Re: The Kiss of Death - From another GI's point of view

Subject: Re: The Kiss of Death - From another GI's point of view
From: "Gross, Larry D" <Larry -dot- Gross -at- WEST -dot- BOEING -dot- COM>
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 1998 11:46:04 -0700

Fellow TW's and TC's,

Cheers to you Mr. Durbin! Having spent only 4 years in the Air Force (E-4)
I was delighted to see your opinion met out to the civilian sector with
class and dignity. I'm employed in Defense Aerospace where prior military
service is indeed a very valuable asset on one's resume if not an actual
requirement. Here in our Tech Pubs nearly 90% of the entire department is
prior military (heavy on the Air Force) with a wide assortment of education,
knowledge and skills base. We too must be able to remain flexible in order
to react to ever changing situations and policies. For others out there,
don't be mislead into believing that all of us GI's (past and present) are
rigid and inflexible. We too grew up along side of you, went to school, and
received our diploma's in the same line. Some of us attended college either
before our enlistment others after. We merely took another avenue in life
and please don't think of it as a short cut or easy way out. I've been
through both and believe me college was a breeze compared to hearing
reveille at 0500 hours and falling out for inspection nor do I remember
having my hair shaved off the first day I attended college. I do admit that
college was easier to deal with because of the training I had received in
the service.

Not everyone civilian nor military receives the same training. We all bring
something unique to the bargaining table.

Regards,

Larry D. Gross
Sr. Logistics Analyst
B-1B Technical Publications
Boeing North American
(805) 789-6720 Comnet 260-6720
larry -dot- gross -at- west -dot- boeing -dot- com <mailto:Larry -dot- gross -at- west -dot- boeing -dot- com>



----------
From: David Dubin [SMTP:David_Dubin -at- BESTSOFTWARE -dot- COM]
Sent: Friday, October 23, 1998 10:23 AM
To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
Subject: Re: The Kiss of Death

Laurie Morgan, in her response to releasing military backgrounds in
a job
search wrote, "On the other hand, a software development company
(where
there is a cultural
emphasis on creativity and flexibility in design of both product
and
documentation) might be uneasy with someone with military
background,
making
the assumption (rightly or wrongly) that someone with that
background might
be
too rigid and inflexible to adapt to a rapidly changing
environment."



I am a military retiree with 27 years of service and, while I honor
your
viewpoint, I cannot agree with it on two levels.



First of all, I came up through the ranks, having enlisted after
five
semesters of college. I went from private through to sergeant and
was
recommended for a commission, which I received from the Officer
Candidate
School program. From the time I was a private until I went through
Command
and General Staff College, the Army trained me to assess the
situation,
plan for the mission, and remain FLEXIBLE in the implementation.



Most civilians, like you, view military people as "too rigid and
inflexible
to adapt to a rapidly changing environment". But let me ask you one
question, what environment can be more rapidly changing than a
battlefield?
One of the first rules that a soldier learns is that, when the first
bullet
is fired, the contingency plans become active and your training,
instincts,
and skills kick in. That is one reason that the Army has always been
supportive of training, training, and training.



I spent two tours in Vietnam and helped plan portions of Desert
Shield and
Desert Storm and I can tell you that if a commander at any level
isn't
flexible and adaptable, he or she quickly becomes a liability to
both the
mission and his or her troops. And it is not just the combat troops,
but
the support troops that need that imagination, flexibility, and
reactivity.
One of the keys in a modern battlefield is the integration of
real-time
intelligence and telecommunications to know what is going on, where,
and to
relay that information to the command and back to the supporting and
supported units. The term "fog of war" no longer has anything to do
with
gunpowder, but with a lack of information and communication. How
many
college grads with one TW or training job behind them have the same
training and experiences as a college grad with the same year
military
experience? I know, because I've been there and done that.



The second reason that I disagree is based on my own experience. My
former
employer was the IT department of the world's largest financial
services
company and the company that I currently work for is a middle-market
leader
in the software industry. They appreciated my military experience
because
they knew that, when things got tough and stuff went FUBAR, I could
be
counted on to stay calm, stay focused, and get the job done. They
knew I
wouldn't bitch about long hours because I am both team and mission
oriented, and they knew that I would use all of my experience to
teach
others to be better writers, developers, and trainers.


In my life, both civilian and military, I have not cared who or what
a
person was, but what that person could bring to the table to enhance
the
output of my team. By automatically writing military men and women
off, an
employer is not only losing a great pool of skill, of talent, and of
people
who truly understand the meaning of the concept of teamwork.



David Dubin

This has been one man's opinion, yours may vary with mileage or
experience



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