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It's important to understand that there is no such thing as a binding "doctor's note" in the military. You may have an allergy to the charcoal filters (...or y

It's important to understand that there is no such thing as a binding "doctor's note" in the military. You may have an allergy to the charcoal filters (...or you may have a sprained ankle...or the flu...) and your doctor can write a note for you but this is just a recommendation from the doctor to the commander. Ultimately, it is entirely up to your commander whether you will be excused from duty, excused from using the filter, etc. A commander holds immense power in the U.S. military and there is good historical reason for this but that's out of scope for my comment. This is what Capt. Wilson ran up against. Ultimately, he can either choose to obey his commander or he can resign his commission and leave the military. That said, as a military officer myself, I am disgusted with the words that this article claims were used on his evaluation report. Sarcasm has no place in an evaluation and to use language like that is unprofessional. He should fight that evaluation and it sounds like he is. Still, there are better ways to fight the system than to go on "60 Minutes" in your uniform. There are professional journals for the various military occupations where such a complaint might be raised without going straight to national news. When you pull that big of a fire alarm, you really have to be prepared to toss your career down the drain because it's a strong possibility.

ww520 12y ago
Can you transfer to another unit under a different commander? Or you are forever tainted as the "trouble maker" and unwelcomed everywhere? He's in a hard place for doing the right thing.
- Nrsolis 12y ago
  The military (in particular the US military) is not set up to accommodate the job satisfaction you might expect in a civilian job. If you somehow find yourself under a bad leader (and lots of soldiers/sailors/marines/airmen do) then you basically just ride it out until that person either rotates out to a new duty station or you do. Generally speaking though, the quality of leadership in the military is higher than it is in the civilian world. Most officers are basically middle-management and I was blessed by some really outstanding company commanders while I was in. That said, there are no guarantees of that and if you find yourself in a bad command, you have few options as an officer (besides resigning your commission) and fewer as an enlisted guy. If there is any upside to this, it's that good commanders will earn the loyalty and respect of their people and those people will literally give their lives to the mission for him. Bad commanders don't get that kind of honor and as such their mission readiness and reputation often suffers.
fnordfnordfnord 12y ago
>Still, there are better ways to fight the system than to go on "60 Minutes" in your uniform. There probably aren't. > There are professional journals for the various military occupations where such a complaint might be raised without going straight to national news. These problems are ongoing for several years now. They have been covered widely in the armed forces media, the national media, and the international media. Wilson did not just 'go straight to national news.' >When you pull that big of a fire alarm, you really have to be prepared to toss your career down the drain because it's a strong possibility. While true in practical terms, that's not something to be proud of; and not a defense of the Air Force's handling of the matter. The F22 program has eaten bigger careers[1] than Wilson's, and looks like it will keep doing so until morale improves. What a way to run an army. [1] http://www.janes.com/article/31243/ousted-usaf-chief-continues-controversial-fight-for-f-22-production http://www.janes.com/article/31243/ousted-usaf-chief-continu...

ww520 12y ago

Can you transfer to another unit under a different commander? Or you are forever tainted as the "trouble maker" and unwelcomed everywhere? He's in a hard place for doing the right thing.

Nrsolis 12y ago
The military (in particular the US military) is not set up to accommodate the job satisfaction you might expect in a civilian job. If you somehow find yourself under a bad leader (and lots of soldiers/sailors/marines/airmen do) then you basically just ride it out until that person either rotates out to a new duty station or you do. Generally speaking though, the quality of leadership in the military is higher than it is in the civilian world. Most officers are basically middle-management and I was blessed by some really outstanding company commanders while I was in. That said, there are no guarantees of that and if you find yourself in a bad command, you have few options as an officer (besides resigning your commission) and fewer as an enlisted guy. If there is any upside to this, it's that good commanders will earn the loyalty and respect of their people and those people will literally give their lives to the mission for him. Bad commanders don't get that kind of honor and as such their mission readiness and reputation often suffers.

fnordfnordfnord 12y ago

>Still, there are better ways to fight the system than to go on "60 Minutes" in your uniform. There probably aren't. > There are professional journals for the various military occupations where such a complaint might be raised without going straight to national news. These problems are ongoing for several years now. They have been covered widely in the armed forces media, the national media, and the international media. Wilson did not just 'go straight to national news.' >When you pull that big of a fire alarm, you really have to be prepared to toss your career down the drain because it's a strong possibility. While true in practical terms, that's not something to be proud of; and not a defense of the Air Force's handling of the matter. The F22 program has eaten bigger careers[1] than Wilson's, and looks like it will keep doing so until morale improves. What a way to run an army. [1] http://www.janes.com/article/31243/ousted-usaf-chief-continues-controversial-fight-for-f-22-production http://www.janes.com/article/31243/ousted-usaf-chief-continu...