A Navy Lieutenant No More

[unhappycamper]

A Navy Lieutenant No More
April 19, 2008
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

EVERETT - Eleven years ago, Sabrina M. Weiner graduated as a valedictorian at Kamiak High School near Everett. She was a National Merit Scholar, aiming for a bright future after earning a Navy ROTC scholarship to Stanford University.

Two months ago, Weiner, 27, forfeited her Navy career after seven years on active and reserve duty, during which she rose to the rank of lieutenant.

In a rare instance involving a commissioned officer, Weiner was arrested and given a choice between a court-martial or less-than-honorable discharge after refusing to serve in Iraq.

Speaking publicly for the first time about it, Weiner says she was not against the war but the so-called "individual augmentee" program. In the past several years, that program has sent nearly 60,000 sailors from ships and bases to augment Army and Marine ground forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. "It is not an against-the-war argument but a people-accountability argument," Weiner says. "I was proud to say I was a Navy officer. My problem is the way they are using us as IAs. It minimizes the job and training we do for the Navy."

It cannibalizes the Navy -- and Air Force -- to cover up a shortage of Army and Marine troops to fight the wars, she argues.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/a-navy-lieutenant-no-more.html

[Jack Bone]

1. thanx for the info...Rec'd

[izzie]

2. Bush has made a mess.

Let me know if you can find one dept. in his govt. that he has not made a mess. I can not think of one. This comes from turning over govt. dept. to people who do not see them as a service but just another thing to make money off of. How are the police and fire dept. doing? I am sure they will be sold off soon along with the water dept.