THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 22, 1995 TAG: 9511220004
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 33 lines
The chief of naval operation's order for another standown is simply a Band-Aid to cover a wound the Navy still refuses to acknowledge exists. The sexual-harassment problem is just an indicator of the larger malaise commonly know as ``lack of leadership.''
Having served more than 20 years in the Marine Corps, and the past several years as a civilian employee with the Navy, it has been my distressed observation that Navy ``leadership'' is anything but.
Until the Navy comes to grip with the fact that there is no such thing as ``off duty'' and that leaders are paid to be leaders 24 hours a day, Tailhook, the airline flight to San Diego and other ``hiccups'' will result in routine standowns. That ain't the way to run a military organization (TQL and all that tripe nothwithstanding).
It's time for the Navy to stop worrying about political correctness and look inside itself to determine what leadership is really supposed to accomplish. It means hard choices, but until every sailor realizes he or she is responsible for every other sailor's actions and the consequences, the Navy will keep shooting itself in the foot and then wonder who pulled the trigger.
CAL OPENSHAW
Virginia Beach, Nov. 17, 1995 by CNB