The Biggest Federal Work Program

The entry below originally appeared on my blog, "Musings of a Factotum." I think a repost is appropriate here. It is the first of several repostings that fit the theme of My PA blog.

One realizes on an Army deployment that there are many Soldiers who don’t do much work. They represent all ranks and branches, and they are a drag on Army Efficiency.
But, if you’ve ever read anything I’ve written about the Army, you’ll know that I’ve never accused the Army of being efficient. Nevertheless, the reality is that too many Soldiers take advantage of the opportunity that Uncle Sam gives them to collect a paycheck without much effort.

A certain Sergeant Major—-representative of many, many more—-is past the point when he can retire. There are likely many E-8s who can fill his shoes admirably, so in the spirit of preparing the younger generation and giving troops an opportunity to grow, what does he do?

He stays on. And why not? He can take one more short year of his life away from home to collect good pay on deployment. He’s pulling in over $6,000 a month base pay. Add to that the housing allowance of over two grand, plus a few little extra goodies like sustenance pay, separation pay, and hazardous duty pay. All this is tax free.

So while the Army looks to replenish its ranks with young men and women, enticing them with bonuses and college money, it is merely adding to the dole of the largest Federal Work Program. Many politicians lament the size of our military, saying the money is better used helping put people to work. It already is.

Mean People in the Army, Theory One

Mean people are attracted to the Army.

Our culture is replete with images of hardened men. The tough guy is still highly-admired, and a prototypical Soldier is one who looks serious, almost menacing, and emotionless.

To be sure, our military wants to portray to the public the image of a Soldier who is ready to help, assisting the downtrodden more like a Peace Corps worker, armed with not much more than a smile and a helping hand. Yet, in recruiting and one gets an entirely different portrait. The American Soldier is a professional warrior.

He must be ready and willing to kill in the name of country. Even of there are many jobs in the Armed Forces that will never require the use of deadly force, everyone is trained to use it. And it takes a certain meanness to be able to do this.

Applicants know this. New recruits often know exactly that they might face one day, and the fact of it attracts the kind of person that can handle it. In some cases Soldiers aren't made of the kind of mettle that a killer needs, and they often fulfil their contracts honorably and get out. Who stays? The killers. The mean ones.

Thus, the Army is an organization with a decidedly meaner profile than almost any other. Shouldn't it be?

Mean People in the Army

Why are there so many jerks in the Army? There are at least two theories.

One says that the Army, and the nature of being a Soldier, attracts mean people. Knowing that military life can involve extreme violence, disruptions in personal and family life, and a lifestyle of deprivation, the meaner elements of society volunteer.

Another holds that the Army takes otherwise decent people and makes them mean. The rank structure, a culture that stifles and demeans, and an organization that frustrates natural human tendencies of freedom and creativity will ultimately drive niceness out of a person.

A third plausible explanation is based on my small sample size. I am deployed with the 40th ID from Southern California, and many would argue that SoCal has more than its share of jerks, so they are highly-represented on this deployment.

The third option is intriguing, but doesn't explain all the mean people I've met along the way or the many mean transplants to Southern California. No, either of the two main theories seems to offer a better explanation.