
The Navy is trying to force the Army into creating their own EWOs, but it they do then what will the Navy do. VBC is horrible and should be avoided at all costs. The jerking will last as long as your chain allows it. There is no good reason to shift people around, but they do it anyway to make themselves feel better.
Worse case, if they force you to move then enjoy exploring a new base and its local flavor (just not the goat). Most places aren't too bad at the BN level, but some are nicer than others. Certain places have movie theaters and swimming pools. You never know what you are going to find. Just hope it isn't one between a garbage dumb and a seware treatment plant where they burn crap 24/7.
Good luck and hang on it is almost over and you won't be going back.
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