Posted on Apr 14, 2015
What are your thoughts on Anna Granville's (a Navy officer) reasons for resigning?
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NOTE: The photo of the Naval Officer attached to the original taskandpurpose blog post is not a photograph of the author of the taskandpurpose blog post, as is noted on the photo at taskandpurpose. This has been brought to my attention by a colleague of the officer in the photo, who is currently serving. I can't seem to get RallyPoint to remove the photo except by removing the URL to the blog, so I'm removing the URL. The photo does not add anything to this discussion, so I'm removing it.
This young Navy officer's reasons for resigning seem applicable across the Services.
1. Promotions are based more on “hitting the wickets” than exemplary performance.
2. Unsustainable strain on your personal relationships.
3. The military is a homogeneous, anti-intellectual organization.
4. Ownership of self.
On point 3, she writes: "When I was a week into my first deployment, I was preparing my slides for a watch turnover brief as the assistant chiefs of staff all filed in. A fellow junior officer, whose watch station was adjacent to mine, muttered, “Man, the Navy has a never-ending supply of middle-aged white men.” And she was absolutely right. The majority of senior military leaders are white, Christian, conservative men with engineering degrees from a service academy, masters’ degrees from a war college, who grew up middle-class or privileged and whose wives do not have a career outside the home. There is nothing wrong with any of this — indeed, this is probably the profile of most executives in America. But this also means there’s a lack of diversity of ideas, a resistance to alternative ways of thinking, and the lethality of group think."
How do those she describes here (senior officers) respond? Is Service homogeneity a problem, and does it create a "lethality of group think" and a "resistance to alternate ways of thinking"?
You can find the article at taskandpurpose; it is titled "4 Reasons I Am Resigning My Commission As A Naval Officer."
http://taskandpurpose.com
This young Navy officer's reasons for resigning seem applicable across the Services.
1. Promotions are based more on “hitting the wickets” than exemplary performance.
2. Unsustainable strain on your personal relationships.
3. The military is a homogeneous, anti-intellectual organization.
4. Ownership of self.
On point 3, she writes: "When I was a week into my first deployment, I was preparing my slides for a watch turnover brief as the assistant chiefs of staff all filed in. A fellow junior officer, whose watch station was adjacent to mine, muttered, “Man, the Navy has a never-ending supply of middle-aged white men.” And she was absolutely right. The majority of senior military leaders are white, Christian, conservative men with engineering degrees from a service academy, masters’ degrees from a war college, who grew up middle-class or privileged and whose wives do not have a career outside the home. There is nothing wrong with any of this — indeed, this is probably the profile of most executives in America. But this also means there’s a lack of diversity of ideas, a resistance to alternative ways of thinking, and the lethality of group think."
How do those she describes here (senior officers) respond? Is Service homogeneity a problem, and does it create a "lethality of group think" and a "resistance to alternate ways of thinking"?
You can find the article at taskandpurpose; it is titled "4 Reasons I Am Resigning My Commission As A Naval Officer."
http://taskandpurpose.com
Culture
Commission
Officers
Edited 9 y ago
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 53
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LCDR (Join to see), I only hope that in the future this young officer doesn't look back on the way she handled her departure from the Navy and wished she'd handled it in a more discreet way. This action has "regret" written all over it.
MAJ (Join to see), I guess your discussion got rolled up with another? Last I saw, I thought this was LCDR (Join to see)'s discussion thread!
MAJ (Join to see), I guess your discussion got rolled up with another? Last I saw, I thought this was LCDR (Join to see)'s discussion thread!
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MCPO Jim Weatherford
Last i checked it was a volunteer service. If you came in looking for an attaboy for doing the job you took an oath to do, then you did everyone a favor. I guess to make us more homogenous we should advance people based on age and looks. Forget talent and the ability to lead.
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
LTC Stephen C. Though I agree on principle that one should not "air dirty laundry," I think that that perhaps there is a need to be vocal about the need to make changes.
That said... 85% of the service is male. 75% are non-minority races (White or White-Hispanic). So of course, statistically the VAST MAJORITY of mid to senior officers will be White-Males.
That said... 85% of the service is male. 75% are non-minority races (White or White-Hispanic). So of course, statistically the VAST MAJORITY of mid to senior officers will be White-Males.
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LTC Stephen C.
Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS, I don't argue the "airing of dirty laundry" nor do I dispute the statistics that appear to get at the root of her concerns. I simply speculate that someday she'll regret the way she carried it out. Sheer speculation.
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
LTC Stephen C. Absolutely! Freedom of Speech does not imply Freedom FROM Consequence.
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What I find a bit amusing is if she expects corporate America to be any different, she is in for a rude awakening. The grass is not greener and the civilian world (and particularly corporate Amercia) has it own share of "-isms" that would rival anything you find in the military.
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COL Vincent Stoneking
LTC Paul Labrador This was exactly what I was thinking. She is in for a nasty surprise and a wild ride.
To quote the Joker, "wait until she gets a load of me!"
To quote the Joker, "wait until she gets a load of me!"
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SSG Christopher Parrish
I believe it can be worse in certain situations. At least in the military you know what is expected of you and you have pretty well defined tasks, conditions, and standards.
In the civilian business place there are many times where you have a goal or task and you are not only competing against that task but others who want your job/role and are not as professional and honorable as the military tends to be.
In the civilian business place there are many times where you have a goal or task and you are not only competing against that task but others who want your job/role and are not as professional and honorable as the military tends to be.
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CW2 Joseph Evans
SSG Christopher Parrish I spent my last 15 years in Intel... The "well defined tasks, conditions, and standards" can become not so well defined in a heartbeat ... And one of the weakest links in "the honor of the service."
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SSgt Rick D
I found her story all too reminiscent of a lot of the negative comments about the military I heard during my 8 years in service. Like her, I decided to leave the military, thinking that the grass would be greener in life outside of the military. I left the military to complete college and to work in corporate America. Fast forward 7 years, I actually see my parents and many friends less now, because of the expensive costs to travel and limited time off from work.
While I enjoy my current job in the financial industry, the brutal reality is that the pay and benefits are typically lower than military pay and benefits, travel opportunities are not common for most people, and the work is not nearly as exciting as being in the military. Also, I learned it is fairly common for people to lose jobs, get pay cuts, or just not move up at a company. There is no guarantee for a pay increase or promotion, even if you are performing well in you job. Even worse, the company you work for may just go out of business. While I enjoy my freedom, I find that I spend most of my time working now to make enough money to survive, which significantly limits my free time. Looking back on my time in the military, I feel that my training, education, travel, and other opportunities were undoubtedly the best that I have had so far in my adult working life. And even better, all of this was paid for by the military.
I agree that there is a perception that the military is a homogeneous, anti-intellectual organization. It is true that the military is very structured and set with policy, standards and traditions. However, I do not think that most companies in the private sector are necessarily much different. Each company I have worked at has had their own set of policies, standards and unique culture. From my experience, it's not like most people join an organization and have intellectual conversations and propose ideas on a regular basis that are going to reshape the organization. Usually, people that do not like the company just leave and go elsewhere---if they can find another equivalent or better job.
I agree with her point about it being difficult to maintain relationships due to the military deployments and time away from family and friends. In that regard, I find life outside the military to be much more suitable for living and staying in the same area for a long amount of time. The military has it's pros and cons, but overall I would still recommend serving in the military to anyone that wants to get free education, training, travel, and unique experiences, and the benefits are nice too!
While I enjoy my current job in the financial industry, the brutal reality is that the pay and benefits are typically lower than military pay and benefits, travel opportunities are not common for most people, and the work is not nearly as exciting as being in the military. Also, I learned it is fairly common for people to lose jobs, get pay cuts, or just not move up at a company. There is no guarantee for a pay increase or promotion, even if you are performing well in you job. Even worse, the company you work for may just go out of business. While I enjoy my freedom, I find that I spend most of my time working now to make enough money to survive, which significantly limits my free time. Looking back on my time in the military, I feel that my training, education, travel, and other opportunities were undoubtedly the best that I have had so far in my adult working life. And even better, all of this was paid for by the military.
I agree that there is a perception that the military is a homogeneous, anti-intellectual organization. It is true that the military is very structured and set with policy, standards and traditions. However, I do not think that most companies in the private sector are necessarily much different. Each company I have worked at has had their own set of policies, standards and unique culture. From my experience, it's not like most people join an organization and have intellectual conversations and propose ideas on a regular basis that are going to reshape the organization. Usually, people that do not like the company just leave and go elsewhere---if they can find another equivalent or better job.
I agree with her point about it being difficult to maintain relationships due to the military deployments and time away from family and friends. In that regard, I find life outside the military to be much more suitable for living and staying in the same area for a long amount of time. The military has it's pros and cons, but overall I would still recommend serving in the military to anyone that wants to get free education, training, travel, and unique experiences, and the benefits are nice too!
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In a word, this is lame.
1. Promotions - Unless you are setting the world on fire in some way there is likely a lot you have to learn as a JMO (hitting the wickets). She sounds like a lot of the mid 20's crowd that show up in corporate America and think they should be running the place in a few years. She will have an agonizing reappraisal coming up should she ever work in corporate America. My guess is she will end up in a government job somewhere.
2. Strain on your relationships - I hope that wasn't a surprise. She signed up for duty in the US Navy. They operate on these big things called ships, all over the world. You should expect to be gone, a lot. If you are trying to date anyone it will be a strain due to deployments. If you are trying to date another JMO you need your head examined. You will both likely go different directions. And those lucky white men that have a wife and kids at home, they just have it made in the shade being gone for a year at a time.
3. Homogeneous and anti-intellectual - Of course it is. She might want to recall this is an all volunteer force. If there are not enough non white, non Christian men in it (BTW, those remarks could be considered racist or misandry), they should sign up. The anti-intellectual statement is the hallmark of the millienial whiner. Always the smartest person in the room. She is the real intellectual, they just need to listen to her more. They must not know that she was given a trophy every season for soccer/band/softball/etc.
4. Ownership of self: The military requires you to give up a lot of yourself for the greater good of the nation. If yoiu cannot deal with that reality it is time to move on. She seems to have made that realization and rather than leave quietly, she wanted to take a few shots.
I'm glad she is leaving, she would have been unhappy and would have made those around her unhappy. It is not for everyone, fair wind and following seas.
1. Promotions - Unless you are setting the world on fire in some way there is likely a lot you have to learn as a JMO (hitting the wickets). She sounds like a lot of the mid 20's crowd that show up in corporate America and think they should be running the place in a few years. She will have an agonizing reappraisal coming up should she ever work in corporate America. My guess is she will end up in a government job somewhere.
2. Strain on your relationships - I hope that wasn't a surprise. She signed up for duty in the US Navy. They operate on these big things called ships, all over the world. You should expect to be gone, a lot. If you are trying to date anyone it will be a strain due to deployments. If you are trying to date another JMO you need your head examined. You will both likely go different directions. And those lucky white men that have a wife and kids at home, they just have it made in the shade being gone for a year at a time.
3. Homogeneous and anti-intellectual - Of course it is. She might want to recall this is an all volunteer force. If there are not enough non white, non Christian men in it (BTW, those remarks could be considered racist or misandry), they should sign up. The anti-intellectual statement is the hallmark of the millienial whiner. Always the smartest person in the room. She is the real intellectual, they just need to listen to her more. They must not know that she was given a trophy every season for soccer/band/softball/etc.
4. Ownership of self: The military requires you to give up a lot of yourself for the greater good of the nation. If yoiu cannot deal with that reality it is time to move on. She seems to have made that realization and rather than leave quietly, she wanted to take a few shots.
I'm glad she is leaving, she would have been unhappy and would have made those around her unhappy. It is not for everyone, fair wind and following seas.
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Cpl Jeff N.
@ 1LT L S I was post Vietnam, the pattern I was wearing is the woodland camoflauge pattern. That one came out right after the poplin in the late 70's/early 80's. We started using it in the Marine Corps about then. The Army had been using it for a while.
I never knew anyone like Elias (Dafoe). I knew a lot of Barnes' though. Not to say that they would have done some of the things Barnes did in the movie but of that mindset. It was a very different time. Lot's of Vietnam Vets in the ranks, not all of them well settled and some of them not pleased with the way they had been treated and rightfully so.
I never knew anyone like Elias (Dafoe). I knew a lot of Barnes' though. Not to say that they would have done some of the things Barnes did in the movie but of that mindset. It was a very different time. Lot's of Vietnam Vets in the ranks, not all of them well settled and some of them not pleased with the way they had been treated and rightfully so.
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