Dear Hack,

Please do not use my name in any public comments/writings. For that I will thank you.

As a Capt in the AF I am very cautious about what I say militarily and to whom. You happen to be one of the rare few that I have respected the opinion of over the past several years so I would like to make some comments on your article regarding the basic ground combat skills lacking in today's troops.

Leadership has a responsibility to ensure that the troop has the basic skills and the motivation to employ their rifle and other basic combat tools in an effective manner but has often failed due to pressure to have MOS specific skills take precedence over basic grunt skills. A failure to train by leadership causes a failure to perform by unprepared troops. I train my squadron members on basic defensive skills (a medical unit) and I take this seriously, I believe, more seriously than most subordinates and most seniors. I find this perception as sad.

As an AF Capt I can, and do, influence subordinates during the training of basic combat/defensive skills. Once the basic initiation into the unit there are few rifleman skills rehearsed, then rarely. As is, we (E' & O's) qual with a GAU 5/P yearly and officers also qual with the M9 (an ineffective defensive weapon considering what we face). My people are better trained than most AF medical troops and the is good because we support (go with or immediately behind) SOF and conventional units to Air Evac injured and sick troops out to definitive life-saving care. I love my job...I train to, and take care of, front line Marines and Soldiers that need care...the people that do our nation's will.

In the NC ARNG I was appalled at the lack of commitment of the general troop, the lack of training, the lack of physical fitness, and the lack of motivation to accomplish the mission should things get mildly rough. Don't get me wrong, there were exemplary Guard members but they were not the majority of the troops I saw and worked with. Some were outstanding, most were just there ( a medical unit). It could have been better with the proper influence of the leadership.

In the AF our people are, in general, nearly devoid of grunt skills. The AF is a specialty service. My unit goes in to support forward units and we have a section specifically dedicated to training these skills so my unit is better prepared than the average, but this ISN 'T the Marine Corps where I got my initial training! In a perfect world I would like a 12 week training period of ground skills just to get into my unit but the medical service is skiddish about AF medical troops being grunt-like trained.

In the Corps I learned basic grunt skills and I was required to keep current for the duration of my enlistment. Most of all that is good that I have attained and some bad that has happened during my adult life is directly due to the qualities and knowledge that the Corps had instilled in me years ago. I loved the Corps and what it taught me. Now I work with Army grunts, and I have a renewed appreciation for 11Bs and engineers, who are grunts with skills (my neighbor specifically).

Again, you are correct but I will also add that I do not believe that the powers that be will listen to you until a series of tragedies happen...all of which are probably preventable of at least could be lessened through training.

I would like to see all ground troops take a NEW version of a physical fitness and skills test consisting of a 20 KM ruck, pull ups, push ups, run, sit ups, rifle qual, land nav, night ops, fighting positions, NBC, and team building skills. Will this be implemented? Unfortunately, no.

You have my best wishes for returning the military members to the fighting force that it deserves to be, an army of skilled effective troops, not an army of individuals.

Semper Fi, Ooh-rah, Hoo-ah, and Air Power to you!

Respectfully submitted with a request for anonymity,

Capt, USAF