Papa Penguin Pontificates

I’m Papa Penguin and this is your Military Minute What is the mathematical formula for pride flags, cowboy hats, cameras and soldiers? Buffoonery multiplied by boredom added to booze equals a command making headlines squared by stupidity. Next, the Marine Corps has a barracks infested with so many cockroaches they had to evacuate it and call in a pest control strike on the abandoned position. And that’s your Military Minute.

I'm Papa Penguin and this is your Military Minute. In this edition we are going to talk about barracks. As much fun as the barracks can be, they are in a chronically poor state. I know I've been harping on this quite a bit lately, but the junior enlisted can't speak up for themselves. I'm no longer on active duty so I can speak out for them. What are they going to do, recall me to active duty, shave my head and send me back to the sand box? Don't threaten me with a good time. The Navy is making some headway with completely funding barracks and gyms. But it's unclear if that funding includes any of the $130 billion of deferred maintenance. And the MCPON is pushing to get every Sailor into a barracks room. That last piece I especially applaud. The Army is struggling to get their arms around a truly massive problem and the solution of privatizing the barracks has raised its head again. At least someone realizes they've gone this route before and it had all kinds of problems. No one expects a 5 start Disney resort for the barracks. But having functional AC/heat, no insects and no mold would be a good start. And having quality gyms that can actually accommodate the personnel stationed on a Navy base would actually be a good start. I'll keep my eye on this like the Lone Sailor perpetually on watch. And that's your Military Minute. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/02/02/navy-sinking-nearly-1-billion-barracks-construction-amid-revelations-of-poor-living-conditions.html https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pentagon-budget-price-gouging-military-contractors-60-minutes-2023-05-21/ https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/02/01/can-privatization-fix-armys-squalid-barracks-service-hopes-so-now-theres-no-other-plan.html https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-global-resolution-criminal-and-civil-investigations-privatized

I'm Papa Penguin and this is your Military Minute. For all the talk from leadership about “bullet proofing the mind” and preserving the health of the force…actions sure speak louder than words. How is it a question if someone who got injured by deliberate enemy action should rate a purple heart or combat awards? For those of you that don’t know, those little pieces of cloth and metal can mean quite a bit to those of us that serve. That’s why we wear our resume on our chest in dress uniforms. Denying these awards to these troops sends a clear signal that they don’t matter. And the BS about them just getting their bell rung, that it’s not serious, I say GTFO. We recognize TBI and chronic concussion syndrome is a real thing in professional athletes. Why do we pretend like it's not a real thing in our warfighters? I saw this time and again while I was deployed. Guy would get his bell rung but managed to duck all of the accompanying shrapnel. Then it would be a struggle to determine if he rated a purple heart. He gets out of the service and his headaches, mood swings, and depression are labeled as not being service related. He’s stuck without hope or resources. So he eats a bullet. It is not right. They got injured by the deliberate actions of the enemy. Sure sounds like combat to me. Present them with the awards they rate so they can receive proper care when they return to civilian life. It’s especially important as a member of the NG. Signed a veteran of Iraq 04-05, 07, 08-09, and Afghanistan 2010. https://www.hrc.army.mil/content/Purple%20Heart https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/02/02/combat-awards-soldiers-killed-injured-jordan-drone-attack-remain-uncertain.html

I'm Papa Penguin and this is your Military Minute. Well, watched the testimony of all the senior enlisted leaders. Underwhelmed to say the least. They mentioned the GAO report a single time and then pretended it didn't exist. It was a total PR stunt. I do take umbrage with the title of the Task and Purpose article. While the SEL's did use civilian buzz words, at no point did they make the argument the military should behave like a civilian organization. Task and Purpose, you should do better. https://taskandpurpose.com/military-life/congress-quality-of-life-panel/ https://armedservices.house.gov/hearings/quality-life-hearing And the Space Force is actually going to send Guardians into space! I didn't use a Guardians of the Galaxy joke because that was just too on the nose. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/02/01/guardian-officer-set-be-first-space-force-history-go-space-mission.html I got the sweet Avengers pic from here: https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/avengers-infinity-war-guardians-of-the-galaxy-space/ Pretty sure this is owned by whomever owns the Avengers rights now a days. Don't due me or issue a copyright strike. Lastly the upcoming giveaway for 100 subscribers. It's going to be something decent that you could actually use in your daily life. And it'll officially mark you as a plank owner. If you are outside of the US I may have to substitute it for something your less freedom loving government will allow. Either way, I think you'll enjoy it. So don't slack and sign up on YouTube. As of right now there are zero folks signed up. So your odds of winning are pretty good. I may not be able to do a live as I can't get that function to work on YouTube yet. I'm a bit of technological luddite on that front. And I don't have a tech whiz like @insanewheels to figure it out for me. He's out of my price range. So I'll keep plugging away to figure it out. And that's your Military Minute.

I’m Papa Penguin and this is your Military Minute. The US Navy continues to look for new ways to attract recruits. They’ve now decided to drop the requirement for a HS diploma but they will still have to score a 50 on the ASVAB. This means someone could graduate HS, be functionally illiterate like 19% of graduates are, and score as low as 10 (I believe) to enlist. I say give it a shot. It’s not like things can get much worse for recruiting numbers. And they definitely are going to get rid of Genesis anytime soon. So the main obstacle to new recruits is going to continue cockblocking meeting mission. https://apnews.com/article/navy-recruiting-high-school-diploma-89b9ff047556bc0d5c54fe074410b700 Next we have the UK admitting they intentionally designed their frigates and destroyers to have no missiles capable of striking shore targets. It’s my belief this choice was largely shaped by the fact the US has essentially floated almost all of Eurpoes and a huge chunk of Asias defense budgets by having such a large footprint. Well, get ready for a new tune because the US budget challenges are going to shrink that foot print real soon. Europe, we have a saying in the US that will apply in the near future. YOYO. It means, You’re On You’re Own. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/01/27/british-warships-lack-firepower-attacks-houthi-red-sea/#:~:text=None%20of%20the%20Royal%20Navy's,planes%20based%201%2C500%20miles%20away. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68150359 If you’ve got some meme’s share ‘em below!

I'm Papa Penguin and I'm back to help you with Adulting 101. Ever wonder where cops get the authority to ask you who you are or search your vehicle without a warrant? Case law. That's where the courts interpret laws that have been written and match that up with judicial precedent. If you learn these 5 court cases and the 5 court cases in my previous Adulting 101 vol 1 video, it'll give you a whole new perspective on law enforcement interactions. A lot of Americans are woefully uninformed about their rights and the authority of law enforcement. I hope this brings a little bit of useful information your way. And remember, knowing is half of adulting.

I’m Papa Penguin and this is your Military Minute. We’ve got a new one, an Air Force 2 star who has the manners of a drunk 0331 who just got divorced. He’s been accused of sticking his man parts where they don’t belong, when invited and not invited. He tried to pull an Uno reverse by submitting his retirement papers. If they let him retire he likely won’t face any charges. Allowing that would definitely create an environment of good order and discipline. https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2023/12/19/air-force-general-to-face-court-martial-for-sex-assault-other-crimes/ https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/major-general-phillip-stewart-air-force-trial-san-antonio-randolph-base/#:~:text=Stewart's%20lawyers%20have%20said%20that,instead%20of%20going%20to%20court. The Department of the Navy has decided to transfer pregnant service members for 2 years instead of continuing the practice of sending them TAD until they deliver. Then they were shipped back to their previous command. The old policy resulted in operational commands being gapped a billet and no idea when or if they would ever get a trained replacement. The Sailor had to rush to establish a dependent care plan, find someone to attend to her child while she was deployed and do this on a tight schedule. Transferring them for 2 years solves quite a few of these problems. A surprisingly savvy move from big Navy. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/01/18/navy-redesigns-its-pregnancy-policy-give-sailors-more-choice-career-stability.html Lastly, we have Capt Harpreet Chandi breaking the women’s world record for speed skiing to the south pole. This meant she had to haul her supplies weighing 75lbs and move for 12-14 hours a day. She did this for a whole month. No small feat. And she beat the previous world record by a day and a half. Pretty damn impressive. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/30/british-soldier-harpreet-chandi-world-record-fastest-woman-ski-alone-across-antarctica And that’s your military minute.

I’m Papa Penguin and this your Military Minute. It appears Congress is actually looking out for the troops by authorizing the increase in family separation pay. FSA helps offset the separation of families. My first few deployments while I was in actually cost money. We would lose BAS and FSA was like $9. A deployment would cost me and mine about $200 a month. And no sweet, sweet tax free combat pay to offset it. Congress is looking to make sure that doesn’t happen but DoD dosen’t seem in a hurry to spend the money. Perhaps the SECDEF is still trying to get through all his voice messages and emails when he pulled a Houdini? https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-military/2024/01/23/pentagon-can-boost-pay-for-separated-families-to-400-but-hasnt/ Just when you think Congress is doing some good their lack of connection to anything resembling reality peeks its head out. They are confused why troops have TBI if they are firing things that make a big boom. I’m not making this up. I wonder how many forks get used during soup days in the Congressional cafeteria? https://www.navytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2024/01/19/senators-demand-dod-answers-on-troops-self-inflicted-brain-injuries/ Last we’ve got the VA’s CTO giving the tech industry a dressing down for not beating down the doors of their local VA looking for jobs. I don’t know how many tech geeks Charles actually knows, but I’ve yet to meet one who takes kindly to being talked down to like you are a disappointed parent. YOU’RE NOT THEIR REAL DAD! Here’s a hint for all potential employers. Telling potential employees they should be grateful to work for you is not a very successful recruitment strategy. It may work for a cult but the VA ain’t the Marine Corps. https://www.navytimes.com/management/2024/01/19/va-hopes-to-convince-tech-workers-that-public-service-matters/ And that’s your Military Minute.

I’m Papa Penguin and this is your Military Minute. We start off our coverage on the sharp decline of caucasians enlisting in the US Army. Like a 50% decline since 2018. And of course the powers that be won’t even hazard a guess on why. “It’s complicated.” No, it really isn’t that complicated. Take a couple of young generations, teach them to hate their own country. Next, bombard them with messages of your skin color makes you bad. Then sit back and watch the recruiting numbers fall quicker than my ex-wife’s panties after 3 shots of tequila. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/01/10/army-sees-sharp-decline-white-recruits.html#:~:text=The%20Army's%20recruiting%20of,Army%20leadership%20and%20Capitol%20Hill. The Houthi’s are beginning to get a taste of FAFO. The US and her allies have unleashed a small can of whoop ass on a few sites in Yemen. If they keep this up Halliburton may “discover” oil and then it’s a whole new level of FAFO. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/biden-warns-more-strikes-yemens-houthis-if-red-sea-attacks-persist-2024-01-13/ Finally we have the Canadian military police threatening a civilian sex worker with charges for unauthorized wearing of military uniforms. I’ve learned a couple of interesting facts about Canada during this story. 1. The Canadian military can charge civilians. 2. Sex work is legal but pimps are not. She garnered attention because of her advertisements apparently. Which she claims are above board because she is the owner and proprietor. Of course, I’m taking her claim at face value. So, she could be wrong. I mean, trusting the judgment of a prostitute, how could that go wrong? https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/military-police-threaten-to-charge-sex-worker-who-offers-discounts-to-canadian-soldiers And that’s your Military Minute.

In this episode of Your Military Minute we talk about the barracks. Congress is upset that some service members are living in squalid conditions in the barracks. Lots of top brass insist there isn't a systemic issue. Meanwhile PVT Snuffy just wants his toilet to take the turds away when he flushes. Congress decided that allowing the services to utilize operations and maintenance budgets to build new barracks is a good tool to help fix the problem. Apparently no one is aware there is more than a decade of backlogged maintenance to the tune of more than $130 billion dollars. That's right, the pot of money Congress wants to use to help fix the problem is so empty it's a fiscal black hole. But have no fear. Our cousins across the pond have the same issues. It seems no one can figure out how to provide housing a lot lizard would enter on either side of the water. And if you want to know what I'm talking about with the Death Before Dismount go check out Angry Cops here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZmPeJ68Fgw&t=302s Be forewarned. It's a tale of a 1st LT who felt the need to issue a memo because his tender feelings can't stand the troops complaining. Hey, NCOs, come get your LT and take away his printer. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/12/26/barracks-habitability-standards-ordered-recently-signed-defense-bill.html https://federalnewsnetwork.com/defense-news/2023/09/we-lost-the-bubble-defense-officials-acknowledge-chronic-underfunding-thats-caused-health-and-safety-risks-in-military-barracks/slide/1/ https://www.military.com/daily-news/2022/12/23/billions-set-aside-improve-military-housing-government-spending-package-headed-bidens-desk.html#:~:text=A%20January%20report%20from%20the,funding%20at%20the%202020%20level. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-55911765

In this episode of Your Military Minute we discuss the Pentagon's plans to fight food insecurity for service members and their families on base. Seems like there is a ready made solution, let 'em eat bag nasties from the chow hall. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/12/20/pentagon-stepping-base-food-options-help-troops-battle-food-insecurity.html The California city of Tustin suffered significant contamination from heavy metals and asbestos when a hangar on a former Navy base, which is also happened to be an uncleaned superfund site (aka mega bad contamination with things that will make your fetus grow an extra arm and eye) caught fire. Further complicating the issue, none of the fire hydrants in or adjacent to the hanger were operable. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/12/19/minute-minute-account-provides-details-how-firefighters-battled-tustin-hangar-fire.html Which led this reporter to wonder, what about the 100 or so other military owned superfund sites which are in poor states of repair and adjacent to things like residential areas or waterways? Surely these issues are being remediated since we're spending money at the cyclic rate? Nope. The problem is a time bomb waiting to go off. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Military_Superfund_sites https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news-release/2023/05/pentagons-contamination-time-bomb-cleanup-backlog-outpaces https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news-release/2023/05/pentagons-contamination-time-bomb-cleanup-backlog-outpaces https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/how-much-aid-the-u-s-has-sent-to-ukraine-in-6-charts I recall an old story about this Roman guy named Nero playing his fiddle..

In this episode of Your Military Minute we’ve got US Marines getting f(*ked at Camp Lejeune, the DoD has created a prosecutor's office independent of commands, and projection of force by the UK Navy. A tow company, run by a guy who I’m willing to be has support the troops bumper stickers on everything, was towing and selling vehicles of Marines. Many of whom were deployed. He claims they couldn’t tell the vehicles belonged to Marines despite finding things like uniform components and other accoutrement only active duty folks would have in the vehicles. Turns out that his business practices, aside from being morally bankrupt, were also highly illegal. The courts fined him $60k and he has to pay back the Marines he bent over a barrel. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/12/28/marines-whose-cars-were-sold-towing-company-will-be-repaid-under-court-settlement.html https://www.stripes.com/branches/marine_corps/2023-12-27/gavel-marines-towing-12478549.html#:~:text=A%20North%20Carolina%20tow%2Dtruck,overseas%2C%20according%20to%20federal%20prosecutors. The DoD’s failures when it comes to prosecuting the most violent and disgusting crimes, like child sexual assault, have trended toward the abysmal failure side of the equation. That’s why NCIS gets nicknames like No Crime Is Solved. In some cases unit commanders, who had convening authority for court martials, possessed moral compasses that deflected significantly from true north. The result? There’s now an independent prosecutor’s office that does not answer to unit commanders. This completely removes their ability to influence investigations. To those unit commanders that feel some kind of way about this I say, remember when you gave bad paper to the squad leader and platoon commander because LCPL Schmuckateli decided to get a DUI and beat his wife? This is that. Suck it up. Your predecessor's lack of moral integrity is the root cause of this. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/12/28/independent-military-prosecutors-now-charge-of-sexual-assault-cases.html Finally we have the UK Navy sending the HMS Trent down to Guyana for some training exercises due to the increased tensions with Venezuela. The 2 governments can’t agree on where the borders lay. Wait, military intervention in the form of force projection in South America? If you listen to talking heads and academics only the US does that in the modern day. You aren’t seeing this in the news because it doesn’t paint the US and her military in a bad light. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/12/30/british-warship-arrives-guyana-tensions-heat-border-dispute-venezuela.html Last word ladies and gents, if you’re going to drink, don’t drive. If you’re going to drive, don’t drink.

Welcome back to Your Military Minute. The US Army has lost a couple of HMMVVs in North Carolina and Texas. Have no fear, CID (Crime Isn't Detected) is here! They are using cutting edge modern technology by quietly posting wanted posters on their social media! https://www.cid.army.mil/Portals/118/Documents/Rewards_Information-Wanted/Reward_HMMWV-Theft-Fort-Liberty_Jan2024.pdf https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2022/12/08/humvee-stolen-from-psychological-operations-unit-army-offering-reward/ The Australian Defense Forces (ADF) are facing the same recruiting crisis the US is. The government is considering allowing non citizens to enlist. Probably a good bet we share some root causes for the shortage. https://www.9news.com.au/national/government-considers-recruiting-adf-personnel-from-overseas/e7fc6cb6-44f3-489d-8aba-6128bc86b25d#:~:text=The%20federal%20government%20is%20considering,can%20grow%20our%20Defence%20Force. Meanwhile after the SECDEF sounded the panic alarm over white supremacists amongst the ranks a couple of years ago, a study commissioned by the DoD just came out. Turns out there isn't an issue amongst the ranks. It does point the finger at veterans as being at risk of being radicalized. I'm sure there are corners of the FBI rejoicing at veterans be categorized as a threat. https://www.ida.org/-/media/feature/publications/p/pr/prohibited-extremist-activities-in-the-us-department-of-defense/p-33076.ashx https://www.militarytimes.com/flashpoints/extremism-disinformation/2024/01/05/troops-do-not-have-an-extremism-problem-but-veterans-do-study-finds/ Final word ladies and gents. Don't add to the population and don't subtract from it while on libo.

I’m Papa Penguin and welcome back to your Military Minute. The Space Force and Air Force are looking to more folks to Ranger school. In the piece I just mention Space Force and not the Air Force. In my defense it sounds much cooler to be a Space Ranger than it does to be an Air Force Ranger. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/01/08/wanted-airmen-and-guardians-urged-apply-grueling-army-ranger-school.html The SECDEF recently had elective surgery for prostate cancer. He had complications and got readmitted. He was in the hospital for 4 days before the White House or Congress were notified. This is the guy who is part of the nuclear football protocols and knows about little green men at Area 51. And he was out of circulation for half a week before anyone saw fit to tell the President or Congress! This is a problem. Instead of taking the Pentagon and the SECDEF taking their well earned lumps, they are point blame at subordinates. Not a good look for the head of the DoD. And it certainly sends a message to subordinate leaders of don’t accept responsibility, assign blame. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/01/08/inside-pentagons-failure-notify-white-house-congress-of-defense-secretarys-hospitalization.html Lastly, we have another tragedy at a VA clinic. A couple of veterans with serious mental health issues needed care and couldn’t get it. Even the staff at the clinic recognized there was a serious issue with staffing. Guess how well senior folks listened to their concerns…. People talk about systematic this and systematic that nowadays. The VA is systematically broken https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/01/08/staff-warned-about-lack-of-psychiatric-care-va-clinic-they-couldnt-prevent-tragedy.html

Breaking news! We interrupt your regularly scheduled broadcast to inform you of a random US Army Colonel who has unilaterally decided to give the shaft uniformly.

In this weeks military minute we discover the wasteful spending by the US Congress is almost matched by the revolving door of senior officers in the UK Army signing on to be lobbyist. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/12/03/lawmakers-want-26-billion-programs-pentagon-didnt-seek.html https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/dec/06/former-british-army-chief-mark-carleton-smith-joins-lynton-crosby-lobbying-firm It turns out my old Alma Mater, the US Navy, is still pretty decent at fighting their ships. Despite all her flaws, my Navy is still doing something right. https://apnews.com/article/red-sea-houthi-yemen-ships-attack-israel-hamas-war-gaza-strip-716770f0a780160e9abed98d3c48fbde I once had an member of a high speed, low drag unit tell me "No selection process is perfect." This case is a clear demonstration of that. Fair warning, this story may ruin your appetite. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/11/30/marine-recruiters-grooming-of-teenage-recruit-led-investigation-family-says-hes-still-terrorizing.html https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/11/08/marine-under-investigation-after-publishing-memoir-about-sexual-relationship-young-potential-recruit.html https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12817637/Christopher-Champagne-Marine-recruiter-stalking-teenage-female-recruit.html

Wanna get a quick run down of things going on the vet sphere over the last week? Here's 3 items of interest. https://twitter.com/Ivan_Snook/status/1728836648207806899 A former Corporal of Marines pontificates on his extensive experience in the officer Corps...or perhaps its just the greatest troll job of all time? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef1CGwbtWMk&t=658s Angry Cops apparently doesn't ever want to be promoted again. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/vas-role-migrant-medical-care-draws-scrutiny-advocates-border-crisis-intensifies The VA can't figure out how to actually take care of veterans but they sure can process payments for illegal immigrants detained by ICE. Maybe DoD thinks this pool of potential recruits is a solution for their recruiting woes?

Want to fix the personnel shortage in the military? Get rid of the useless billets filled by senior enlisted and senior officers. And stop kicking out folks just because they hit an arbitrary time in service.

Ever wonder why racism and bigotry cross national borders, religions, languages and cultures? It's a truly multicultural phenomena that is universally negative. I believe Dunbar's number may help explain this most disturbing of human traits.

Enjoy your veterans day ladies and gents. You earned it.

If you are a veteran, active duty or even a recruit these are 7 things important to being successful when returning to civilian life. These 7 things made the transition much smoother. Don't wait to figure out the path when you are going through TAPS or after you get your DD214.

The draft ain't starting anytime soon and you ain't going to punch your Drill Instructor in the face or tell off your Commanding Officer. Just stop the internet posturing and go do something good for your neighbors.

Want to know what an organization or person values? Follow the money. Every American should consider this information before the next election. Articles that back up my numbers: https://www.cfr.org/article/how-much-aid-has-us-sent-ukraine-here-are-six-charts#:~:text=Since%20the%20war%20began%2C%20the,Economy%2C%20a%20German%20research%20institute. https://sgp.fas.org/crs/mideast/RL33222.pdf https://www.epa.gov/east-palestine-oh-train-derailment/operational-updates https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/flint-is-not-fixed-activists-demand-change-years-after-water-crisis https://apnews.com/article/maui-wildfire-fema-assistance-damages-973218438d06164d218ce60d252d7c32

Ever wondered how others seem to "glide" through life being happy and successful in their relationships and work? I've got 5 precepts that have served me well. They could help you too.

The world is a crazy place.