Of Carriers and Clansmen

[Ripsnort]

I know many of you have strong feelings on the subject of President Bush's visit to the USS Abraham Lincoln, so I thought you might appreciate CDR McIntyre's letter to Senator Byrd.

 

"Senator Byrd, As a retired Naval Officer, with two Gulf carrier deployments under my belt, I find your criticism of President Bush's visit to the Lincoln offensive in the extreme! This is the first time that the Commander-in-Chief took time out of his busy wartime schedule to pay a visit to thank those who served in the line of fire, in way that was both dramatic and meaningful to those on the carrier. Perhaps if LBJ got off his fat bellybutton to do something similar, our troops' morale in Vietnam might not have been so low. As a Naval officer, I am extremely sensitive to styles of leadership. That is, after all, our stock in trade. And it was not lost on me that the President spent about thirty seconds shaking hands with the Admiral, CO, and CAG (If you don't know these abbreviations just look them up in your Funk & Wagnalls!). He
then spent the next forty-five minutes putting himself at the disposal of the people who make that ship work, the yellow shirts, the green shirts, the purple shirts, the chiefs, the sailors. If you don't know the significance of those colored shirts, look it up in your Blue Jacket's Manual. Not dressed out in formal uniform (I understand at Bush's request), but in their greasy, smelly, sweaty working uniforms...working a flight deck is hot, hard work. And yet he, in his flight suit, put himself at their disposal, this was their moment for 19 or 20 something year old kids a few years out of high school, to get a picture of themselves with the President of the United States, his arm draped around their shoulder.

That is a moment that those kids never dreamed would ever happen to them, maybe not even when they knew he was coming aboard. Surely, he would see the brass, not the troops. But it was the troops to whom he gave his time... and it was the most natural moment in the world. You might have thought it was a family reunion, and in a way, it was... Bush is one of them, the common man, and while he is still the most powerful man on the planet right now, he hasn't lost his touch for them.

Was it a political moment? What moment of a president's life is NOT a political moment? Was it grand standing, to come in to an OK pass to a 4 wire, a bit high in close, correcting, left of centerline? Well, hell,he didn't fly the approach anyway, though I understand from the pilots who flew him that he did a pretty good job at formation flying, tucked in close for a lead change. You can always tell a fighter pilot, you just can't tell him very much. And apparently after thirty years, it all comes back, with a little coaching, I am sure. Frankly, I would have liked to see him come aboard in an FA-18, but the Secret Service vetoed
that, and Bush accepted their judgment... again, a mark of a good leader.

If you had spent some time in the service, instead of hiding out with the women as a welder in a shipyard during WWII and later, the Klan, you might understand the significance of that moment to all the men and women aboard the Lincoln, and indeed to all the men and women in the service who shared that moment vicariously. But you chose the bedsheet instead of the uniform, and so you don't. I am half-tempted to move to West Virginia just so I could vote against you in your next election.
Lewis F. McIntyre CDR, USN (Ret)
(address and phone editted out by poster)

[Wanker]

You know what would've sent a stronger message to those crewmen and crewwomen who work like dogs on the flight deck all day? Save the money that was used for the trap landing, and instead give it to the crew as a bonus for a job well done.

Words of encouragement and thanks are nice and all, but when it comes to paying the bills....nothing says "Well done" like a big old bonus.

[Syzygyone]

Originally posted by banana
You know what would've sent a stronger message to those crewmen and crewwomen who work like dogs on the flight deck all day? Save the money that was used for the trap landing, and instead give it to the crew as a bonus for a job well done.

Words of encouragement and thanks are nice and all, but when it comes to paying the bills....nothing says "Well done" like a big old bonus.

banana, you have so aptly named yourself that I cannot come up with anything else to say about you other than "You banana!".

[AKIron]

Originally posted by banana
You know what would've sent a stronger message to those crewmen and crewwomen who work like dogs on the flight deck all day? Save the money that was used for the trap landing, and instead give it to the crew as a bonus for a job well done.

Words of encouragement and thanks are nice and all, but when it comes to paying the bills....nothing says "Well done" like a big old bonus.

Money is good, we all need it. However, many studies have concluded that what you say isn't true. People are more motivated by things other than money. Respect and recognition are more motivating than money.

[Ripsnort]

Originally posted by AKIron
Money is good, we all need it. However, many studies have concluded that what you say isn't true. People are more motivated by things other than money. Respect and recognition are more motivating than money.

Thats a fact, even our company survey done recently reflects this!

[Syzygyone]

Originally posted by Ripsnort
Thats a fact, even our company survey done recently reflects this!

Maslow identified the following need levels:

Self Actualization
Ego Needs
Social Needs
Security Needs
Body Needs

I'd say the Prez has done just a teeny bit more homework on motivating the troops than Mr. banana!

[Ripsnort]

Originally posted by Syzygyone
Maslow identified the following need levels:

Self Actualization
Ego Needs
Social Needs
Security Needs
Body Needs

I'd say the Prez has done just a teeny bit more homework on motivating the troops than Mr. banana!

The "Pyramid"

[OIO]

Well if money was the motivation for the crew to enlist with the navy...they sure chose the wrong career.

[Ripsnort]

Originally posted by OIO
Well if money was the motivation for the crew to enlist with the navy...they sure chose the wrong career.

LOL! Yeah, a 6-pack of Bud each probably would have been more inspiring, with a note "From the CIC, enjoy!"

[Erlkonig]

So...anyone wanna place bets as to when this shows up on Snopes?

[Syzygyone]

Originally posted by Erlkonig
So...anyone wanna place bets as to when this shows up on Snopes?

You mean he faked the carrier landing??????

[Ripsnort]

Originally posted by Erlkonig
So...anyone wanna place bets as to when this shows up on Snopes?

Here, check it out yourself

Lewis F. McIntyre CDR, USN (Ret)
14095 Burnt Store Rd Hughesville, MD 20637
301-274-0975

[Wanker]

So, you guys are saying that the money was better spent on the trap landing than on handing out bonuses to the crew?

I wasn't launching into some pyscho-bable about what motivates the men and women of our armed forces. I merely suggested that the money for the trap landing could've had a more direct positive influence in the form of a bonus for the crew.

[Ripsnort]

Originally posted by banana
I merely suggested that the money for the trap landing could've had a more direct positive influence in the form of a bonus for the crew.

And we're suggesting that psychology in theory suggests you may be wrong.

[OIO]

True banana, but put yourself in the shoes of the crew.

They are in the navy for a reason, and money sure as heck aint it. They've been deployed for months in a war zone and worked their arses off.

When they get home or 10 years after they retire, what do you think they'll enjoy more? A $200 bonus on their paycheck ("You know grandson, I once got a $200 paycheck bonus while I was in the navy!") or meeting the CIC (and you can imagine what they'll be telling their grandkids).

Hey Rip, thats not a bad idea man! submit it to the white house! A 6 pack for everyone deployed