West Point... Hellloooo, Are You There?

Every once in a while, I write to West Point, never hear back from them... but I keep writing...  West Point is where the ethics of the Army is held accountable.  West Point is where committees of general officers meet and talk about the state of ethics in the Army.  Notice I said talk about the state of ethics in the Army.  I don't think they are doing a good job, those committees aren't the least bit concerned with my opinion of course, but that won't stop me from expressing my opinion.  I've decided to make my letters public from here on out.
 

To Whom it May Concern, and I Certainly Do Hope it Sincerely Concerns Someone,

My name is Debra LeCompte, and my husband is COL (RET) Randy LeCompte, an honor graduate of West Point, (top five percent of the class of 1981.)  My husband would love to attend his 31st reunion this year, but is currently serving with the State Department in Iraq in the civilian sector.  My father and grand-father were Soldiers as well, my daughter was a Soldier, and she is now serving in the civilian sector in Germany where she lives with our two grand-daughters as her husband serves in Afghanistan.  Our other son-in-law was blown off a recon vehicle in 2003 in Iraq, and can no longer serve, but he would give everything in him to do so.

My family, especially my husband, has been recipients of the all that is good in the Army.  We are better as a family because of the Army, as my husband says, "the Army gives one skills, identity, and purposeful living."  We have all also been the recipients of very bad things from the Army because of the problem of ethics in the Army.  The Academy is not achieving it's goals of teaching ethics.  The Army is not, because of the incestuous relationships involved in its' "self-policing," truly promoting ethics.  I don't think anyone who reads this, (if anyone does,) can with any honesty argue that point.

We had a young intern from West Point in our home for dinner while my husband was still employed with BAE Systems, as was our custom with each of the interns who spent part of their summer in the Sealy, Texas plant.  My husband being the man he is, posed the question, "So, which of the Army Values do you think is the most important?"  For a couple of minutes the young man could not answer, he couldn't remember any of the seven values, then he at first said, "leadership."  My husband reminded him that was an  acronym used in another set of characteristics promoted by the Army.   Finally the young man said loyalty.  That is a frequent answer among Soldiers.  Both my husband and I disagree with this answer every time we hear it , for so many times a Soldier means by that response loyalty to his unit or to a commander.  There are times, more frequently than I would like to acknowledge, when that is not the honorable or right thing to do.  In order for loyalty to be worthy of first mention, it should be loyalty to honor and doing the right thing.  Too many times loyalty in the Army is affected by who does your OER, honor never is.

When a firstie can't tell a retired colonel who earned a Bronze Star in Afghanistan what the Seven Army Values are.... your ethics training is a monumental failure in my opinion.  That is without mentioning the First Sergeant with 19 years in, who by all reports was an outstanding mentor and man of honor, who was sleeping on the floor of a Garland, Texas jail, all because he came up against corrupt command.  I can't mention every miscarriage of honor that I have knowledge of, there are too many innocent people involved.  My great sorrow is I am but a grain of sand in the scheme of the Army Family, but I know of dozens of atrocities.  It is like rats, for every instance of lack of honor that I know of, there are a hundred I am not aware of.  Even though I know of the rats, like my husband, I love the Army, the real Army, the one that belongs to the hearts of those who nobly serve, and I will fight for the honor, integrity, and reputation of that Band of Brothers, (and Sisters,) until the day I die.  I believe there is an answer to this breakdown in ethics.

The answer West Point is ACCOUNTABILITY.  That accountability should begin with generals, not cadets.  Every time self serving corruption prevails, those who would serve with integrity are driven away.  Who, of any character,  wants to associate with lack of integrity?  Who wants to risk their own career and reputation to those lacking integrity?  Just as those who would serve with honor are driven away, those lacking in it are reinforced in behavior which is dishonorable.  They receive the message you have to "go along to get along."  No matter who you are, what your rank, the answer is ACCOUNTABILITY.  It only exists when those controlling the "self policing" are possessed of honor.  As the guardians of the honor of the United States Army those meetings where accountability by individuals is weighed and measured in the balance must be populated by men and women of honor and the COURAGE to execute The Code of Military Justice.  Surely, you can scrape together enough general officers with moral courage to fill the positions on those committees?

West Point, you are accountable for a firstie who doesn't know The Seven Army Values as he enters his senior year.  A web site about honor and integrity won't do it, all the training, classes, and instruction in the world, won't do it, only accountability without bias, favor, or self serving will forge a force where honor and integrity are the norm, not the exception.  When every Soldier believes and knows that lack of honor will not be tolerated under any circumstances, when they know power mongering will be met with swift and sure justice, and lying is unacceptable and will result in dire consequences, will honor and integrity, and a force devoted to The Seven Army Values prevail.

I have been very plain spoken, and in the past it has not done me a bit of good.  Well, there was the commander of the First Sergeant sleeping on the jail floor who was relieved of command, but please understand, I speak plainly because of my devotion to, and respect of all those who live "uncommon lives."  Their families as well depend upon the honor of leadership.  I wish the Academy, The Army, and every Soldier serving only the  best.  It is owed to them.

With Respect and Sincerity,

Debra LeCompte

Which Ideals and Principles Will Endure

 Our son Jared who went to Afghanistan and Iraq twice working as an electrician.

 An account on a web site titled Foreign Policy, which was written by a now retired colonel, who last served with the Army Reserves, was pointed out to me recently.  It was yet another story of wrong doing by the Army.  As you will be able to tell if you follow the link to the site, I am a very strong supporter of the Army and those who serve.  Not so much of a fan of those who lead at the top however, so this story really caught my attention.

 Our daughter Beth who served for 8 years in the Texas National Guard and the Army, with our two grand-daughters waiting for my son-in-law to return from his third deployment to Afghanistan.  He has deployed also to Iraq and Korea during the last 10 years.

I felt an old anger surge, to borrow a current military term.  I know of more and more of these instances of leadership failure, and they trouble me so deeply.  Almost every good Soldier I know has a story like this to share.  Either it happened to the Soldier, or they have observed it happen to someone else and felt shaken to their core.  Part of the problem I think is how one of the Seven Army Values is taught.  If you aren't familiar with the Seven Army Values, they are worthy guideposts for anyone's life, and taught to every recruit.  The one that is most often listed by Soldiers as of greatest importance is loyalty, and in all their materials the Army always lists loyalty first.  I agree with that, but not as many serving interpret loyalty as devotion to all things honorable first and foremost, they want to make it about individuals who might be doing questionable things.  A Soldier can get the impression that he or she is to turn a blind eye to wrongdoing, in loyal support of leadership.  After all, in most of the "military movies" that is important of all the heroes.  Certainly if every order is questioned by every Soldier, the military mission cannot go forward.  I'm talking about something else, I'm talking about situations which come to light that become clear breaches of ethics, flagrant in fact.  They are almost always orchestrated by leadership who fear no accountability, indicating the behavior is a demonstration of power mongering, for whatever reason.  In fact sometimes it appears to be solely for the amusement of that abuser.  What is most likely the reason is leadership that is self serving in nature, and the career of the individual is at stake.Without honor as its' foundation, loyalty is no longer a virtue.  Many times it is taken as a sort of "what happens in the Army, stays in the Army" sort of deal.  That isn't what constitutes honorable loyalty to me. The Army's official web site states it this way:

Loyalty

Bear true faith and allegiance to the U.S. Constitution, the Army, your unit and other Soldiers. Bearing true faith and allegiance is a matter of believing in and devoting yourself to something or someone. A loyal Soldier is one who supports the leadership and stands up for fellow Soldiers. By wearing the uniform of the U.S. Army you are expressing your loyalty. And by doing your share, you show your loyalty to your unit.    http://www.army.mil/values/index.html

 If a Soldier is taught to look the other way, or hide wrong doing as a part of the context of "loyalty" it surely creates an ethical dilemma that the other six values cannot support.  If it is taught that as a Soldier you accept wrong justice for yourself or another Soldier, again the other six values become tainted and invalid.

Our daughter and son-in-law who was seriously wounded in 2003 in Iraq, and can no longer serve.

Here is how the official Army site defines the other six values:

Duty

Fulfill your obligations. Doing your duty means more than carrying out your assigned tasks. Duty means being able to accomplish tasks as part of a team. The work of the U.S. Army is a complex combination of missions, tasks and responsibilities — all in constant motion. Our work entails building one assignment onto another. You fulfill your obligations as a part of your unit every time you resist the temptation to take “shortcuts” that might undermine the integrity of the final product.

Respect

Treat people as they should be treated. In the Soldier’s Code, we pledge to “treat others with dignity and respect while expecting others to do the same.” Respect is what allows us to appreciate the best in other people. Respect is trusting that all people have done their jobs and fulfilled their duty. And self-respect is a vital ingredient with the Army value of respect, which results from knowing you have put forth your best effort. The Army is one team and each of us has something to contribute.

Selfless Service

Put the welfare of the nation, the Army and your subordinates before your own. Selfless service is larger than just one person. In serving your country, you are doing your duty loyally without thought of recognition or gain. The basic building block of selfless service is the commitment of each team member to go a little further, endure a little longer, and look a little closer to see how he or she can add to the effort.

Honor

Live up to Army values. The nation’s highest military award is The Medal of Honor. This award goes to Soldiers who make honor a matter of daily living — Soldiers who develop the habit of being honorable, and solidify that habit with every value choice they make. Honor is a matter of carrying out, acting, and living the values of respect, duty, loyalty, selfless service, integrity and personal courage in everything you do.

Integrity

Do what’s right, legally and morally. Integrity is a quality you develop by adhering to moral principles. It requires that you do and say nothing that deceives others. As your integrity grows, so does the trust others place in you. The more choices you make based on integrity, the more this highly prized value will affect your relationships with family and friends, and, finally, the fundamental acceptance of yourself.

Personal Courage

Face fear, danger or adversity (physical or moral). Personal courage has long been associated with our Army. With physical courage, it is a matter of enduring physical duress and at times risking personal safety. Facing moral fear or adversity may be a long, slow process of continuing forward on the right path, especially if taking those actions is not popular with others. You can build your personal courage by daily standing up for and acting upon the things that you know are honorable.

  

 In this photo Soldiers and family members applaud the team at Family Day that won the Hoo-ah Contest.  The children of these Soldiers are holding up the trophy the team won.  Family members should always be able to take pride in the service of their loved one, and be able to count on the integrity of the leadership of the Army at every level.  I don't think any of us would surrender our loved one willing to leadership that reflected anything less than absolute devotion to the Seven Army Values.  Never should any family member find themselves in fear of what corrupt leadership has the ability to do with the power afforded them.

I fundamentally disagree with the UCMJ.  I am but a grain of sand on the beach of service in the Army, and I have personal knowledge of enough abuse of power through use of UCMJ that it must be rampant, and unchallenged everywhere.  There is an old saying, for every rat you see, there are fifty you don't see.  Why does the military think that ordinary people could not understand those Seven Army Values, and apply justice according to those principles?  Why is it that only the military can judge the actions of those in the military?  That is a very presumptuous stance, that frankly appears to work in favor of those in high places wishing to protect themselves and their careers.

At a West Point reunion several years ago with my husband's class of 1981 in a meeting with the class members and the then Commandant of the Academy, my husband asked of the Commandant if he had noted any discrepancies in the actual administration of UCMJ.  I will never forget knowing what a great man was at the helm of that institution when he replied without anything but a second of silence, "Yes, I have, and I cannot get support from the generals to change that."  What honesty, what moral courage, he too placed himself and his career in jeopardy when he dared to make such an honest answer to my husband and the class of 1981.  West Point and a committee of generals is the seat of authority concerning maintaining the standards of all things and all matters of the honor and integrity of the United States Army.  The Commandant is the chairman of that committee.  The enemy is within.

 

 Austin County Rodeo Parade, Bellville, Texas, 1st Place Float.

What follows is a link to the site I went to, curious about the experience of yet another who has faithfully served.  Also I have included an edited for grammar version of my last entry in the discussion.  This discussion remains for me of the utmost importance.  It should be to you as well.


 http://ricks.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/07/25/toms_all_for_relief_but_here_s_the_story_of_how_i_got_relieved_unfairly_in_iraq#lf_com


This was my last entry:

Larry, for my son, fixing those electrical issues was about his birthright, a privilege which there are no words to describe, about being a citizen of the greatest nation the world has ever known, flaws and all.  It was about being an American.  It was about the debt he feels he owes to those who will stand the wall of freedom for every citizen in this country.  (They protect those who are ill informed as to the threats to our survival as a nation, those who cheat, lie, and are without values, just as they protect their own children and loved ones, we all share the benefits of their sacrifices, fools, crooks, scoundrels and all.)  

I still work with these men and women and their families every day.  We have established a small retreat at our little ranch in Texas, and they come from Ft.Hood, Ft. Sam Houston, and really from all over the country.  They stay in our little cabins, sit on our porch, fish, canoe, ride horses, I feed them my best home cooking, our latest little escape for the girly girls among our military families, the Barbie Barn, and I listen as they tell me of their sacrifices.  They really won't readily do that except to one of their own.  They inspire me every day, and break my heart at their stories of failed leadership.  I believe that failed leadership is such a prime factor in PTSD.  I have thoroughly researched all the academic work on PTSD, do so daily for the latest science, and have years of experience with those who suffer from it, beginning with 12 years of raising foster children.  

  Some of my favorite Veterans

 My husband has always had a mantra which motivated his pursuit of excellence, "If the man in front of me can do it, so can I."  He was mentored under generals early in his career he would have followed to hell and back, even if he knew the "back" part wasn't happening, and they were men a man could confidently follow.  He will tell anyone he owes the blessings of his life to God's using the United States Army to bring them to him.  He still believes he owes that organization unyielding support, and like you he retired after 30 years.  You are standing for the honor not only of yourself, but the United States Army.

 I will never forget the pain I saw my husband experience as he discovered just how corrupt "the man in front of him" could be.  That can break a true Soldier...  or as in his and your case, refine him as fire does gold.  Never give up your pursuit of justice, my husband will not.  You guys are men the enemy within do not understand, because it is not in your best interest to pursue these matters, it will only bring you trouble and retribution.   They are only motivated by self-interest, and don't even have the capability of understanding your "rabid bulldog" refusal to give in.  What encourages me so is that the fundamental principles West Point seeks to instill in its graduates are alive and well in at least two men, and as my personal experience has taught me, hundreds of thousands of others who are looking for just such men and women to follow.  Even in retirement, your influence will bring the battle to the enemy within, give strength to those who are facing the same type of corruption, and defend the constitution.  My husband says not everyone who is "IN" the Army, "BELONGS" to that  band of brothers and sisters... the real Army... they are just "paid government employees."  The difference is too vast for words.  The Army belongs to those whose souls are pledged to the Seven Army Values.  In a society where ideals like those you embrace are considered "cheesy," and not really to exist anywhere, men such as you and that other 06 you have served with, know them to be the hope of humanity.   Honor, devotion to sacred duty, and a steel determination that no matter how they are viewed, or by whom, or what their devotion brings, they will stand, separates you from so many, and gives young Soldiers, "the man in front of me.". 

My son addressed ever shower he found because he is a proud American, not proud of our corruption and the corrupted, but proud of the values our country was founded on, proud of the principles that those men and women of long ago established as our corner stone, which caused them to write the foundational document where the words are found, "that all men are created equal, endowed be their Creator with certain inalienable rights."  That document is still worth the greatest of sacrifices to defend, devoted duty to, no matter what enemy, whether they are within or without, and defending no matter what the cost, as you, my husband, and men and women through its’ history have pledged, to the death

As the sign on the gate says at our little ranch, "even a Soldier needs a quiet place to rest."  May I extend to you our invitation to visit the ranch soon.  Hospitality has always been my greatest talent, we will treat you well.  So load up the family, make the trip, rest, talk, and find that bond that those who have never served, can never understand.  While those young brave men who rout out the enemy are the tip of the spear,  men and women such as yourself  are the staff that gives it strength and direction, and without that, their efforts are wasted.  The country is still in need of your services, your voice, and your dedication.  The porch light is always on, and the flag always flies.  I think you know where to find us.  Best regards to you and yours.  Soldier on.

I Have Set My Face Like A Flint

I am writing a novel, I wanted to share the introduction here, and perhaps the first chapter.  This is the first half of the introduction.  The book is loosely based on a collection of experiences and stories I have heard from Soldiers over the years.  Being based in actual experiences, the book writes itself, I just change details, names, and of course, strive to protect the innocent... for the guilty I have no compassion...
 Isaiah 50: 4-7
"The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.

The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.

I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair:  I hid not my face from shame and spitting.

For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed." 

 

 I Have Set My Face Like A Flint

Introduction

As soon as the doors of the car shut in the parking lot, she asked how it had gone.  He answered first with complete silence, then a quiet, “wait until we are out of the parking lot.”  Instantly she knew it had not gone well.  As they pulled out, she searched his face for clues, but waited for him to speak when he was ready.  Far too much was revealed in his face, and the level of his anguish was palpable in the car.  Her mind raced, she longed to break the silence and ask, “How could it have gone badly?”  Instead, she held her breath waiting for him to speak.  When he finally did, his usually quiet and confident voice was even more quiet, and shaking with emotion and pain.

The trouble for her new husband, Colonel Douglas Cutler, had actually began a few months before when the Army had announced that due to “The Transformation,” the 2nd Brigade would be moving from the 78th Division of the Army Reserves to the 36th ARRTC.   The Transformation was the process of reorganization and base closures that the Department of Defense had determined was necessary in order to change the Army into a new leaner and meaner organization, and save the country’s taxpayers billions every year in doing so.  The 2nd Brigade, which her husband commanded, and where she served as the unit’s Family Readiness Group leader, trained drill sergeants in the fine art of being drill sergeants.  The Soldiers under Colonel Cutler’s command tended to be the “best of the best.”  Their job was the training of men, and a few women, to be those who took the Army’s raw recruits and turned them into dedicated and loyal Soldiers, who were highly disciplined, in the best physical condition they would know in their lifetimes, and confident to the point for some, of being completely without fear.  The Army would then assign them specialties and populate their ranks with this fresh set of America’s sons and daughters who were ready to stand the wall in defense of all national security threats, and when necessary, to wage war.  For four years now, it had been necessary to wage war. 

The term “OPTEMPO” had become familiar to her, and a part of her everyday work as the FRG leader.  Her lifelong respect for all those serving in the country’s military had grown past even what she had learned in childhood.  From her own father’s service in the National Guard as she was growing up, she gained the impression of all things military being honorable.  Her father had first entered the Army when he was seventeen years old.  Somehow, he had convinced his mother to lie about his birth date, giving him the few months he lacked being eighteen years old and of legal age to join the military.  She had to write a letter saying his birth certificate had burned in a house fire, and being the time it was, few hand written records of such things existed anyway.  She probably would not have done it if the prospects of having food enough to feed him were even a glimmer on the horizon.  Already she had cut the toes out of his shoes to allow for his still growing feet.  Where or when new shoes could be had wasn’t even something she thought of, there were so many more pressing matters.  

 
There were the stories of her father's active duty service and how it had been, for him the opportunity to leave the abject destitution of his childhood growing up during The Great Depression.  Serving under a West Point graduate he identified as Major James, her father told of coming for the first time to understand successful living as he was led under this young soldier’s command.  From that experience, he had gained the rights to certain benefits, including the obtaining of a GED at the government’s expense, and then training to become an electrician.  The work ethic that was his through his instinctive survival of poverty, hunger, and need, had coupled with the positive attitude and ethics developed by Major James, and fueled her father’s success in life.  His life was also anchored solidly in a deep and personal faith in God.   His principled life had enabled her childhood to be sheltered, safe, and full of happiness, which developed in her a naivety few still possessed at her age.  The honor, integrity, and loyalty, taught as the basic principles of the Army to all young recruits, was internalized by her father, and now at 79, these traits burned as strongly as they ever had.  In his lifetime, he had never slipped an inch from duty, honor, and country.  
 
This parenting had been one of the things that first drew her to the Colonel.  She saw in him the living embodiment of the legendary “Major James.”  He too, was a West Point graduate, possessed of deep beliefs in self-less service, all that was honorable, and he endeavored to live as closely as possible his sacred “Seven Army Values.”  His own childhood had created in him a drive for excellence in all he did, and he left West Point as an honor graduate in the top fifth of his class.  Later, as he attended The Army War College, they were already acquainted, and by the time he graduated, again with honors, they were in a relationship.  Oddly, despite his own bleak childhood growing up in privation and a physically and emotionally abusive family, he too, was possessed by naivety in certain areas of reasoning.  To her developing wonder at this fact, he was even more naive than her concerning people.  Over the next several months she would watch the heartbreak he experienced as those he had looked to with such admiration for leadership revealed  feet of clay and dishonor within their lives he could never have conceived of.