THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 19, 1997 TAG: 9702180488
SECTION: MILITARY NEWS PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LIZ SZABO, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 103 lines
In Homer's Odyssey, it took Odysseus and his crew 10 years to return home from battle. On the way, several sailors were eaten by a monster and many more were turned into pigs by a sorceress.
But chances are, the crew complained more about the chow. Sailors have griped about life in the Navy as long as there has been a Navy.
And now they have a new, high-tech way to do it: A Norfolk sailor has created an Internet web site to vent his frustrations with the seagoing service - anonymously - and to give other Navy personnel a chance to do the same.
The World Wide Web site's name, ``FTN,'' is an acronym that stands for a certain well-known anti-Navy phrase not suitable for printing in a family newspaper. In fact, few of the letters posted by sailors on the FTN web site bear repeating.
Some of its major complaints will sound familiar to anyone who has served in the military: surprise inspections, terrible food, low pay, early-morning hours, little privacy in the bathrooms and showers.
Like many Internet sites, FTN also is replete with rumors, conspiracy theories and unsubstantiated accusations. Its author speculates on the ``real'' cause of the crash of Trans World Airlines Flight 800, and also claims he has witnessed sexual abuse of both male and female sailors aboard ship.
One section centers on what the site's creator would do if he were the Navy's boss. Another describes the many ways that the Navy differs from a typical sailor's mother. Another invites sailors to write in with their beliefs about the service's problems.
All are available on a menu one reaches after a warning-filled preface. Don't go on, it advises, if you believe the Navy to be good for your marriage, your ``working'' uniform is not blue, or your body bears an anchor tattoo.
Go on, it says, if you believe plumbing ought to be hidden from view and you enjoy bright colors.
The site's founder, a sailor self-taught in navigating the Internet's myriad branches, inlets and coves, has taken on broad Navy policies, as well as the service's little annoyances.
``I believe that gays should be allowed to serve in the military,'' one in-your-face gripe reads. ``If you hate the idea because you're afraid of them staring at your ass, think about that the next time you rubber neck when a woman walks across the mess decks.''
Some on-line sailors have sympathized with the complaints since the site's debut in late December. A sailor stationed in Hawaii signed his posting, ``Disgruntled, 3rd class peon, janitor slaves.'' He wrote: ``Your cause has reached us way out here in the submarine community, and we feel your pain.. .
Others have been less charitable: The web site's more pointed claims have sparked flame wars, in which the site's creator gets as much of a lashing as the Navy. In the process, the men and women who write in to the site swear like. . . well, sailors.
``Why do you hate the Navy?'' one wrote. ``Did they kick you out?. . . In all honesty, I think you have poor taste and should have the crap kicked out of you.''
That's one of the tamer messages.
This isn't mutiny, the site's creator said. It's free therapy.
``It's good for people to vent. It's healthy.
``When I'm at sea, I see things that are ridiculous,'' he said. ``The way the supply system is run, the way that ass-kissing occurs in the chain of command, the fraud and the waste and the abuse - the way they produce reams of paperwork and nothing ever gets done - you see all this, and you figure this has to happen throughout the government. And there's really no forum to get people talking about it.''
The site is aimed at making the Navy better, he said, not making it suffer. ``I don't think I've really said anything detrimental,'' he said.
The brass apparently agrees. A Navy spokesman said the Pentagon won't go on red alert any time soon.
``This is the first (web page) I've heard of,'' said Navy spokesman Lt. Rick Haupt after reviewing the site. ``We're not really concerned about it. Navy personnel have their right to free speech just like anybody else.''
Besides, the web site's founder is not the first Norfolk-based sailor to go public with his complaints about his job. An anonymous sailor began an underground newspaper called ``The Gauntlet'' in 1992, at the height of the Tailhook controversy, to criticize what he saw as the Navy's politically correct response to allegations of sexual harassment.
``The Gauntlet'' was old-fashioned by today's standards; it was printed on paper and distributed through the mail.
The FTN site has fewer whistles and bells than many web sites: There's no sound, few hypertext links to other Internet resources.
Still, its author figured, it beats filing official complaints.
``Too much paperwork,'' he said of that option. ``There's so much bureaucracy, nothing would ever come of it. ``But maybe if I (tick) enough people off, they'll wake up.''
Despite the Navy's open-minded response, FTN's creator is trying to limit the chance he'll be found out. The site was set up on an America Online account, which cloaks his identity. America Online subscribers may choose up to five ``screen names'' in order to conceal their real name and address, said AOL spokeswoman Tricia Primrose.
So what gets the prize as the most shocking part of FTN?
If he had to do it all again, the site's author claimed, he'd still enlist. MEMO: The FTN web site is located at: http://members.aol.com/ftnhere. ILLUSTRATION: JOHN CORBITT
Special to The Virginian-Pilot