The Honors Affair

                                    The Honor's Affair

 January 5, 2011

I have this to say about Captain Honors, and then I will say no more. Captain Honors is a decorated Navy Pilot who has flown combat missions. I have served under pilots, I have been their subordinate, and I have also socialized with them after hours. This is not the normal state of affairs for the way officers treat their men. Fighter Pilots, as I came to know, are a breed apart. They have a wild streak that does not carry into their handling of a leadership position, on the contrary, they are better leaders; but the very nature of their job requires that wild streak and the unique way that they relate to their subordinates. Their  subordinates are the Plane Captains who make sure that the aircraft is ready to fly. They are the Ordnancemen that make sure that their munitions and weapons systems are ready and working. They are the Avionics people who maintain the critical electronics that not only fly the plane, but make sure that this man will come back alive from his mission if possible. What this man did was not for publication. This was a spoof put on by him and a few others for the entertainment of the crew. Anyone that was offended had the option to turn it off. A simple flick of a switch. The Navy is over-reacting, as is the press. Show me one officer that has not done something that they could parade out to ruin him, and I will show you someone that is lying to you. I have overheard some terrible things from Colonels and Generals when I was a waiter when assigned to mess duty. I was a waiter for Lt.Colonels and above for 30 days. It was an eye opener, let me tell you, but I would never tell you what was said. It was said in confidence.This is all that I will say. You can agree with me, or not. This should have been a private matter, but the press smelled blood in the water, and another honorable man has seen his career torpedoed and sunk, all in the name of Political Correctness. A shame, and a loss to the Navy and America. It's time to stop punishing people for things that are minor offenses, if they are offenses at all.

 I'm not saying that gay-bashing is a good thing, but we need to stop being so damned sensitive to everything that is said. We need, as a society, to grow a thick skin and suck it up. Not every word that is said or printed should be actionable. We need to stop litigating and over-legislating and deal with each other with good humor, like we used to.