- Joined
- Jul 25, 2009
- Messages
- 74
I understand the new Commandant has been selected. Nothing on the Academy or Alumni site. My guess is it's the Acting Commandant. If so, is this good or just more of the same?
Capt. Bob DeStaffney (current acting commandant) was brought to the academy to be the deputy commandant, when the commandant resigned Capt. DeStaffney filled in. A few months ago at lunch Capt. DeStaffney announced that the permanent commandant has been selected, he's a marine corps colonel and will be coming to the academy in march when he retires from active duty. Capt. DeStaffney will return to his role as the deputy commandant when that happens.
And so we continue down the path of the militarization of KP. "Merchant Marine" and "Marine Corps" are NOT the same thing! This actually hurts graduates who choose to sail and is continues to do damage to the schools reputation.he's a marine corps colonel and will be coming to the academy in march when he retires from active duty.
And so we continue down the path of the militarization of KP. "Merchant Marine" and "Marine Corps" are NOT the same thing! This actually hurts graduates who choose to sail and is continues to do damage to the schools reputation.
I fail to see how discipline and leadership can damage a school's reputation, especially when many of the nation's top MBA programs are fighting for business leadership professors with military backgrounds.
Leading your peers and leading people who can say screw you without having to worry about the UCMJ is vastly different from leading subordinates in a hierarchal institution like the Marine Corps. If a new 22 year old 3/M or 3A/E walks on a ship and starts to try and throw around his/her KP/USMC leadership style he/she will get nowhere with it. Like our tankerman just said to the 2/M yesterday, "son, I got grandkids your age". Go read on other boards and see the impression most people have of KP and you will see it is not so bright and it is directly related to the militarization of the school.
Train your people for the mission you are given ... thats good leadership. Training military officers should be secondary to training shipboard officers, not the other way around.
Interesting point. China can do it cheaper. Is that what is being said? I'm not following.
Bruno, I would be interested to hear what you believe the value of having licensed officers that are commissioned military officers that are trained in a military academy environment. I would like to hear why you and others believe that this combination is a better "product". The product of course being the graduates.BUT- IMHO what KP offers is a combination of producing licensed officers who are also commissioned military officers trained in a military academy environment. Get rid of either of those legs and I think that you are setting the place up for elimination.
I like your explanation and I agree with you. I really don't know that much about KP but did investigate it a fair amount while my son was considering it. My son is focused on a military carreer and decided KP was not a route he wanted to take to get to his destination. I developed a positive view of KP (inspite of the belly aching) and am continueing to try and learn more as I have another son that is a couple years younger and is interested in the academies.Packer- I believe absolutely that a highly regimented, stressful environment prepares people better than the alternative. Most guys are pretty darn quick to pick up that a regimented world doesn't exist outside the 4 walls of the Academy- whether you are in the military or business (and I have spent 20 years in the military world and about 15 managing in the manufacturing world in union and nonunion shops so I think that I understand both pretty well). But learning to function in that stressful, regimented, absolutist environment teaches the belief that devotion to a task and your team, really hard work and personal integrity are essential to success in any field. That's why the business world has such high demand for Service Academy grads now for management positions. So personally I think KP ought to embrace the new Commandant if he's coming in from the USMC, be exceedingly glad that you have a rigorous regimental system and that you are sending a pretty high % of grads onto active duty, especially in the sea going professions. I think that mix is your saving grace.
I'm not trying to kick up a fight- if you disagree that's ok- just think about it a little.