Journal: “Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.”

From the 1974 movie,”Chinatown.”

Meaning— forget it, Jake, It’s futile. It’s useless. Don’t fight it.

It’s the Navy, what can you do? Absolutely nothing. I’ve tried. Writing, however, is something we can always do. In fact, the Navy encourages its Sailors and their families to share their Navy story.

This entity, whose Chief of Naval Operations is calling on Sailors to “Get Real, Get Better,” faces challenges from the ongoing “Fat Leonard” saga to the fall out of a billion dollar ship, the USS Bonhomme Richard, burning down for lack of any Sailor seemingly doing their job.

My frustration with the Navy didn’t come about because of two posts. My issues with the Navy may seemingly only affect me, but they are not unique to me. I am not a special snowflake. The Navy has systemic problems with ego, following policy, social media, bullying, self-importance, Sailors preferring to keep their head down to get through the tour, ignoring problems because you don’t want it on your FIT Rep (annual employee review), failed audits, hiring problems, an out of touch Leadership, and so on…

We collectively are not allowed to speak up because these folks are willing to put their lives on the line for our country. The many folks who serve our nation are by large good people, who serve to serve, who dedicate time, and sacrifice more than we realize for the greater good of our country. However, Sailors are also human. Make mistakes. And should be allowed to make mistakes. It’s when the mistakes are caused by ego, self-importance, lackadaisical attitudes, or fear, that needs to be addressed.

Forget it, Debbie. It’s the Navy…