American cowards in military communities: "Loose lips sink ships"

[chalmers]

These idiots are getting all worked up when newspapers report about the whereabouts of US Navy ships over seas. Seriously here is a comment on facebook from a poster who says that the news shouldn't report on the military, there was such an outcry that the newspaper had to comment on the facebook feed and tell them that they got the story from the US Navy itself. We are truly a nation of cowards.

http://www.pilotonline.com/news/military/local/uss-truman-arrives-in-persian-gulf-begins-airstrikes-against-islamic/article_80f2b634-d8d8-51eb-bb36-51d003266e67.html

http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=92573

Peggy Smith-labelle "Boy times sure has changed. I think it's a HUGE mistake naming which ship is doing what. That's a huge target on those ships AND the home port of that ship. It just makes me so angry when I read the paper and there it is!! Naming the ships that are doing the bombing along with naming the squadrons that's doing the bombing as well. Too MANY loose lips that puts us military people in danger. Just crazy."

The Virginian-Pilot / pilotonline.com Hi all -- "The Pilot is reporting this based on a Navy announcement. As of now (8:30 p.m. Tuesday), the Navy's announcement is the first story under "Navy News Service Top Stories" on navy.mil. http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=92573 "

Peggy Smith-labelle "I don't care. It's still a HUGE mistake that ANY of this was put out. Either by the military and/or the newspapers. It puts many lives in danger as if our military people aren't in enough danger as it is. I understand that your just doing your job. And if the military already put it out, then the newspaper follows. I just feel that it's totally wrong & dangerous to report which ships/carriers are doing what. HUGE target on the home ports. Just my thoughts of a Air Force "brat" as well as a retired Navy wife."

Holli Baldwin-Boulware "This is NOT information that should be shared on Facebook. As a spouse, if I posted this, I would be in serious trouble for putting my husband and crew in danger. Seriously Virginian-Pilot??? Are you that hard up for news?"

[pangaia]

1. And these folks actually VOTE !!

EEEEK !!

[Glassunion]

2. A "retired Navy wife"

Does that mean she's divorced from a member of the Navy? Or was she once married to the Navy itself?

[KingCharlemagne]

8. LOL! Good thing I already finished my a.m. coffee :) - nt

[Revanchist]

11. It means the wife

of a service member that served at least 20 years in the Navy and "retired" with a pension. Although her phrasing is a little off it is a very common phrase to those of us who have served long enough to draw a pension.

[The Polack MSgt]

3. As fewer and fewer Americans

Serve in the Armed Forces and conversely spend more and more time consuming flag waving nonsense propaganda we will be seeing these bedwetting panic attacks more often.

And then all these amoeba shaped bags of Crisco will bleat happily to each about how they are so "patriotic" and truly "support our troops".
On social media of course, they can't be bothered to stir off the couch and speak to anyone in person

All the while pounding little Debbie's snack cakes into their gaping maws

Fuck these people.

[KingCharlemagne]

9. That is quite the Bosch-like image you conjure. I especially liked

"pounding little Debbie's snack cakes into their gaping maws"

[niyad]

4. "THE SKY IS FALLING, THE SKY IS FALLING!!!!!!"

what astonishingly ignorant, fear-driven wastes of oxygen and resources.

if that peggy person is indeed a child of a military member, and married to a military (or former) military member, then she should surely know that the military themselves put out much information. perhaps she should take up her new concerns (since the military has been doing this for quite some time) with the pentagon. I am certain that they would just LOVE to hear from her about how badly they are mucking things up.

note to the fear-driven ones: if you think that the "enemy" has no clue what our military is doing, you are so far beyond delusionally ignorant that there is no point talking to you.

[GummyBearz]

5. I'd say idiots not cowards

But both may apply. It really is silly. Our Navy is not being hunted at this moment... this is not ww2

[pintobean]

6. I don't get what makes it cowardly, either.

[edgineered]

7. It could be that things have changed in the past few decades,

but people really haven't. It would be surprising if the locals in port cities overseas do not know more about a ships movements than do the crew. The loose lips thing applies more to those with whom the need for another drink (or pillow talk, etc) is greater than their need to know. It is (was) amazing how well informed the civilians are.

[pintobean]

10. Agree.

[Revanchist]

13. I joined in the pre-internet age

For the first half of my career the main form of communication was either letters or the occasional phone call from port. This was the day when the carriers were regularly followed by Soviet "fishing vessels" and you had it drilled into you to not discuss the port schedule during phone calls back home or in letters. You were allowed to say were you've been but not where you're going. I can understand how some who were brought up in this era can be upset with the release of some information by the papers but I don't think this qualifies.

Now if the paper or the Navy had reported that after the bombing campaign the Truman would be visiting Malta Spain from the 3rd to the 8th of January then that would be a cause for upset.

[edgineered]

15. Back then it was difficult to spread more false info than truth,

it was a whole different game. Hearing a radioman say, and believe, that the slq32 could pick up message traffic that was 3 days old still makes me laugh!

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

12. When I was in we were going to be deployed.

We knew were going to the Philippines, Okinawa, or Taiwan. But, nobody knew which, even the officers.

But, the bar girls did.

Fortunately, no ships were sunk but one was damaged and had to turn back because we hit the tail end of a typhoon on our way to Taiwan.

[Blue_Tires]

14. So a couple of local nutbars say something nutty on Facebook

and you run and post it here??

[tkmorris]

16. It's a discussion board, lighten up

There's no reason to be nasty to people. Have a Happy New Year.

[Blue_Tires]

20. I'm just sayin'

if we all posted some ignorant comment from some random yoo-hoo on social media, there would be room to discuss anything else...

[snooper2]

17. This is HUGH!

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

18. Without the news article, "they" wouldn't know.

We could have sneaked into the Persian Gulf with a carrier group, and none would have been the wiser.

Shhhh, we're hunting terrorists.

And, without being forwarned by the news, the Macy's parade could have sneaked through the streets of New York and nobody would have seen it.

[pinboy3niner]

19. Bazinga!

But I think you mean tewwowists.