Re: Re : Chits

On Thu, 19 Jun 1997, Jon Holloway wrote:

>      Marines. Any professional soldier will tell you they are trained
to 
>      think AND obey lawful orders. 

So, what do you do when those two conflict?

That's right, obey the orders. No reasoning, no backtalk, just obey or 
face court martial.

Obedience is of primary importance. Initiative is a nice plus for 
situations when there's no one around to order you (which gets more 
common in the higher ranks, true).   
   
Part of military training is designed to break down initiative, e.g. 
parade drills, systematic humialiation, senseless tasks.

It may get better as time goes by, but basic training is very much 
centered on showing the recruit his place in the system and killing any 
initiative or free thought -- and with that in conscript armies like 
ours, dies the professional expertise the recruit had in civilian life.

And please don't tell me you've never had an idiot for a superior
officer.

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